U.S. Government and Civics / Unit 10: Public Opinion, Media and Civic Participation
10.6 Civic Participation
Notes
Democracy depends on people taking part beyond election day.
- Conventional participation: voting, contacting officials, attending public meetings, signing petitions, volunteering for campaigns, donating, joining groups, running for office.
- Unconventional participation: protests, boycotts, demonstrations and civil disobedience.
- Public comment: anyone can comment on proposed federal regulations and speak at many local meetings, such as school board meetings.
- Students can take part by volunteering, joining student government, attending meetings, writing to officials and, in some states, preregistering to vote before age 18.
- Political efficacy: internal efficacy is believing you can understand and affect politics; external efficacy is believing the government will respond.
- Participation is protected by the First Amendment rights to speech, assembly and petition.
Practice
Which is an example of conventional political participation?
Contacting officials is a standard, conventional way to participate.
A citizen believes that elected officials care about and respond to people like her. She has high:
External efficacy is trust that government will respond.
A student wants to influence a proposed change to the school dress code. Which action is most direct?
School boards make district policy and often hear public comment.
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