Chapter 13

Voter Behavior Conventional Participation Unconventional Participation Voter turnout

Patterns in Voter Turnout Education Income Worldwide Age Students Gender Race and ethnicity Interest in Politics

Why is voter turnout so low? Too busy Difficulty of registration Difficulty of absentee voting Number of elections Voter attitudes Weakened influence of political parties

Efforts to Improve Voter Turnout Easier registration and absentee voting Make election day a holiday Strengthen parties Other suggestions

Patterns in Vote Choice Party identification Ticket splitting Race and ethnicity Gender Income Ideology Issues

Elections in the United States Purposes of elections Legitimacy Electorate Mandate

Types of Elections Primary elections Direct Primary – Legacy of the Progressive Era Open v. Closed Primaries Primaries and Caucuses Primary Scheduling issues Frontloading General elections Initiative, referendum, recall

Presidential Elections State level decisions by parties Primaries and caucuses Party Conventions Delegate selection National candidates and issues Party Platform News media

Electoral College How it works History/origins Nineteenth century Twentieth and twenty-first centuries Reapportionment Electoral College reconsidered

Congressional Elections Incumbency advantage Staff support Media and travel Scare-off effect Redistricting Reapportionment – redistricting Gerrymandering

Redistricting in Square State 12 Congressional districts; 7 Red Party and 5 Blue Party State Legislature is dominated by the Blue Party New census results reduces number of Congressional Districts to 10 Task: Redraw the map. Remember to consider electoral politics and the minority vote Big City 1 Big City 2 Big City 3 Big City 4

Countervailing Forces to Incumbency advantage Redistricting Scandals Coattail effect

Midterm Elections Historically 2006 Midterm elections Presidential v Midterm elections: voter turnout

Reforming the Electoral Process Legitimacy Regional primaries Campaign finance reform Protecting the electoral process Online voting Voting by mail Modernizing the ballot