-K.M.M.
08 December 2010
Political Participation
This blog is my reflection of the compulsory Political Participation for POS 110.
-K.M.M.
-K.M.M.
Political Participation: Narrative
My POS 110 service project was politically themed. My political participation was relatively non-partisan as it was completed through “Politico,” which is a coalition between the different political clubs present on campus. A majority of my hours are derived from working voter registration booths. I worked both a voter registration booth at “Meet the Teachers Night,” as 
well as a handful of varsity football games. In total, I was present at the registration booth when seven people registered, which reflects the high amount of conscious voters that are present in Anthem. When not urging people to register to vote, I handed out flyers urging voters to vote “yes” on the Deer Valley District Override on the upcoming ballot. Even after the registration date closed I continued to hand out and talk to people concerning the Override at football games. The advantage of being able to inform voters at football games, besides the fact that there is a high turnout, is that the visiting team, if also in the district, can vote “yes” and thus this (slightly) grassroots movement traveled outside of our school boundaries and, hopefully, resulted in a domino effect. I also participated in setting-up and take-down of Politico’s second annual political panel, which included making and handing out advertisements for the panel and then the actual program of it, making name tags, setting up chairs and tables, and making signs. I also gained observation hours by watching the moderated political panel. The total time I served over the span of three months adds to 18 hours, a number that does not include club meetings and school spirit participation (as in Club Rush).
well as a handful of varsity football games. In total, I was present at the registration booth when seven people registered, which reflects the high amount of conscious voters that are present in Anthem. When not urging people to register to vote, I handed out flyers urging voters to vote “yes” on the Deer Valley District Override on the upcoming ballot. Even after the registration date closed I continued to hand out and talk to people concerning the Override at football games. The advantage of being able to inform voters at football games, besides the fact that there is a high turnout, is that the visiting team, if also in the district, can vote “yes” and thus this (slightly) grassroots movement traveled outside of our school boundaries and, hopefully, resulted in a domino effect. I also participated in setting-up and take-down of Politico’s second annual political panel, which included making and handing out advertisements for the panel and then the actual program of it, making name tags, setting up chairs and tables, and making signs. I also gained observation hours by watching the moderated political panel. The total time I served over the span of three months adds to 18 hours, a number that does not include club meetings and school spirit participation (as in Club Rush). Political Participation: Summative
P
olitical participation is usually noncompulsory, even though it is necessary for the preservation of a free democratic society. As, through political participation, one exercises one’s democratic rights, such as voting and lobbying, and if these rights are not exercised then there exists a high chance of the limitation of these freedoms. Thus, voicing one’s opinion and taking action preserves guaranteed freedoms and allows one to have an impact on government policies. Political participation occurs in many forms, “. . . of which is voting in elections, . . . joining a political party, standing as a candidate in an election, joining a non-governmental advocacy group, or participating in a demonstration” (Klein 1). Hans Klein, an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology, continues to expound on the purpose of such activities of political participation is “To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives” (Klein 2). In fact, “Active political participation and civic engagement are central to the realization of . . . [any political, especially] progressive, agenda” (Pahad 21).
As Dr. Esso Pahad, Minister in the Presidency of South Africa, continues to write, the study of political participation is important as it is a vital barometer of the performance of democracies in relation to the people and how democratic the government truly is (Pahad 21). T
he value of political participation is often underestimated as, on the federal level especially, voters many feel overwhelmed as if their one vote will make no difference (which is a misconception) because of such a large voting pool and the Electoral College. Also, “The incentives and disincentives to participation are not monetary, rather they include considerations of solidarity, personal satisfaction, and making a [community] difference” (Pahad 25), and thus the number of individuals who participate politically understand the value of the sociopolitical process. For, without political participation a democratic government would not function on the most basic level on voting and political parties. Also, because the Unite-States is a democratic-republic, not everyone can be present in Congress as elected officials represent the people, while political action such as lobbying is a manner in which the individual and group can affect policies. If one does not take interest and action one’s voice will never be directly heard, and if one cannot find a platform to voice one’s opinion one has lost the ability to change one’s world for the better.
olitical participation is usually noncompulsory, even though it is necessary for the preservation of a free democratic society. As, through political participation, one exercises one’s democratic rights, such as voting and lobbying, and if these rights are not exercised then there exists a high chance of the limitation of these freedoms. Thus, voicing one’s opinion and taking action preserves guaranteed freedoms and allows one to have an impact on government policies. Political participation occurs in many forms, “. . . of which is voting in elections, . . . joining a political party, standing as a candidate in an election, joining a non-governmental advocacy group, or participating in a demonstration” (Klein 1). Hans Klein, an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology, continues to expound on the purpose of such activities of political participation is “To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives” (Klein 2). In fact, “Active political participation and civic engagement are central to the realization of . . . [any political, especially] progressive, agenda” (Pahad 21). As Dr. Esso Pahad, Minister in the Presidency of South Africa, continues to write, the study of political participation is important as it is a vital barometer of the performance of democracies in relation to the people and how democratic the government truly is (Pahad 21). T
he value of political participation is often underestimated as, on the federal level especially, voters many feel overwhelmed as if their one vote will make no difference (which is a misconception) because of such a large voting pool and the Electoral College. Also, “The incentives and disincentives to participation are not monetary, rather they include considerations of solidarity, personal satisfaction, and making a [community] difference” (Pahad 25), and thus the number of individuals who participate politically understand the value of the sociopolitical process. For, without political participation a democratic government would not function on the most basic level on voting and political parties. Also, because the Unite-States is a democratic-republic, not everyone can be present in Congress as elected officials represent the people, while political action such as lobbying is a manner in which the individual and group can affect policies. If one does not take interest and action one’s voice will never be directly heard, and if one cannot find a platform to voice one’s opinion one has lost the ability to change one’s world for the better. Works Cited:
Klein, Hans. “The Right to Political Participation and the Information Society.” Internet and
Public Policy Project. Atlanta, GA: Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005. 1 – 6. Web.
