Atypical Participation in American Politics

• In Event: Beyond the Traditional in Patterns of Political Participation

Abstract

After a tumultuous year of protests, some turned violent, in 2020 and early 2021, American politics has been faced with questions surrounding why individuals would turn to such high-cost methods of political engagement to get what they want. Some have long assumed that many protesters don’t vote, and evidence surrounding recent protests suggest this assumption is true. When we discuss participation in democracy, our focus tends to center on voting behavior. Being the lowest-cost method for engaging in civic life, voting is typically considered the entry point for participation. However, recent developments have indicated that a small subset of the politically engaged public is taking part in higher levels of participation, especially political protests, while simultaneously choosing not to vote in the general election. Preliminary analysis of data from the Cooperative Election Study shows that these “atypical” participants are active and engaged in the political landscape but choose not to vote for reasons related to external efficacy. This preliminary analysis also shows that these tendencies are on the rise. Using a combination of interviews and survey analysis, this paper will provide valuable insight into members of the public who engage in a variety of political activities but choose not to participate by voting in federal elections.

Author

• Jamie Nelson, University of Utah