Teaching Ideas for Chapter 10:
Elections and Voting Behavior
It is common to hear people in public life say, "Vote any way you want, but VOTE." Have your class consider the following question: Do people in an election campaign organization really want to increase voter turnout, or are they interested in types of people who they think will vote for their party or candidate? Small groups of students could interview local officeholders and ask for their "realistic" opinions. Are "get out the vote" campaigns geared primarily to a party's (or candidate's) supporters? Compare their responses to similar questions asked of campus student leaders.
Divide your class into two sections and ask them to take opposing positions on the following question: Is it reasonable for a voter to look at personality and "character" traits as a basis for judging candidates for public office? Class discussion on this topic is often animated and responsive.
See The People Speak: Do Elections Make Government Listen? in the textbook. Respondents were asked if they feel that having elections makes the government pay attention to what the people think. Replicate the question and four responses, and administer the survey to your own class. Were the results similar to the original survey, or were there noticeable differences? Ask your class to analyze reasons for similarities or discrepancies.
The mandate theory of elections has played a more significant role in British elections than it has in the American electoral system. Call for volunteers to examine the position of the mandate theory in Great Britain, and to give a brief report in class. Use the report as the basis for a comparative study of the mandate theory in the British and U.S. electoral systems. (In Britain, one view is that the government should not introduce policies unless it has received an electoral mandate, that is, unless the new policy was introduced during the campaign.)
Ask students to research the legislative history of the Motor Voter Act. Who supported the act? Who opposed it? Why? Has "motor voter" had any effect on voter registration? Turnout?