Objectifs globaux :
Explain why voting is a form of political engagement
Objectifs travaillés :
Analyse multiple voter profiles, and understand the political decisions behind voting.
Resources :
Video: Is recycling political engagement?
PDF: Undocumented workers on strike
Video: Youth vote in favour of environmentalists
PDF: Elected officials behind bars
PDF: Active abstention as a political action
Video: Youth Abstention
PDF: Profile of voters and abstainers
PDF: Evaluation, séance 1
Contents
Activité 1
Associate each notion to its definition.
1: Electoral participation
2: Democracy
3: Abstentionism
4: Social link
5: Organised civil society
6: Political party
7: PCS
3: Abstentionism
6: Political party
1: Electoral participation
5: Organised civil society
Activité 2
Watch the video and prepare to answer some questions.
There are two main reasons behind recycling:
- reduce the amount of one’s consumption expenditure;
- reduce the environmental impact of one’s consumption.
Recycling constitutes a political commitment since this act of consumption expresses a political preference. It is a mode of consumption based on the preservation of the environment, as opposed to mass consumption.
Activité 3
An example of a labor dispute
The 150 undocumented migrants, who work illegally for businesses in the Ile-de-France region, are asking for a “Cerfa” in order to obtain their regularisation. This document, issued by the employer, facilitates administrative procedures.
The political dimension of this strike lies in the struggle of undocumented migrants against their exploitation by employers who can thus impose their working conditions on undocumented migrants.
Activité 4
- Write the definition:
Political commitment refers to the behaviour of an individual who takes sides on political issues through his actions and speeches.
- Watch the video and prepare to answer some questions.
In the 2019 European elections, 25% of 18-24 year olds and 28% of 25-34 year olds voted for the Europe Ecology – The Green Party (EELV).
The youth vote in favour of EELV is perhaps explained by their greater sensitivity to this issue compared to other age categories. The introduction of sustainable development into school curricula over the past 25 years has undoubtedly contributed to this.
Activité 5
Voting to show support
The Catalans’ vote contributed to the election of five deputies, detained and tried at the time the legislative election was taking place.
The five elected deputies were arrested for organising a referendum on the independence of Catalonia in October 2017, when the Spanish government opposed it and considered it an attempt at secession.
The Catalans’ vote in favour of the independence party ‘Together for Catalonia’ can be seen as a gesture of political opposition to the Spanish government which did not recognise the referendum on independence and which, in addition, tries to condemn the five deputies for attempted secession.
Activité 6
Active abstention
“In-game” abstentionism is a form of political engagement since it involves abstaining from voting by choice, while “out-of-game” abstentionism reflects a situation of social exclusion. This last category includes people who have been disinterested in political life for a long time.
“In-game” non-voters express, through their behaviour, their dissatisfaction with the political offer. Rather than vote for what they consider to be the “less bad” of parties, they prefer to abstain from voting. It is also a way of campaigning for a more diverse political representation.
“In-game” abstention is the expression of a political choice in the same way as a vote. It is about showing dissatisfaction with the political offer and asking for a more heterogeneous political representation.
Activité 7
Watch the video, read the table, and answer the questions.
Video: Youth Abstention
PDF: Profile of voters and abstainers
Among election list registered, 25.3% refrained from voting in the second round of the 2017 presidential election.
The higher the age categories, the more the abstention rate decreases. Women abstained less than men during the 2017 presidential election.
Only a portion of the abstainers were excluded from the game. Another part can be considered « in-game ».
Evaluation
Answer questions about this lesson.
How can we explain political engagement in democratic societies? – Séance 1