Pursuit of the Vote: Factors Utilized in Resisting Discrimination in Democratic Elections

Authors

Matthew NicholsonFollow

Publication Date

4-26-2022

Abstract

Suffrage movements make use of various social and political factors to pressure their governments to expand the scope of voting rights. Using McAdam’s political process model, I will analyze how disenfranchised groups’ use of nonviolent demonstration, appeals to international pressure, and appeals to religion, affects their success. This will also highlight patterns that emerge when groups are willing to instigate violence in pursuit of their goals. Most studies examine these variables in the context of the pursuit of independence or revolution, whereas this study focuses on groups wishing to remain within a system given their desired reforms. I will analyze the data derived based on a diverse set of cases of movements from distinct cultural backgrounds and time periods, such as women’s suffrage movements, Civil Rights Movements, and discrimination against the economically disadvantaged to determine what aspects of these movements are statistically significant.

Faculty Advisor

Dr. Nathan Griffith

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Recommended Citation

Nicholson, Matthew, "Pursuit of the Vote: Factors Utilized in Resisting Discrimination in Democratic Elections" (2022). Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects. 81.
https://repository.belmont.edu/honors_theses/81