Title: Voting as Political Participation | Boundless Political Science
Headings: Voting as Political Participation
Voting as Political Participation
Voting as Political Participation
Learning Objectives
Key Takeaways
Key Points
Key Terms
Voting
Voter Registration: The First Step to Participation
Voter Turnout
Other Forms of Political Participation
Learning Objectives
Key Takeaways
Key Points
Key Terms
Contacting Public Officials
Donating Money, Time, and Resources to a Campaign
Running for Office
Participating by Protesting
Being a Part of Civil Society
Participating in Support Activities
Symbolic Participation and Symbolic Non-Participation

Content: Voter turnout in presidential elections is generally higher than for lower-level contests; usually more than half the eligible voters cast a ballot. Voter Turnout by Sex and Age (2008): This is a chart illustrating voter turnout by sex and age for the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Notice the higher turnout rates for women, and for older people. Voter turnout in the current era has not fluctuated much since voting participation during universal suffrage in 1920. Forty-nine percent of the voting-age public cast a ballot in the 1924 presidential contest, the same percentage as in 1996. Turnout in presidential elections in the 1960s was over 60 percent. More voters were mobilized during this period of political upheaval and people focused on issues of race relations, social welfare, and the Vietnam War. Turnout was lower in the 1980s and 1990s, when the political climate was less tumultuous.