2. elections
4.9

3. Types of elections Primary Open primary Closed primary Blanket primary
Caucus
General election

4. Who decides when elections are held
Local, state and federal laws
Congressional and presidential elections set by congress
First Tuesday after the first Monday in November
Congressional elections every even numbered year
Presidential every 4 years

5. Partisanship in elections
Maintaining elections
When a traditional majority party maintains power based on the party loyalty of voters

6. Partisanship in elections
Deviating election
When the minority party is able to win with the support of majority-party members, independents, and new voters
Long term party preferences do not change

7. Partisanship in elections
Critical election
Indicate sharp changes in party loyalty due to changing social and economic conditions
1860
1896
1932

8. Partisanship in elections
Realigning elections:
The minority party wins by building a new coalition of voters that continues over successive elections
Normally associated with a national crisis such as the Great Depresssion

9. Partisanship in elections
Dealigning elections
When party loyalty becomes less important to voters
Seen with the rise of independent voters and split ticket voting

10. Congressional elections
When:
Every even numbered year
Mid term elections
No presidential election is occurring
Voter turn out
Generally lower than presidential election years
Coattail effect
During presidential election years the popularity of presidential candidate may allow a lesser known candidate from his or her party to be successful, based on the presidential candidate’s popularity
Incumbent
An office holder seeking re election

11. Incumbent Advantage Is defined:
The tendency of those already holding office to win re election
Last 50 years incumbency has been the single most important factor in determining the outcomes of congressional elections
Over 90% of House incumbents seeking reelection win
Over 75% of Senate incumbents seeking reelection win
Reasons for incumbency advantage
Money
Name recognition
Credit claiming
Franking privilege
gerrymandering

12. Money
Incumbents usually able to raise more campaign contributions than challengers
PACs contribute more money to incumbents than to their challengers
Incumbents outspend challengers by a ration of 2 to 1

13. Name recognition (visibility)
Incumbents are usually better know to the voters
Incumbents have opportunities to participate in highly visible activities that are covered by local news
Incumbents have already experienced the campaign process

14. Credit claiming (Constituent service)
Close link between constituent service and re election
Members of congress are able to win supporters by performing casework for their constituents and by brining home money and jobs (pork) for their district
Casework consists of helping individual constituents, often by cutting through bureaucratic red tape
Pork is legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their district. Incumbents often sit on committees that enable them to earmark (set aside) or designate specific projects for their district. Pork helps representatives earn a reputation for service to their district
Constituents have a voting record that they can reference3 to evaluate incumbent performance

15. Franking privilege
Refers to the right of members of Congress to mail newsletters to their constituents at the government's expense
Provides communication with constituents
Recent years extended to included s and phone calls

16. gerrymandering
Members of the House often represent districts that have been deliberately gerrymandered to include voting locks that support incumbents
Gerrymandered districts discourage strong challengers form trying to compete with incumbents
Gerrymandering is drawing the lines of congressional districts in such a way as to support one party or the other.

17. Consequences of incumbency advantage
Congress contains a large number of experienced leaders thus enabling it to maintain continuity of leadership and policy
Continuity discourages radical change while encouraging close relations with interest groups
Because incumbents benefit form current campaign finance laws, they have no incentive to change them
Polls show majority of Americans disapprove of the job congress is doing yet
“our” representatives are doing a good job

18. Electoral college
And the road to the presidency

19. Presidential Primaries
In the early 1800’s congressional leaders held a caucus to select presidential candidates
A caucus is a large meeting where people use their bodies to vote for their choice
Jackson saw this as elitist and in the 1830’s held party conventiosn to nominate and elect presidential candidates
Party bosses soon dominated conventions
1900’s progressive reformers would promote primary elections as a way of giving voters greater role in the nomination process
In states held presidential primaries
First primary traditionally held in New Hampshire

20. Presidential Primaries
Traditionally winner take all
Candidate with the most votes gets all of the delegates to the convention
Democrats now use a proportional system
Republicans now use a mixture varying from state to state

21. Presidential Primaries
Front loading
Recent pattern of states holding primaries early in order to maximize their media attention and political influence
¾ of primaries are held between February and Mid March
A primary is an early vote to decide who each state wants to have as the candidate from each party
Open primary
Voters can decide on election day whether they want to participate in the democratic or republican primary
Closed primary
Voters are required to identify a party preference before the election and are not allowed to split their ticket

22. Presidential Caucuses
Instead of a primary some states use a complex system of local caucuses
Iowa holds the first, the best known and the most influential

23. complaints
Critics argue that candidates devote too much time to Iowa and New Hampshire, although both states are relatively small they both play a major role in generating media attention
Only about 25% of adult citizens cast ballots in primary elections
Primary voters tend to be activists who are older and more affluent that voters in the general election

24. Party Convention
In the past party conventions selected their presidential and vice presidential candidates after several days of tense debate
Now as a result of victories in the primaries and caucuses the leading contender almost always has the nomination before the convention begins
Serve 3 major functions
Formally name the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates
Adopt the party platform
Attempt to unify the party and generate positive publicity and momentum

25. Electoral college introduction
Created to safeguard the presidency form direct popular votes
Each state has as many electors votes as the combined total of Representatives and senators.
In the 2008 election seven states and the District of Columbia had 3 electoral votes while California had 55, Texas has 38
Electors were originally choose by state legislators
Today the parties select them
Framers intended them to be independent they are now expected to vote for their party’s candidate
In the general election voters go and vote for their candidate of choice
In December the electors meet in each state capital to cast ballots for president and vice president based on who wins the popular vote in each state. So who ever wins the popular vote in Texas gets all 38 of our electoral votes
Sent to the senate and opened and counted before a joint session of Congress
270 ( a majority) are needed to win
If not candidate receives a majority of electoral votes the House will choose the President from the top 3 candidates, and the Senate will choose the Vice President from the top 2 candidates for that position

26. Consequences of the winner take all Electoral College
The electoral college is a winner take all system
Candidate in each state with the most popular votes wins all of that states electoral votes
Candidates devote a disproportionate amount of time and resources to closely contested states, swing states and competitive states
Candidate4s emphasize issues that may swing a key bloc of voters in a pivotal states
For example used to appeal Florida’s large bloc of Cuban American voters by stressing opposition to Fidel Castro
The winner take all system severely restricts the prospects of third party candidates

27. Reasons the electoral college has not been abolished.
Requires a constitutional amendment
Collectively benefits the small states that are guaranteed at least 3 electoral votes
Benefits racial minorities and interest groups located in key states
No consensus on how to reform the electoral college