elections and voting behavior chapter 10. functions of elections institutionalize political activity...
TRANSCRIPT
Functions of Elections
• Institutionalize Political Activity– Versus Demonstrations, Riots,
Revolutions
• Provide Regular Access to Political Power– Legitimate Transfer of Power
• Guides the Policy Direction of the Government– Or Does It?
Types of Elections
• Primary
• General Elections
• Policy Elections– Initiative- 24 States – Referendum
Evolution of Elections
• 1800– Jefferson- Democratic Republican vs. John
Adams- Federalist– Nominated by the Parties Elected
Representatives in Congress– State and Local Organizations, Partisan
Newspapers Campaigned, Not Candidates– Jefferson Ends Up Tied with Burr– House of Representatives Chooses Jefferson– First Peaceful Transition
Evolution of Elections• 1896
– Republicans-McKinley, Democrats- Bryan– National Nominating Conventions– Front Porch Campaign vs. Cross of Gold
Orator– Republicans
• Industrial Northeast, Midwest
– Democrats• White Southerners, Westerners
– 80 % Voter Turnout
Evolution of Elections• 2000• Bush, Gore and Nader• Campaign Strategy (TV,
Technology and Debates)– Gore- His own Man– Bush- Restore Dignity to the
White House
• Florida Vote• Supreme Court Decision• The Spoiler for Gore
Generalizations About Voting Groups
• Gender• Race• Age• Income• Education Level• Party• Ideology• Religion• Marital Status• Region• Military
Evolution of Voting Rights
1787
Only property owners and taxpayers
allowed to vote
1820
Property restriction removed, except in New
Jersey and North Carolina
1840
All white males over 25
allowed to vote
1870
15th amendment gives suffrage regardless of
race, color, or previous condition of servitude
White primary, literacy test, poll
tax, and grandfather
clause prevent blacks from
voting
1870’s
Xenophobia prevents foreigners from voting
in 19th century
1900
Women are allowed to vote
1920
1924
Native Americans allowed to
vote
1915
Grandfather clause declared
unconstitutional
1944
White primary falls
1800
Voting Rights Act passed suspending
literacy tests and permitted federal
examiners
1965
1968
Poll tax eliminated
1972
18 year olds begin to
vote (Voting Rights Act
of 1970)
Modern Standards
Must be 18 or older,
registered, can’t be in a mental
institution, can’t be a convicted
felon
1961, residents of the District of Columbia allowed to vote by 23 amendment
1800’s
Voting- Why Bother?
• Cost of Voting
• Does My Vote Make A Difference?– Winner Take All, Electoral College
• Is There Really a Choice?– Question of Whether the Parties and
Candidates are Different
VERSUS
• Political Efficacy
• Civic Duty
Comparative Low Voter Turnout
• Registration Procedure– None, Election Day, 30 Days…– Onus on the Individual, It is not Automatic– Impact of Motor Voter Act of 1993
• Vote More Often
• Offer Less of a Choice
USATODAY Snapshot Poll
Demographic Voting Factors
• Education
• Age
• Race
• Gender
• Marital Status
• Mobility
• Union Membership
How Americans Decide• Mandate Theory of Elections• Party Identification
– Democrats• African Americans, Jews, Hispanic
Americans
– Republicans• Conservative Christians, Upper
Income
– Party Voting Has Declined But Recently Stabilized
• Technology, Split Ticket Voting, Floating Voters
• Candidate Evaluation– Integrity, Competence, Reliability– Superficial or a Predictor?
• Policy Voting1. Know Thine Own Policy Self
2. Know the Candidate’s Stand on Issues
3. See Differences Between Candidates on Issues
4. Cast Vote for Like Minded Candidate
– Obstacles to Policy Voting
How Americans Decide
Do Elections Affect Public Policy?
Answer: Depends
Ability to Discern Policy Differences of Candidates
But:• The Art of
Ambiguity• The Horserace
Media and Infotainment• The Broad Based
Appeal of Parties
Does Public Policy Impact Elections?
• Retrospective Voting
• “It’s the Economy Stupid”
• Electoral Reward or Punishment
Electoral College Timeline• Today, all States choose their Electors by
direct statewide election, the winner of the popular vote winning all the
electoral votes, except for …
• Maine (in 1969) and Nebraska (in 1991) - which changed to selecting two of its Electors by a statewide popular vote and the remainder by the popular vote in each Congressional district.
• On the ballot, you will see ….
Current Workings of the Electoral College
• Names of nominated candidates from each party are submitted to each State’s chief election official so they will appear on the official ballot.
• Third parties and independent candidates follow different procedures according to the individual State laws
• On the Tuesday following the first Monday of November in years divisible by four, the general election occurs - to select electors
Current Workings of the Electoral College
• The candidate receiving the most popular vote in each State wins all the electors of that State (except for Maine and Nebraska where the winner gets two electoral votes (Senators) and the remainder by the popular vote within each Congressional district (Representative)
• On the Monday following the second Wednesday of December (per federal law), each State’s Electors meet in their respective State capitols and cast their electoral votes, one for President and one for Vice-President
Current Workings of the Electoral College
• The electoral votes are then sealed and transmitted from each State to the President of the Senate who, on the following January 6, opens and reads the vote before both house of the Congress
• The candidate for President with the majority of electoral votes (270) is declared the President
• Similarly, the Vice-Presidential candidate with the absolute majority of electoral votes is declared the winner
Current Workings of the Electoral College
• In the event no one obtains an absolute majority of electoral votes for president, the U.S. House of Representatives selects the President from the top three contenders with each State casting only one vote and an absolute majority of the States is required to elect
• In the event no one obtains an absolute majority of electoral votes for vice-president, the U.S.Senate makes the selection from among the top two contenders