Voting & Elections Chapter 13

Voting & Elections Introduction The 2000 election was truly historic. –One candidate won the popular vote and the other won the electoral vote. –Very messy and very partisan. –Highlighted a lot of what’s good and bad about the American electoral system.

Different Kinds of Elections Primary Elections Voters choose who will represent the party in the general election. Types of primaries: –Closed primaries--only party members are allowed to vote. –Open primaries-- independents and members of other parties can vote.

Different Kinds of Elections Primary Elections (cont.) Types of primaries: –Blanket primaries--voters may vote in either party’s primary, but not both, on an office by office basis. –Runoff primaries--a second round contest between the 2 candidates with the most votes is held.

Different Kinds of Elections General Elections Contest between parties to fill a public office. Initiative, Referendum, and Recall Elections--Direct Democracy Initiatives allow citizens to propose legislation and submit it to popular vote.

Different Kinds of Elections Referendums allow the legislature to submit proposed legislation for popular approval. Recalls allow citizens to remove someone from office.

Presidential Elections Presidential elections, held every 4 years, are actually 50 separate state elections in which electoral delegates are allotted. Held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Presidential Elections To win nomination, a Democrat must win 2,025 delegates and a Republican must win 1,034 delegates. Step 1: These convention delegates, selected at state primaries and caucuses, are chosen in a variety of ways, based on rules enacted by each party. –1. Winner take all: primary win gets all party delegates in that state.

Presidential Elections –2. Proportional representation: candidates are awarded party delegates according to the percentage of the vote they won provided they reached a minimum threshold (usually 15%). –Ex: 20% of the vote = 20 % of that party’s delegates.

Presidential Elections –3. Caucus: the oldest, most party- oriented method of choosing delegates. –A caucus is usually a closed-party meeting to select delegates.

Presidential Elections Primaries versus Caucuses Primaries are seen as more democratic, measuring a candidate’s popularity with the rank and file. Caucuses are seen as more deliberative and thoughtful.

Primary Scheduling Affects Outcome. New Hampshire is 1 st primary of the season. Skews results?? Why? NH is hardly representative of the country at large. The primary season is “front-loaded”. Heavier emphasis on early fund raising. Favors front runners.

Reform? One proposed reform is the regional primaries. –5 or 6 regions, such as Midwest, South, etc., and all states in a region would hold their primary on the same day.

Presidential Elections The Party Conventions Purpose = to nominate a candidate for national presidential election. Out-of-power party usually holds its convention in late July. Party-in-power usually holds its convention in August.

Presidential Elections The Electoral College: How Presidents are Elected The object of the presidential election is to win a majority in the Electoral College.

Presidential Elections The number of electors is determined by the federal representation for each state. Members of the House and 2 Senators. A candidate could win a majority of electoral votes, but a minority of popular votes, as happened in the 2000 election.

Congressional Elections Congressional elections differ from presidential elections because: –1. Congressional candidates tend to labor in obscurity. –2. The vast majority are little known state legislators.

Congressional Elections Congressional elections differ from presidential elections because: –3. Name recognition is often the most important battle of the campaign. –4. They receive little media coverage.

Congressional Elections The Incumbency Advantage (90% reelection rates) The condition of already being in office is often an advantage.

Congressional Elections The Incumbency Advantage (90% reelection rates) (cont.) Incumbents have taxpayer funds that can enhance their profiles and prospects. –$750k to run an office in the House –Franking privilege--free mass mailings –Constituency service--helping constituents unravel red tape Higher visibility in their districts Easy access to local media

Congressional Elections Mid Term Congressional or Off-Year Elections Off-year elections occur in the middle of a presidential term. –Incumbents in the president’s party at risk of losing. Dissatisfaction with president’s policies often reflected against Congressional candidates.

Voting Behavior Participation Turnout refers to the proportion of the voting age public that actually votes. About 40% of the eligible adult population votes regularly, 25% are occasional voters, and 35% rarely or never vote.

Voting Behavior Voter Characteristics 1. Income –People with higher incomes have a higher tendency to vote. Connection of income and education. Lower income citizens are often alienated from politics and are apathetic.

Voting Behavior Voter Characteristics (cont.) 2. Age –Older people tend to vote more often. Less than 1/2 of eligible year olds are even registered to vote.

Voting Behavior Voter Characteristics (cont.) 3. Gender –Women have a higher tendency to vote for Democrats than Republicans. Size of the gap varies from election to election but is usually around 5-7%. 4. Race –Whites tend to vote more regularly than African Americans. African Americans and Hispanics tend to vote Democratic. Asian American voting patterns are more diverse.

Voting Behavior Voter Characteristics (cont.) 5. Interest in Politics –Obviously, people who are interested in politics tend to vote more often than those who are not. Only about 5% of Americans are highly active politically and participate in more time-consuming and costly ways than simply voting.

Voting Behavior Why Is Voter Turnout So Low? American voter turnout is the lowest in the industrialized world for a variety of reasons: –Too busy--21% according to the Census Bureau.

Voting Behavior Why Is Voter Turnout So Low? (cont.) –Difficulty of registration--individual initiative, not automatically done by the government. –Difficulty of absentee voting--ballots hard to get. –Number of elections--township, city, county, school board, state, national; can lead to burnout.

Voting Behavior Why Is Voter Turnout So Low? –Voter attitudes--voting not compulsory; alienation, no candidate of choice, little difference between candidates. –Weak political parties--don’t mobilize voters like they used to; campaigns more candidate- centered.

Voting Behavior How Can Voter Turnout Be Improved? –Early registration and absentee voting--Motor Voter laws. –Make election day a holiday--eliminates the “no time” excuse.

Voting Behavior Does low turnout matter? –Those who require the most government assistance seem to have the least political clout and power.