Having read the chapter, you should be able to do each of the following:

1. Discuss the factors that cause lower voter turnout in U.S. elections as compared to other democracies.
2. List the significant constitutional amendments and legislative actions that have broadened suffrage in America, and discuss their effects on American politics.
3. Compare prospective and retrospective voting. Describe the effect of each voting strategy on the electorate’s power to shape policy.
4. List the personal characteristics that are associated with higher and lower levels of political interest.
5. Discuss forms of conventional participation other than voting.
6. Discuss unconventional political participation, assess its legitimacy during different periods in American history, and describe its impact on public policy.
7. Describe the relationship between Americans’ belief in individualism and their inclination to engage in or avoid political action.