Student Reading 10.6: How Can Citizens Influence Their Government? Introduction The United States of America is a very large country compared to many other countries in the world. Many citizens live hundreds or thousands of miles away from Washington, D.C., our country s capital. America s system of government is a democracy. This means that citizens, people who are official members of a state, country, etc., have the right to make decisions about governmental issues. Since a democracy depends on meaningful contact (Your Like Matters. (2013).) between citizens and the government, both groups of people must find ways to communicate effectively in order to help citizens connect with and influence the government. Our state and national governments are made up of elected officials that direct issues of public concern of Ohio and the United States of America. 1
American citizens are able to participate in politics in several ways. Politics are the activities and ideas of the government. Citizens can write letters to politicians, expressing their views, run for political office, and participate in electing public officials. The following four paragraphs contain ways citizens can directly become involved with their government. Political Parties (Republican Elephant & Democratic Donkey - Icons. (2016). everystockphoto.com.) American citizens interested in politics usually join a political party. Political parties are groups of people with similar views on how the government should operate. The two main political parties in the United States are the Democratic 2
and the Republican Parties. Each party seeks political power by electing their candidates to political office. Citizens connect with their government by joining one of the political parties, and then supporting that party s candidates and positions on various issues. Each party is represented by a symbol. The Republican Party s symbol is an elephant and the Democratic Party s symbol is a donkey. These symbols or similar images can usually be seen during election campaigns. (This image shows two college students holding campaigns signs for a presidential election. Courtesy of Tonya Miller.) Political Campaigns People running for political office are involved in a campaign process. A campaign is a race between candidates, or people running for an elected office. Campaigns help citizens learn the qualifications of each candidate and the 3
candidates views on political topics. Citizens learn this information by attending campaign rallies, and listening to speeches given by candidates. Citizens are then able to make informed decisions on who to support. Citizens may show their support for and their connections to candidates by placing signs in their yards, marching in parades, and telling others about the candidates they support. Interest Groups Interest groups, sometimes called special interest groups, provide citizens a direct way to influence their government. Interest groups organize people with common interests and attitudes to encourage the government to support their points of view. Interest groups are usually made up of citizens who want to help the government make or change laws and policies. Representatives from interest groups travel to state capitals, such as Columbus, Ohio, or to our nation s capital, Washington, D.C., to put pressure on Congress and other policy makers. These representatives persuade the government to see their points of view and to hear their concerns. Interest groups also produce videos, commercials, and websites in order to recruit others or to 4
educate people on what they believe. There are many different interest groups in the United States. Some are made up of farmers and ranchers who are interested in laws that protect their agriculture businesses. Other groups are made up of teachers, doctors, factory workers, bank employees, or minority groups. Perhaps someone in your family is a member of a political interest group through their job or other special interest? Media The use of media has made things easier for citizens to not only connect with their government but also influence the decisions made by the government. Examples of media are television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the internet. The media can shape the government (NYC - Times Square: Times Square Plaza at 1500 Broadway. (2007). Everystockphoto.com.) and citizens views of the government in many ways. 5
Citizens can participate in online surveys about issues and topics, email government officials, watch debates and speeches given by politicians, and even publish their own websites, blogs, or online videos for other viewers. Social media is becoming more popular amongst political figures, too. Many candidates and political offices use Facebook and Twitter. Citizens are able to connect with the government through these sites by reading posts and responding immediately to the information they have read. They can also influence the government by responding to politicians opinions and viewpoints shared via the internet. What do you think about the uses of social media for political reasons? Could there possibly be some drawbacks to using social media? 6
Reading Comprehension Questions 1. America s form of government is called a. 2. Two of the main political parties in the United States are the and the parties. 3. Name one way a citizen can participate in a political campaign. 7
4. Describe one way a candidate for a political office can use the media to tell citizens about themselves. 5. Examples of how citizens can influence the government include all of the following except: a. Watching the election results at home on television b. Joining an interest group c. Representing an interest group in Columbus or Washington, D.C. d. Writing letters or emails to politicians 8