08 Dec 2010.
Public Policy Project. Atlanta, GA: Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005. 1 – 6. Web.
08 Dec 2010.
Pahad, Essop. “Political Participation and Civic Engagement: Citizens and the State.”
Progressive Politics. Vol. 4 Issue 2. (May 2006). 21 – 26. Policy Network. Web. 08 Dec
2010.
Progressive Politics. Vol. 4 Issue 2. (May 2006). 21 – 26. Policy Network. Web. 08 Dec
2010.
Political Participation: Analysis
I completed a number of activities that fall under the broad term of “political participation.” Registering eligible citizens to vote in an affluent, predominately white, neighborhood is slightly depressing as many of the people we approached were already voters, and thus we had a low registration number. I found the fact that people who were not registered to vote, and admitted to this, often did not wish to register. One such character actually gave the explanation that their vote does not really count anyways. Yet, having your opinion heard and counted is the whole point of political participation, which includes voting. By stating that their vote does not count, and by not exercising this valuable freedom, they are essentially excepting a totalitarian, or other non-democratic, government. Nevertheless, this man is guaranteed the freedom to not vote, which is civil, but it still aggravating for 
someone who wishes there voice to be heard and changes to be made to witness someone giving up this unique right of voting. Apathy is one of the many obstacles facing political participants as there are no monetary gains, only, personal satisfaction, solidarity, and the benefit of improving one’s life (Pahad 25).
I am not going to be as conceited as to say that Boulder Creek’s Politico club single-handedly passed the Deer Valley District Override, but because of the narrowness of the margin it is undeniable that the information I was a part of influenced the election outcome. In fact, to refute the statement from above, if one person in every precient had changed their vote the Override would not have passed (azcentral.com/elections) which illustrates the power of the vote. I take great personal satisfaction in that passed.
The one thing that I regret from the assorted political participation hours that I completed is the lack of publicity before and after the Political Panel. The low turn-out at the panel was a great learning expe
rience for me as it shows that mobilizing voters is difficult. The low-turnout cannot be completely excused on apathy; there were definite failings in the publicity of it. Now, my appreciation for political campaigns, such as Obama’s in the 2008 election, has increased three-fold. In fact, comparing of the President’s campaign to that of our panel has helped me realize the importance of technology and news in the dissemination of opportunities for political participation. As technology’s role in our lives increase, society and political participation shall play catch-up, maybe to the extent that the ability to use technology the best will directly correlate to the outcome of the election. Because of technology there are more ways to participate politically, and as this expands the make-up of the average person who is politically active may change as well as what actually constitutes as political participation.
Works Cited:
Pahad, Essop. “Political Participation and Civic Engagement: Citizens and the State.” Progressive Politics. Vol. 4 Issue 2. (May 2006). 21 – 26. Policy Network. Web. 08 Dec 2010.
www. azcentral.com/elections
someone who wishes there voice to be heard and changes to be made to witness someone giving up this unique right of voting. Apathy is one of the many obstacles facing political participants as there are no monetary gains, only, personal satisfaction, solidarity, and the benefit of improving one’s life (Pahad 25).I am not going to be as conceited as to say that Boulder Creek’s Politico club single-handedly passed the Deer Valley District Override, but because of the narrowness of the margin it is undeniable that the information I was a part of influenced the election outcome. In fact, to refute the statement from above, if one person in every precient had changed their vote the Override would not have passed (azcentral.com/elections) which illustrates the power of the vote. I take great personal satisfaction in that passed.
The one thing that I regret from the assorted political participation hours that I completed is the lack of publicity before and after the Political Panel. The low turn-out at the panel was a great learning expe
rience for me as it shows that mobilizing voters is difficult. The low-turnout cannot be completely excused on apathy; there were definite failings in the publicity of it. Now, my appreciation for political campaigns, such as Obama’s in the 2008 election, has increased three-fold. In fact, comparing of the President’s campaign to that of our panel has helped me realize the importance of technology and news in the dissemination of opportunities for political participation. As technology’s role in our lives increase, society and political participation shall play catch-up, maybe to the extent that the ability to use technology the best will directly correlate to the outcome of the election. Because of technology there are more ways to participate politically, and as this expands the make-up of the average person who is politically active may change as well as what actually constitutes as political participation.Works Cited:
Pahad, Essop. “Political Participation and Civic Engagement: Citizens and the State.” Progressive Politics. Vol. 4 Issue 2. (May 2006). 21 – 26. Policy Network. Web. 08 Dec 2010.
www. azcentral.com/elections
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)