1. Campaigns and Elections
Chapter Seven
Campaigns and Elections

2. What is the best way to calculate the rate at which Americans vote?
Enduring Questions
What is the best way to calculate the rate at which Americans vote?
What factors chiefly influence who wins a presidential election?
Can federal laws keep big money out of political campaigns?
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3. U.S. has more elections but lower overall voting
Introduction
U.S. has more elections but lower overall voting
U.S. has weak political parties and many offices to fill
Voter participation higher in parliamentary democracies
How best do you achieve democracy?
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4. Political Participation
Individuals select different forms of participation, often reflecting their social and educational characteristics
Why people participate—and don’t participate
Who participates?
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5. Historical Voting Patterns
The rise of the American electorate
Voting turnout
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6. Explaining and Improving Turnout
Registered voters do vote
Problem: Several reasons why eligible voters not registered
Attempted reform
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7. Table 7.1: Two Ways of Calculating Voter Turnout, Here and Abroad
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8. Most campaigning intensely personalistic Assembling a staff Strategy
Political Campaigns
Most campaigning intensely personalistic
Assembling a staff
Four distinct groups of workers
Strategy
Is television is an efficient means of reaching voters?
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9. The Effects of Campaigns
Do campaigns make a difference?
Three reasons why Democrats do not always win despite their numeric advantage
Private polls contracted by the candidates
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10. The Effects of Campaigns (Cont’d)
Campaigns are more significant when they provide a larger share of voter information
Single-issue groups
Campaigns and passage of time allow voters to see more, learn more about candidates
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11. How to Win the Presidential Election
Political party affiliations
The state of the economy has great influence on how independents vote
The character of the candidate – is he “presidential”?
Issues less important than these three factors
Congressional elections somewhat different
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12. Table 7.3: Party Voting in Presidential Elections
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13. Party decline is occurring, however
Election Outcomes
Party realignments
Party decline is occurring, however
A winning coalition
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14. Unnumbered Figure 7.1: Office-Bloc Ballot for the 2000 Presidential Election
This office-bloc ballot groups candidates of all parties by office, thereby making it harder to cast a straight party vote. Other ballots, such as the party- column ballot, group candidates by party, which makes it easier to vote a straight party ticket by putting an X in the appropriate place on the ballot (or pulling the party lever on a voting machine). P.185
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15. Table 7.4: Percentage of Various Groups Saying They Voted for the Democratic Presidential Candidate, 1960–2000
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16. Modern Technology and Political Campaigns
Effect of media most significant when few other sources of information
Television, radio, newspapers
Computers used to target particular audiences
Are today’s voters manipulated?
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17. Where does the money come from?
Elections and Money
Impact of money
Where does the money come from?
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18. The Effects of Elections on Policy
Are elections meaningless?
Elections can signal dramatic change
Periods of consolidation may make elections appear unimportant
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19. The Effects of Elections on Policy (Cont’d)
Kind of campaign needed to win affects kind of people willing to run
Current election system rewards certain people
Prior governing experience not necessarily required
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20. Reconsidering the Enduring Questions
What is the best way to calculate the rate at which Americans vote?
What factors chiefly influence who wins a presidential election?
Can federal laws keep big money out of political campaigns?
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