Campaigns, Voting and Elections Chapter 14

The Campaign Process At the Starting Block Personal Ambition leads Candidates to Run for Office Campaign Strategy aids them in Running

The Five Phases of a Political Campaign Nomination Campaign To Win Party Nomination all in same party General Election Campaign Between different political parties

The Five Phases of a Political Campaign Personal Campaign give speeches hold press conferences meet voters walk precincts

Organizational Campaign Pollsters Campaign Managers Fund-Raisers High technology OFTEN Behind the Scenes

The MEDIA Campaign PAID Media (TV/Radio) Free Media (Events that get media coverage as “news”) Candidate Debates

Campaign Advertising Positive Ads Contrast Ads Negative Ads Spot Ads Inoculation Ads

Success of Candidates Based On: Abilities Qualifications Likability - Warmth Communication Skills Issues Weaknesses

SOURCES OF 1996 Senate Race CAMPAIGN Money ($2 million) Individuals (60% 1.2 Million) PACS ( 22% $400,000) Parties (15% $300,000) Candidate Money (3% $60,000)

CAMPAIGN EXPENSES -- Where Does All that Money GO????

CALIFORNIA Senate Race 2000 Diane Feinstein (D) v Tom Campbell(R) Candidate Received Spent Feinstein 7,933,612 5,095,082 Campbell 3,453,067 2,338,493 Horn 522,536 523,035 (primary)

New York Senate Race 2000 H. Clinton (D) v Rick Lazio (R) Candidate Recvd Spent $PACS Individuals H. Clinton 21,986,261 14,878,662 623,025 17,822,497 R. Lazio 17,881,835 9,499,049 1,533,015 6,031,764

U.S. Presidential Election 2000 G.W. Bush (R), Al Gore (D) Candidate Recvd Spent # PACS Individual G. W. Bush 177,124,836 121,482,508 881 97,154,857 A. Gore 126,581,737 60,824,001 159 41,352,501 R. Nader 3,571,575 3,253,565 $390. 2,741,480 P. Buchanan 15,736,546 16,211,976 $2000. 7,114,905

The Purposes Served by Elections Legitimacy Accountability Retrospective Judgment Prospective Judgment 2

Kinds of Primary Elections Open Closed Blanket Run-off

General Elections Initiative Referendum Recall Kinds of Elections General Elections Initiative Referendum Recall

Methods to Elect National Convention Delegates Winner-Take-All Proportional Representation Proportional Representation with Bonus Delegates

Methods to Elect National Convention Delegates Beauty Contest with Separate Delegate Selection Delegate Selection with No Beauty Contest The Caucus (Virginia uses)

Criticisms of Primaries Lack of quality information Front-loading Not a good test of skills to be president Very low voter turnout

The Party Conventions-Loss of Control by State/Local Leaders Delegate Selection National Candidates and Issues Media Coverage

The Delegates Democratic Republican Younger More diversity single/unmarried labor union Older White male Married Public service

Organizational Campaign Pollsters Campaign Managers Fund-Raisers High technology OFTEN Behind the Scenes

The Electoral College representatives (electors) from each state, equal in number to the House and Senate members from the state, who actually elect the President and Vice-President

Electoral College-Framers’ Intent Part of original US Constitution To protect “citizens” from too much direct democracy Work without political parties Cover nominating and electing stages Produce a nonpartisan president Share the “election” process between state and national levels of government

Who Chooses “Electors” Political Parties nominate electors at their conventions, (538 total) Include state elected officials, party loyalists, party leaders, friends of presidential candidate Chosen by VOTERS (although the electors’ names not on ballots)

ELECTORAL College Process Designed by James Madison January 2005 Joint session U.S. Congress counts Electoral Votes ONLY Half of the states (and DC) require electors to vote according to the popular vote totals Each states gets number of ELECTORS equal to their Congressional Representation

The ELECTORAL College 2000 U. S The ELECTORAL College 2000 U.S. Presidential Race (Oct 30, 2000 ABCNews.com)

How The popular vote “Loser” became U.S. President President NOT elected by national popular vote Elected by state-vote of electors 48 of 50 states (and DC) award electoral votes on winner-takes-all” Has happened THREE TIMES (1876,1888, 2000)

What if Nobody gets 270 Electoral VOTES? IF a tie at 269 GOES INTO THE U.S. House of Representatives EACH state gets one vote

Congressional Elections Incumbency Advantage 80-90 percent re-election WHY? Name recognition easier fund-raising franking privilege

Importance of 2000 Congressional/State Legislature elections REAPPORTIONMENT -- Redrawing legislative districts (by state legislatures) for state and congressional races based on population (from 2000 Census) political advantage(s) racial? considerations

2004 Congressional Elections 1/3 of U.S. Senate Entire US House 11 U.S. Governors

Variables that Impact Voter Turnout Income Age Interest in Politics Race

Low voter turnout Difficult Registration Poor voter attitudes Hard Absentee Voting Weak political parties Number of Elections Low voter turnout

Improving Voter Turnout Easier Registration and Absentee Voting Make Election Day a Holiday Strengthen Parties Mail-In Ballots?

Changing the Electoral Process Mandatory Voting Eliminate Electoral College Regional Primaries Campaign Finance Reform Regulate “SOFT Money” and PACS 17