2009 #2 In the United States political system, there are several linkage institutions that can connect citizens to government. Elections constitute one such institution. Because of low voter turnout, elections represent an imperfect method of linking citizens to their government. Even when there is low voter turnout, however, other linkage institutions can connect citizens to government. (a) Describe how each of the following is related to the likelihood of voting. Age Education (b) Identify one current government electoral requirement that decreases voter turnout. Explain how it decreases voter turnout. (c) Identify one linkage institution other than elections and explain two ways it connects citizens to government. http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap09_gopo_us_sgs.pdf

Elections When is the election day? What are the term lengths for: HoR: Senate: President: Why is this important?

Term Limits What did the 22nd Amendment (1951) do? How does Congress’s attitude towards the president change when they know that he can’t run? Lame Duck Why did the SC not allow states to set a term limit for their members of Congress?

Winner-Take-All Most Votes Wins What are single-member districts? What is proportional representation? Example: A state with 3 districts Pros and Cons?

Running for Congress HoR Incumbents are rarely not re-nominated What is an incumbent? Senate Competition is intense Incumbency doesn’t mean quite as much

Running for Congress Incumbents usually win 90% win in HoR 75% win in Senate Polls report that most Americans disapprove of what Congress is doing Yet the same polls say that most Americans believe their rep. should be re-elected Why doesn’t this make sense?

Why Incumbents Win Money Able to raise more money Outspend challengers 2 to 1 Visibility Incumbents are better known and seen more than challengers The Franking Privilege Incumbents can send mail, e-mails and calls for free

Why Incumbents Win Constituent Service Incumbents are able to win supporters by bringing home money for their district Gerrymandering Changing district lines to support the incumbent

So why does the incumbent win even when voters don’t like what Congress is doing?

Impact of Incumbency Advantage Congress contains a large number of experienced leaders Radical change is discouraged while close ties with interest groups No incentive to change existing campaign finance laws Why not?

The Road to the Presidency Stage 1: The Nomination When do presidential candidates start campaigning? ¾ of states use the primary system to choose delegates What do the rest use? Why do states want their primary in March rather than July? Caucuses or conventions

Primaries What are the two kind of primaries? The Democrats require a proportional rep. primary Most of the rest are winner-take-all 25% of voters go to primaries

Caucuses A caucus is a meeting of party members to decide which candidate they will support Used in a dozen states Members get to talk to their candidates What kind of members show up to caucuses and primaries? How does that change the candidates?

A Race for Delegates Democrats – 2,382 to win Republicans – 1,237 to win Delegates are pledged in support of the candidate What happens if no one reaches the threshold?

Party Convention Delegates get together and submit their ballot for a candidate If there is no distinct winner, there is a lot of schmoozing The delegates also agree on the party platform The nominee picks the VP Tries to balance the ticket What is that?

The General Election What is the point of all the debates? What is a danger during the debates? After seemingly endless debates, we finally vote Popular vote vs. electoral vote

Electoral College Each state has as many electoral votes as its combined total of reps and senators Electors are chosen by the party Do they have to vote for their party? Do they vote for their candidate? What states do nominees focus on?

Should we have the Electoral College?

Why We Haven’t Gotten Rid Of It It would require an amendment Benefits the small states Benefits racial minorities and interest groups in key states No consensus on how to fix it