Soc3AC Lecture 31 Exam Review Questions

What is the submerged state?

"The 'submerged state' includes a conglomeration of federal policies that function by providing incentives, subsidies, or payments to PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS or households to encourage or reimburse them for conducting activities deemed to serve a public purpose" submerged state: a set of policies that expanded in the 1980's, changed the funding from the government to increase tax credits and the like rather than social programs like healthcare. negatively affects democratism bcuz many ppl are unaware of these policy changes and this also is a form of discrimination bcuz minorities are the main ppl making use of the social programs that have been eliminated. these policies are passed more quickly bcuz they are "INVISIBLE"/not many ppl know about them so there is no one to appeal them

What happened in Florida in 2000?

2000 election: 4.7 million disenfranchised for having a felony due to the Florida election officials using "false positives"/not real felons names

When did the submerged state first emerge? When did it begin to expand dramatically and why? Who has built it and how did that change over time?

First created in the early 20th century Post-WWII: was a way to reach compromises Initially, built by Republicans and conservative Democrats Has become the main type of policies pursued by both Democrats and Republicans today The submerged state has flourished/expand since the 1980's

What happened in Ohio in 2004?

In every election, some voters encounter practical impediments to voting, such as long lines at the polling place. In 2004, however, the issue received increased attention. In many places, some voters had to wait several hours to vote. Ohio voters, in particular, were plagued by this issue. A study conducted by the Democratic National Committee in the summer of 2005 found that long lines forced three percent of the state's registered voters to abstain. --> LACK OF VOTING MACHINES IN LOW-INCOME AREAS led to 6 million being unable to vote

According to Piven and Cloward, what role have political parties played in shaping voter turnout? How did this change over time?

New voting requirements of early 20th century discouraged lower income potential voters.

What are her prescriptions?

Political leaders: need to make these policies visible help and encourage citizens to have a greater understanding of policy making and awareness of the policies in place need to encourage political participation

What is the 15th Amendment (and year)?

The 15th Amendment (of 1870) states the right to vote shall not be limited or denied based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

What is the 24th Amendment (and year)?

The 24th Amendment (of 1964) stated that the right to vote shall not be denied or limited based on failure to pay a poll tax.

What is voter suppression?

formal and informal practices that target low-income/minority groups to prevent their vote → justified by saying that they are to prevent electoral fraud, includes campaign leaders giving out misinformation about voting sites, etc

What is the Voting Rights Act (and year)?

Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited literacy tests as a condition to vote

Under what conditions do Americans tend to be concerned about economic inequality?

after recessions, when the economy falls???????

How do political campaigns go about doing this?

caging, challenging voters, misinformation campaigns

How did civic engagement change over the 20th century and why? What impact did it have on democracy? (Skocpol)

civic engagement groups of early 20th century: "Americans were avid participants in 'fellowship associations' - groups emphasizing and experiencing solidarity among fellow citizens" were often cross-class federations participation in them was a way to learn about democracy + civic engagement groups of late 20th century (1960-1990): Shift from popularly-based membership federations to (often memberless) professionally managed groups that lack chapters Professionally managed groups tend to focus on issues of interest to well-to-do and highly educated Americans Late 1950s, the Ford Foundation began the trend that led civic organizations to find funding from such private sources as opposed to from membership dues. + Why the shift?: Traditional fellowship federations tended to be racially exclusive and gender-segregated => lost legitimacy in the wake of the "rights revolutions" Women increasingly entering the workforce => time-squeeze Professionalization of rights struggles New political opportunity structure created in 1960s Changes in federal tax rules Professionalization and expansion of Congressional staff contributed to professionalization of civic groups Government contracting out provision of some programs + impact on Democracy: Decline of membership-based organizations constricted avenues for citizen participation and the learning of civic skills, as well as political knowledge civic participation and agendas of public discussion have arguably tilted toward the privileged and away from support for strong interventions to spread security and opportunity

According to Mettler, what are the various ways it contributes to inequality?

is a form of discrimination and contributes to inequality bcuz minorities are the main ppl making use of the social programs that have been eliminated due to the change in funding from the governemnt to private political parties and organizations. these policies are passed more quickly bcuz they are "invisible"/not many ppl know about them so they can't appeal what they don't know about Programs in the submerged state are very costly compared to most of the visible programs that remain. Tend to benefit wealthier Americans in contrast to the social programs that benefited less wealthy Americans => increase inequality. "Some of the largest winnings, moreover, are accrued not by individuals and households but rather by the third-party organizations and businesses that benefit from the economic activities such policies promote" (Mettler 23). Reduce government revenue, leaving less for the social programs that help the less wealthy.

3. What role does voter fraud discourse play and why does it resonate?

makes voter suppression seem ok/necessary to prevent voter fraud. it resonates bcuz of the racist/discriminatory mindsets that many ppl posses and political leaders (especially Republican) foster

According to Mettler, what impact does it have on democracy?

negatvely impacts democratism bcuz many ppl are unaware of these policy changes and therefore don't have a say in the policies that are going to affect them in some way "Policies of the submerged state obscure the role of the government and exaggerate that of the market, leaving citizens unaware of how power operates, unable to form meaningful opinions, and incapable, therefore, of voicing their views accordingly" (Mettler 6). Citizens are not actually consenting to or approving the policy choices being made. The submerged state encourages passivity and resentment rather than fostering citizenship

What kind of voting patterns do we see along the lines of race and education? (Skocpol)

now mainly college educated, whites are voting. minorities and people of color are not voting nearly as much as them due to voter suppression

What obstacles made it difficult for African-Americans to vote?

often African-Americans have a low income and before 1964 there was a mandatory poll tax, challenging and caging were mainly aimed at blacks, before the 15th amendment (above), 24 amendment (below), and the Voting rights Act of 1965, blacks had limited ability legally to vote

What are challengers?

people who stood at the poles and challenged the right to vote of mainly African Americans/Hispanics

What is caging?

sorting response generated by direct-mail, and analyzing those response to determine the effectiveness of the mailing in regards to VOTER CAGING, if you have a bad address on a political party's list, you can be tainted as a potential criminal. lists are compiled of voters who were not reached by mail or who chose not to respond and these voters are then challenged at the voting polls. the Rebublican party has perfected the caging technique. In the Bush-Cheney campaign, the Ohio Republican Party mailed over 200,000 nonforwadable letters to newly registered Ohio voters encouraging them to vote Republican. about 30,000 of those letters were returned to the Ohio Republican party as undeliverable. the Ohio Republican party then compiled a lists of voters to be challenged at the polls. nearly 35,000 unsuspecting Ohio voters, MOST OF THEM BLACK, were caged as a result

What is felon disenfranchisement and how does it work?

the exclusion from voting of people otherwise eligible to vote (known as disfranchisement) due to conviction of a criminal offense, usually restricted to the more serious class of crimes, felonies. Each state has a different policy with regard to voting and felonies. 13 states permanently take away voting rights from felons.

What do Piven et al. argue about voter fraud?

voter fraud is not happening very much at all/very few cases and voter access and eliminating voter suppression is what actually important

What do they argue to explain a decrease in voting by lower income people?

voter suppresion, lack of access to voting polls in low-income neighborhoods, low-income ppl don't feel as though they have a voice/their vote will not change anything because their are so few of them, low-income ppl often were faced with legal and procedural barriers that prevented them from voting