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New Voters in American Elections: Participation, Partisan Mobilization, and the Future of Representative Democracy

Heidemann, Erik David
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1308317691

Abstract Details

2011, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Political Science.
Every election witnesses the exit of many habitual voters from the electorate through the natural completion of the life-cycle, making the new voters who fill this electoral void integral to sustaining the democratic system of government. As turnout in American elections dipped to historically (and some say dangerously) low levels in recent decades, a “crisis of democracy” literature emerged to sort out the root causes of this decline and its consequences. Scholars blamed psychological deterrents, institutional barriers, and societal changes for this growing civic disengagement. But one of the biggest culprits became the parallel decline of political party organizations and their mobilizing function in American politics. The modest rebound of voting turnout—and party organizations—in recent years has given political scientists the luxury of diverting their attention to other avenues of inquiry. But this study suggests that, while presently stable, American democracy is not “out of the woods.” Using primary and secondary source data gathered over the 2004-2006-2008 electoral timespan, I compare new voters to more established voters in terms of their demographics, political attitudes, and actual voting behavior. My findings reveal a mixed picture for the future. While turning out to vote in high-stimulus presidential elections does not seem to be a particular problem for new voters, voting in lower-stimulus sub-presidential elections is an activity they more or less leave to others. However, party mobilization drastically reduces the tendency of new voters to abstain; the same effect is more muted for established voters. This suggests that the political parties have an important role to play in turning today’s new voters into tomorrow’s established voters, thus helping to sustain the democratic system of government.
Paul Beck, PhD (Committee Chair)
Herbert Weisberg, PhD (Committee Member)
Kathleen McGraw, PhD (Committee Member)
181 p.
Political Science
new voters; partisan mobilization; party contact; voting behavior

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Heidemann, E. D. (2011). New Voters in American Elections: Participation, Partisan Mobilization, and the Future of Representative Democracy [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1308317691

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Heidemann, Erik. New Voters in American Elections: Participation, Partisan Mobilization, and the Future of Representative Democracy. 2011. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1308317691.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Heidemann, Erik. "New Voters in American Elections: Participation, Partisan Mobilization, and the Future of Representative Democracy." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1308317691

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12