pearson education, inc., longman © 2006 chapter 8 elections american government: policy &...

Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2006

Chapter 8

Elections

American Government:

Policy & Politics, Eighth Edition

TANNAHILL


In This Chapter We Will Cover:

• Types of elections

• Election districts and redistricting

• Election campaigns

• Congressional elections

• Presidential elections

• The voters decide


Types of Elections

• General elections fill state and national offices held in November of even-numbered years.– Split-ticket ballots involve voters casting ballots for

the candidates of two or more political parties.– Straight-ticket ballots involve voters selecting the

entire slate of candidates of one party only.

• Runoff elections are between the two candidates receiving the most votes when no candidate got a majority in an initial election.


Types of Elections• Primary elections are held to determine a

party’s nominees for the general election ballot.– Closed primaries limit participation to registered

party members.– Open primaries allow voters to pick the party

primary of their choice without regard to their party affiliation.

– All-party primaries allow all candidates for an office to compete with one another regardless of party affiliation.


Election Districts

• At-large elections– This is a method for choosing public

officials in which the citizens of an entire political subdivision, such as a state, vote to select officeholders


Election Districts

• District elections– This is a method for choosing public

officials that divides a political subdivision, such as a state, into geographic areas called districts and each district elects one officials


Reapportionment

• Apportionment is the allocation of legislative seats among the states.

• Redistricting is the process through which the boundaries of legislative districts are redrawn to reflect population movement.


Reapportionment

• On person, one vote rulings like Baker v. Carr (1962) and Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) assert that the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires legislative districts be apportioned on the basis of population.


The Voting Rights Act (VRA)

• The VRA is a federal law designed to protect the voting rights of racial and ethnic minorities.– Pre-clearance state and local governments

in areas with a history of voting discrimination must submit redistricting plans to the federal Department of Justice for approval before they go into effect.


The Voting Rights Act (VRA)

–Majority-minority districts are districts drawn in order to maximize the number of minorities and therefore influence electoral outcomes.


Gerrymandering

– Gerrymandering is the drawing of legislative district lines for political advantage.

– Mid-Cycle Redistricting is the practice of redrawing legislative districts outside the regular redistricting cycle in order to gain political advantage (Texas and Colorado).


Election Campaigns

• The Cost of Campaigns– Major presidential candidates must raise a

minimum of $30-$40 million.– Incumbent U.S. House candidates spent

$900,000 running in 2002.

• The Campaign Budget– The largest item in most campaign budgets

is advertising, especially television.


Funding

• Sources of Campaign Money– Individuals– Interest groups– Political parties– Federal government– Themselves


Funding• Campaign Finance Regulations and

Reform– Soft money: Funds raised by political parties that are not

subject to federal campaign finance regulations.– Independent expenditures: Funds spent on behalf of a

particular candidate that are not coordinated by the candidate’s campaign.

– Hard money: Funds that are subject to federal campaign contribution and expenditure limitations.

– 2002 BCRA: Banned soft money contributions to the national party committees up to $10,000. Soft money given to state committees could not be used for Congressional or Presidential elections. No issue advertisements 60 days before general election, or 30 days before primary.


Campaign Organization and Strategy

• Long, drawn-out affairs• Incumbents never really stop campaigning• Incumbent presidents and the “rose garden

strategy”• Challengers build name recognition• Favorable image of the candidate and

unfavorable image of their opponent• Focus groups• Sound bites


Congressional Elections

• House Elections– The incumbency advantage- The most

striking feature of elections for the U.S. House of Representatives is that most incumbents are reelected. In 2004, only nine incumbents were defeated for reelection.


Congressional Elections

• Senate Races– More competitive than House races, the

winning candidate in 14 of 34 Senate races in 2002 received less than 55 percent of the vote.

– Incumbent senators generally face stronger challengers than House incumbents.


Presidential Elections

• The Presidential Nomination Phase– Candidates compete for their own political

party’s nomination in a series of primaries, caucuses, state conventions, and finally the national nominating convention.

• The delegate-selection process (primaries and caucuses)

• Reforming the delegate-selection process


The Road to the Nomination

• Pre-primary positioning stage

• Iowa and New Hampshire - narrowing the field

• The March shootout

• The transition

• The national party conventions


Pre-primary positioning stage

• The candidate who is ahead in the polls and in funds before the start of an election year, usually wins nomination– Howard Dean was an exception

• Raising funds– To accept federal matching funds or not


Iowa-New HampshireNarrowing the Field

• Iowa: The first caucus• New Hampshire: The first primary• Both receive an abundance of media coverage• Doing well in these helps to raise funds • Eventual nominee is usually in the top three in Iowa and

the top two in New Hampshire


The March Shootout

• Frontloading of the nomination process

• By the end of March, the nominees of both parties are assured

• GOP settled first because of “winner-take-all” delegate rule

• Democrats award delegates on propotional basis


The Transition

• Early April to midsummer

• Speeches focus on general election as opposed to addressing the “hard-core” party voters


The National Party Conventions

• Party platform: Statement of party principles and issue positions

• Official selection of the presidential nominee

• Balancing the ticket by the choice of vice president


Presidential Elections

• The General Election Phase– Candidates who have won their party’s

nomination compete in the November election to try and win electoral votes from the states. To be elected president, a candidate must win a majority of the electoral votes.


Popular Vote and Electoral Vote Percentages


In the 2004 election, President Bush won reelection by capturing 31 states with 286 electoral votes


The Voters Decide

• Party identification

• Issues

• Personal Qualities and Image

• Campaigns

• Retrospective and Prospective Voting


Party Identification

• Voter choice closely follows party lines

• Party identification based on shared perspectives on issues


Issues

• The majority of the electorate not fully informed of the candidate’s stand on issues

• Low-information rationality - because most voters have a limited understanding of politics, they use informational shortcuts

• Opinion leaders - individuals whose views help to shape the political attitudes of the public


Personal Qualities and Image

• Concept of what a president should be– Competent– Honest– Reliable– Moral leadership


Campaigns

• Without a funded campaign, there is no winning

• Advertising

• Base decides in advance of Election Day

• National conditions affect voters’ choice


Concluding Review Questions

• What is the difference between general elections and primary elections?

• What is the difference between at-large and district elections?

• How does “one person, one vote” affect redistricting?


Concluding Review Questions

• How does the Voting Rights Act (VRA) affect redistricting?

• What role does money play in the election process?

• What impact will McCain-Feingold have on campaign financing?

• To what extent do elections shape public policy?

pearson education, inc., longman © 2006 chapter 8 elections american government: policy &...

Documents

party affiliation

house candidates

entire political subdivision

political advantage

party members

federal campaign finance

party primary

entire slate of candidates