Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 10.1 Summary How American Elections Work Primary elections are held to select the political parties’ nominees for elective offices. General elections are contested between the nominees to determine who actually wins these offices. Referendums are held to let the voters decide specific policy questions at the ballot box. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman An initiative petition can be considered what kind of lawmaking? A.elitist lawmaking B.top-down lawmaking C.indirect lawmaking D.ground-up lawmaking LO 10.1 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman An initiative petition can be considered what kind of lawmaking? A.elitist lawmaking B.top-down lawmaking C.indirect lawmaking D.ground-up lawmaking LO 10.1 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 10.2 Summary A Tale of Three Elections Elections have changed dramatically since 1800 when Adams ran against Jefferson and neither candidate participated in the campaign. By 1896, it was acceptable for candidates to campaign in person, and William Jennings Bryan did so with a vengeance. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 10.2 Summary A Tale of Three Elections (cont.) Almost all American citizens over age 18 have the right to vote. One constant throughout American electoral history is that the appeal of “it’s time for a change” has been powerful when citizens are dissatisfied with the government’s performance; this was the case in both 1800 and To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Based on the 3 elections described in the chapter, elections have become more over time. A.elitist B.democratic C.controlled by the Electoral College D.all of the above LO 10.2 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Based on the 3 elections described in the chapter, elections have become more over time. A.elitist B.democratic C.controlled by the Electoral College D.all of the above LO 10.2 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 10.3 Summary Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice In order to exercise their right to vote, citizens must go through the registration process. Registration reform was thought to be the answer to low turnout, but the Motor Voter Act of 1993 has yet to produce the benefit of greater voter participation. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 10.3 Summary Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice (cont.) Turnout in 2008 was virtually identical to what it was in 1992, and in 2010 only about 40 percent of the eligible electorate voted. Among the factors that make people more likely to vote are being better educated, older, and married. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following is NOT true about Americans’ voting behavior? A.A college graduate is more likely to vote than a high school graduate. B.A single person is more likely to vote than a married person. C.Women are more likely to vote than men. D.A 50-year-old is more likely to vote than a 22-year-old. LO 10.3 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following is NOT true about Americans’ voting behavior? A.A college graduate is more likely to vote than a high school graduate. B.A single person is more likely to vote than a married person. C.Women are more likely to vote than men. D.A 50-year-old is more likely to vote than a 22-year-old. LO 10.3 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 10.4 Summary How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions Party affiliation is the best predictor of voting behavior. Candidate evaluations and policy opinions are two factors that can sway people to defect from their preferred party, and play an important role in decision-making among Independents. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 10.4 Summary How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions (cont.) Candidate evaluations involve important performance-relevant factors such as competence, integrity, and reliability. Policy voting – Voters see clear differences between candidates and determine whose stands on issues best represent their own opinions. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Party identification the political world for many voters. A.simplifies B.confuses C.does not influence D.none of the above LO 10.4 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Party identification the political world for many voters. A.simplifies B.confuses C.does not influence D.none of the above LO 10.4 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 10.5 Summary The Last Battle: The Electoral College Electoral College gives voters in the less populated states greater weight in choosing the president. The winner of the national popular vote does not always prevail in the Electoral College, as was evident most recently in the 2000 contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 10.5 Summary The Last Battle: The Electoral College (cont.) All but 2 states allocate all their electors in a winner-take-all fashion and many states lean solidly toward 1 party or the other (CA, TX, and NY), so the candidates focus much of their energies on winning about 15 battleground states (PA, FL, and OH). To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Electoral College encourages candidates to campaign in, battleground states. A.small B.large C.southern D.northern LO 10.5 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Electoral College encourages candidates to campaign in, battleground states. A.small B.large C.southern D.northern LO 10.5 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 10.6 Summary Understanding Elections and Voting Behavior Under the right conditions, elections can influence public policy, and policy outcomes can influence elections. Most important condition enabling voters to steer government policy is that the policy differences between the candidates be clear. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 10.6 Summary Understanding Elections and Voting Behavior (cont.) Voters can also make their voices heard by simply voting to reward or punish incumbents based on their performance in office. Elected officials who produce desired results are reelected; those fail to do are thrown out of office. To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Retrospective voting is when voters make their decisions based on their answers to the question _______. A.“What have you done for the world lately?” B.“What have you done for the interest groups lately?” C.“What have you done for your political party lately?” D.“What have you done for me lately?” LO 10.6 To Learning Objectives

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Retrospective voting is when voters make their decisions based on their answers to the question _______. A.“What have you done for the world lately?” B.“What have you done for the interest groups lately?” C.“What have you done for your political party lately?” D.“What have you done for me lately?” LO 10.6 To Learning Objectives