Elections Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Elections American Elections

Elections Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Elections

American Elections: Basic Facts and Fundamental Questions • Incumbent – a politician running for re-election to the office that he already holds • Challenger – a politician running for an office that she does not hold at the time of election; challengers run against incumbents or in open-seat elections in which there is no incumbent

POPULAR VOTE vs. Electoral vote, 2000– 2012

How Do American Elections Work? • The first step in an election is often—but not always—a primary election. • Open primary: any registered voter, regardless of party membership, can vote in a party’s primary election. • Closed primary: only registered members of a party can vote in that party’s primary election.

Constituencies: Who Chooses Representatives?

How Do American Elections Work?

How Do American Elections Work? • What do parties provide? • Ballot placement • Direct mail to lists of targeted voters • Phone banks • Don’t forget money!

Presidential Elections

Presidential Elections • The nominating process • Primary elections • Front-loading • Super Tuesday • Regional primaries • The national convention • Formally selects candidate • Introduces VP candidate • Party platform

Electoral Campaigns

Electoral Campaigns • Potential challengers consider whether to run: • Is the incumbent retiring? (open seat) • Is the incumbent vulnerable (competitive district) • Are national tides moving in one direction • Financial decisions

Campaign Advertising

Campaign Strategies • Strategies involve: • Wholesale politics • Retail politics • Voter mobilization

Campaign Finance • FEC – the Federal Election Commission is in charge of administering election laws. • Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (BCRA) – aka “Mc. Cain -Feingold” legislation; it outlawed soft money and created a “Stand by your Ad” disclaimer requirement. • Hard money – money to help elect/defeat specific candidates • Soft money – money used for mobilization and party building • Citizens United v. FEC – changed campaign finance rules by removing all restrictions on independent efforts funded by corporations and unions

Contribution Limits in the 2012 Elections

Candidate, party, and interest group election fund-raising, 2006– 12

What Affects Voting Behavior? • People use shortcuts to make decisions with limited information. They include: • • • One’s partisanship (the single best predictor of one’s vote) Incumbency Receiving help from a lawmaker Candidate’s personal traits (gender, race, age, religious beliefs) Retrospective evaluations

The 2012 Elections

Groups and Votes in the 2012 Election

Elections Matter

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE ELECTORAL VOTES PER STATE House members + Senators 538 WHO ARE THE ELECTORS? TOTAL ELECTORS • Nominated by parties • Pledge to support a candidate • You vote for a slate of electors 100% OF ELECTORAL VOTES GO TO WINNER ELECTORAL VOTES PER STATE All electoral college votes to winner by any margin (most states)

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE 538 ELECTORAL VOTES PER STATE TOTAL ELECTORS WHO ARE THE ELECTORS? 100% OF ELECTORAL VOTES GO TO WINNER WINNING A STATE

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE: POP QUIZ! 1. The number of electors that each state has in the electoral college is based on a. b. c. d. e. voter turnout in the previous election. an equal number for all states. the number of parties in the state. the date the state joined the Union. population.

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE: POP QUIZ! 1. The number of electors that each state has in the electoral college is based on a. b. c. d. e. voter turnout in the previous election. an equal number for all states. the number of parties in the state. the date the state joined the Union. population.

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE: POP QUIZ! 2. When you cast your vote in a presidential general election, you are actually voting for a. a political party. b. delegates who pledge to support a specific candidate at the party's national convention. c. electors who pledge to support a specific candidate in the electoral college. d. whoever gets the most votes in the state. e. a slate of presidential candidates.

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE: POP QUIZ! 2. When you cast your vote in a presidential general election, you are actually voting for a. a political party. b. delegates who pledge to support a specific candidate at the party's national convention. c. electors who pledge to support a specific candidate in the electoral college. d. whoever gets the most votes in the state. e. a slate of presidential candidates.

Public Opinion Poll Which electoral system do you believe is best? a) A plurality system b) A proportional representation system

Public Opinion Poll Do you believe it is appropriate to use race and ethnicity as criteria for drawing legislative district boundaries? a) Yes b) No

Public Opinion Poll Do you believe the Democratic and Republican parties should adopt a national primary to select their party’s presidential nominees? a) Yes b) No

Public Opinion Poll Do you think presidential candidate appearances on talk shows contribute to a more informed electorate? a) Yes b) No

Public Opinion Poll Do you believe the Internet has made electoral campaigns more democratic, less democratic, or has had no effect? a) More democratic b) Less democratic c) No effect

Public Opinion Poll Do you believe American political campaigns help voters make decisions, or do they produce more confusion than enlightenment? a) Help voters make decisions b) Produce more confusion

Public Opinion Poll Do you support or oppose laws requiring voters to produce photo identification at the polls? a) b) c) d) Strongly oppose Oppose Support Strongly support

Public Opinion Poll Do you believe there should be limits on the amount of money candidates can spend on campaigns? a) Yes b) No

Public Opinion Poll Do you believe that voting should be made compulsory, with fines for failing to vote? a) Yes b) No

Public Opinion Poll Do you believe there should be limits on the amount of money individuals can contribute to campaigns? a) Yes b) No

Chapter 7: Elections • Practice quizzes • Flashcards • Outlines wwnorton. com/studyspace

Following this slide, you will find additional slides with photos, figures, and captions from the textbook.

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