Influencing Goverment Decision Making USA Flashcards
Pressure groups - positive evidence
joining a large group of likeminded people across the country, the people can voice their opinions through organised rallies by the group and other forms of activism that the government will recognise.
An example of this is the NAACP (a civil rights group, who protect black Americans) giving average people the chance to politically participate. They claim to have 2,200 branches across America, showing support across the country.
Pressure groups negative evidence
joining a pressure group can be wildly problematic and instead of being driven by popularity, money can result in a higher chance of success.
Evidence of this is one of the highest funded pressure groups, the National Rifle Association (NRA) were able to overrule the vast majority of the Americans opinions on gun control, resulting in congress failing to tighten gun laws. The NRA have also been shown to spend millions of dollars on successful lobbying of politicians in order to gain their support.
Voting - negative evidence
This means that voting has become increasingly more difficult to partake in, due to the ratio of polling stations to people in certain states.
An example of this is that McLennan County, Texas closed 44% of their polling places from 2012-2018 despite the fact that its population grew by more than 15000 people during the time period. More than 2/3 of that growth came from Black and Latina residents.
Voting positive evidence
many people across the USA use their voting rights.
Evidence of this is that Maine had a 75.51% overall turnout in the 2020 election- the highest ever turnout in the 21st century.
Protesting negative evidence
This is because even when particular protests are recognised by the government, major action is rarely taken.
An example of this is that 2 million children across the US protested against gun ownership in response to school shootings however, despite Joe Biden signing gun safety legislation, it failed to ban any weapons, proving that even when the government acts on protests, they often fail to meet their full requests.
Protesting positive evidence
the awareness caused by protests often forces the government to pass meaningful legislation in response.
For example, the Black Lives Matter protests from 2020-22 over the killing of the George Floyd by the police caused the government to pass proposals to combat police misconduct and racial injustice.
Standing as candidate negative evidence
although citizens have the right to stand as a candidate, studies have shown that white men dominate Congress.
An example of this is that statistics have shown white men make up only 30% of the American population, however they make up 62% of Congress.
Stan ding as candidate positive evidence
anyone can apply to stand as a candidate, regardless of your ethnicity or gender.
An example of this is that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was able to “break the mould” for women and Hispanics in politics. She is also the youngest ever woman to serve in the United States Congress, and represents the opportunities for all people to change government decision making.
