Characteristics Of Political Participation

Many countries around the world have in place a government system known as a democracy. Unlike dynasties and dictatorships, the power of decision making in democratic societies lay in the hands of the people. In countries, such as Canada, America and Switzerland, citizens are eligible to take part in choosing a leader and voice their opinions about their country’s political state. This process is known as political participation. Political participation can be defined as the voluntarily participation of individuals in the political process with the intention of influencing their political environment. According to Dyck (2014), political participation can be divide into two categories, electoral political participation and non-electoral political

It is a form of political participation that occurs approximately every 4 years, and was put in place with the intention of offering citizens a fair and reasonable way to elect their country’s leader. However, non-electoral political participation is a more direct way of influencing the governments decisions (Novy, 2014). Participating in protesting and holding rallies gives individuals, such as those were restricted from voting and feel neglected by the government, an avenue for their views to be heard. These views do not have a time restraint for when they can be expressed. This form of political participation showcases the most important characteristics of a democracy, which is that the people have most of the

During this time in American history, Black men and women were restricted from participating in the electoral system and their voices were not represented in government. To deal with the stress of segregation and the frustrations of being treated like a second-class citizen, many took part in rallies and demonstrations to express their sociopolitical concerns (Swain, 2010). These rallies were led by individuals such as Malcom X, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr and lasted for about a decade and a half. In the late 60’s, Black Americans finally got their chance to participate in the electoral system and cast their first vote. This example shows the importance of non-electoral political participation in democracies because it displays how groups of people used peaceful rallies and demonstrations as an instrument to influence government