INFLUENCE AND PARTICIPATION

REVISION NOTES

Background:
• The Constitution of the United States guarantees all US citizens written rights.
• The First Amendment prohibits Congress from obstructing the exercise of certain individual
freedoms: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly,
and freedom of petition.
• Participating in civic life is seen as part and parcel of being a good citizen in the USA.
PARAGRAPH 1: Voting
• An opportunity for people to exert political influence in the USA is through voting during
presidential elections. Presidential elections are held every four years and any citizen who is
aged 18 or above can vote.
• They can also vote for a state Governor. Each state has a Governor who is elected. Governors
are, in effect, a state's own President. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of
California from November 2003 to January 2011.
• A single voter may be able to vote for up to 30 officials and representatives at one election.
• However, many Americans do not vote.
• In the 2014 mid-term elections national turnout was just 36%; the lowest since 1942, meaning a
significant majority chose not to exercise their right to vote.
• NY Times cited apathy, alienation and anger at negative campaigning as the main reasons,
especially among poor Americans who feel they’ve been let down by both parties in recent times.
• Some voters do not feel there is a significant enough difference between the main parties to merit
voting, and that neither fully represents them. Professor Noam Chomsky has claimed the
Democrats and Republicans are merely ‘2 factions of the Business Party’.
• Bernie Sanders, a Democrat candidate for the 2016 Presidential election, has warned that the
money spent on election campaigns is in danger of turning the US into an ‘oligarchy’, where only
the super-rich can fund and win elections, meaning poor people will not be represented well.
• Ethnic minorities participate less. Black turnout dropped below whites in 2014 mid-terms,
suggesting increased black turnouts in 2008 and 2012 can be attributed to blacks identifying with
Obama.
• Overall blacks still feel somewhat disconnected from politics. This results in a lack of
representation; there are just 3 black Senators of 100, which in turn fuels the cycle of apathy.
PARAGRAPH 2: Petitions
• In 2011 the Obama administration initiated a ‘We the People’ petition site on the White House
website, where citizens can start and sign petitions.
• Those with over 100,000 signatures within 30 days are meant to receive a response.
• In 2012 a petition was started by digital rights activist Sina Khanifar calling for it to be made legal
to unlock mobile phones to be used on any network. It reached over 100,000 signatures. The
Obama administration issued a response urging Congress to legalise cell phone unlocking. A
year later, Congress passed the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, the
first piece of legislation driven by an online petition. This shows that people can participate in and
influence the political process effectively.
• However the vast majority of petitions are rejected, regardless of the number of signatures, such
as the one requesting that Texas be allowed to secede from the USA, signed by 125,000 people.
• Several other petitions which meet the criteria for a response have been left unanswered for
years, which calls into question the effectiveness or democratic nature of the petition system. In
addition, the digital divide means that poor communities will have difficulty participating equally
in ‘We The People.’
• Meaning they are less likely to be able to influence decision making.
PARAGRAPH 3: Joining a Political Party and Standing as a Candidate
• Joining a political party enables citizens to take part in voting for that party’s candidates for office
and in effect influence decision making. These elections are usually known as ‘primary’ elections.
• In reality, the US has a two party system and only the candidate of the Democratic Party or the
Republican Party has any realistic chance of winning.
• American citizens can seek to influence the government by running as a candidate for one of the
many positions that are available on a State or National level such as State Governor.
• However, standing for a position such as Governor or President requires a lot of money to run a
campaign which might put many people off from standing. The Obama campaign spent $985
million in getting him elected in 2012.
• Therefore, it is difficult to put yourself forward for election if you are poor due to the cost.
• This shows that sometimes political influence in the USA is often easier if you are wealthy.
PARAGRAPH 4: Advocacy Groups
• There are a wide range of ‘advocacy’ or ‘interest’ groups across a huge number of issues. The
amount of influence they will be able to exert will depend upon the group they join.
• In the USA, interest groups with the biggest memberships and budgets tend to have the most
influence on government decision making e.g. the NRA.
• The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a powerful advocacy group which defends gun ownership
and lobbies members of Congress to support its aims and prevent proposed firearm legislation.
• The NRA is especially active during presidential campaigns, contributing millions to candidates
who support expanded gun rights and targeting those who threaten to control or regulate guns.
• In the 2016 presidential election, the NRA backed Donald Trump.
• The NRA has proved successful at State level in loosening gun laws gaining 230 full legislative
victories over the last 10 years.
• At times when polls showed public support for more restrictive gun-control legislation following a
number of school shootings, the NRA’s lobbying and funding of candidates defeated the effort to
impose new gun controls.
• Never Again MSD is an American student-led political action committee for gun control that
advocates tighter regulations to prevent gun violence.
• The group was formed by a group of twenty Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students in
the aftermath of the shooting on February 14, 2018, in which seventeen students and staff
members were killed by a former student.
• The group staged protests demanding legislative action to be taken to prevent similar shootings
in the future and has vocally condemned U.S. lawmakers who have received political
contributions from the National Rifle Association (NRA).
• They have managed to influence decision making in Florida. In March 2018 the State Legislature
voted for various gun control measures.
• The law increased funding for school security and raised required age to buy a gun from 18 to 21.
• This was the first time in thirty years that Florida had passed any gun restrictions, and it was a
direct response to the Never Again movement.
• They have also managed to gain high profile supporters and donors which in turn allows them
more opportunities to influence decision making.
• The Clooney’s donated $500,000. Other celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, and Steven
Spielberg pledged to match the $500,000 donation.
PARAGRAPH 5: Ballot Initiatives
• They can try to influence decision making by attempting to introduce a ballot initiative.
• In 2016 over 600,000 people in California signed a petition to legalise recreational cannabis. This
got the initiative onto the ballot as Proposition 64.
• In November 2016 California 57% of voters voted to legalise the use of recreational cannabis.
• Recreational cannabis sales in the state began in January, 2018.
• Those in favour of the initiative spent $24.7 million fighting for the measure. It was supported by
the editorial boards of the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
• This demonstrates that it is possible for people to influence decision making.
• However monetary support and media support can give individuals and groups a disproportionate
amount of influence on decision making.