Bridging a Polarizing Divide: Election Simulation in a U.S. Advanced Placement Government Course

• In Event: Toward Vibrant Democracies: A Comparative Analysis of Civic Education Policies and Practices in Four Countries

Abstract

Problem and objective
Bishop and Cushing's (2008) book suggests American communities are becoming more segregated as like-minded people find themselves living close to one another. Some political scientists argue that this ‘re-sorting’ (Fiorina & Abrams, 2008) within the two major political parties in the United States since the 1990s results in a political process increasingly prone to gridlock and inefficiencies (Binder, 2014). Unlike many European or Asian democratic regimes, the United States continues to be dominated by the two major political parties. This bifurcation creates some unique obstacles for teaching students about democratic participation, especially as US politics become more polarized (Hess & McAvoy, 2014). The two party system seems to allow for some benefits, since Abramowitz (2011) has found that people with strong beliefs tend to participate more than those who are self-proclaimed moderates. As civic educators in the United States look for ways to better engage students in political participation, teaching students about the major political parties seems to be a good starting place. Specifically, mock-elections may be able to help students identify, analyze, and critique the two major political parties. This paper reports on a study that asks how might an elections simulation influence students with strong polarizing political beliefs?

Method
Using data from an existing research project (Parker et al., 2013), this paper reports on two case studies of two seniors in a poverty-impacted high school of an urban district in the US context. The two students were targeted for this multi-case comparative study based on their initial interview report of their political beliefs: one student was a self-proclaimed “hardcore Republican” and one identified as a “left leaning liberal”. Students’ political beliefs and ideology were elucidated through multiple individual and group interviews before and after the elections simulation. Classroom observations were collected to corroborate the findings. Data were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using constant-comparative methods (Glaser & Strauss, 1967)

Findings and significance
Findings suggest the simulation provided students with opportunities to try out political perspectives that were different from their own. Specifically, one student reported understanding the rationale of the ‘other side’ better when he said, “I now know why Republicans believe what they believe”. Even though the students’ political stances did not change drastically at the end of the simulation, they reported understanding the two-party system better and can respect other perspectives more because of the simulation. This means that election simulations may help young people become more moderate (or less polarized) in their political opinions without diminishing their proclivities for active participation.

Author

• Jane C Lo, Florida State University