Elections in the United States

Quiz Define political socialization Describe the role of education in political participation Define political party What is the number one influence on people’s political ideology? What is the importance of third parties? List 2 reasons for low voter turnout/participation. Name the three types of polls.

Purpose of Elections Founders called it Popular Sovereignty Political Power is derived from the consent of the governed Elections fill public offices and staff the government Elections also hold the Government accountable to the public

Types of Elections Presidential Elections (General) State and Local Primaries Congressional Elections Mid-term Elections “Referendum on the President” State and Local Imitative, Referendum, and Recall

Presidential Elections Primary Elections Voters decide which of the Candidates within a party will represent the party’s ticket in the General Elections

Types of Primaries Closed Open Runoff Only a registered party member is allowed to vote (FLA, LA, NY, CA) Open Any member of the Electorate can vote in either primary (GA, AL, TX, VA) Crossover voting does occur frequently in Open Primaries There is little evidence to support “raiding” of primaries Runoff Second Primary election between the top 2 vote getters LA is a little strange

Primaries Scheduling Critics argue unfair scheduling of Primaries affects their outcomes Take New Hampshire. Who really cares what the think? But because they are the first primary in our nation some say they get way too much media coverage and affect the opinions of the electorate in more populous states that hold their primaries later

Leads to Front Loading Front Loading- the tendency of states to chose an early date on the primary calendar Parties have finally said enough is enough and have taken delegates out of states who continue to move up their primaries Ex. Michigan Super Tuesday- In 1988 14 southern states began Super Tuesday to maximize the South’s influence on Presidential Politics

Differences in Primaries Republican Winner Take All Primaries Democratic Proportional Primaries Super Delegates Voters entitled to become delegates to their party’s nominating convention by virtue of their position in the Government or Party Hierarchy Ensures Party Control for Democrats Can break a tie Are not pledged to a certain candidate

Party Conventions- Once a Delegate is Chosen… All the States report the number of delegates voting for a candidate All the candidates give a brief speech supporting the Nominee The Party’s nominee gives a speech about how he/she will change the world News Coverage is extensive which leads to the Convention Bounce Then the race for the president begins (we will do that Thursday)

Incumbents When incumbents lose it is generally due to: Redistricting Gerrymandering-attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries to create partisan advantaged district Scandals Presidential Coattails

Mid Term Elections Off Year elections- In-between presidential elections Less Participation than a Presidential Election The president’s party normally loses seats during this election Midterm Elections serve as a REFERENDUM on the President 2006 Mid Term election Republicans lost 30 seats in the house and 6 in the Senate giving the Democrats control in Congress

General Election vs. Mid Term Election 38.6% of the electorate voted in the 2006 mid term election 56.8% Turnout for the 2008 election Why is voter turnout higher for the general election than the midterm elections? Media Coverage (Greater Interest) More Money Spent on Presidential Elections Higher Visibility Perception of Greater Importance of Presidential Elections Mobilization

Congressional Elections vs. Presidential Elections Coattail effect - Presidential popularity effecting congressional elections in midterm years Congress communicates with their constituents more directly, often personally, while President relies on media Congress reps can deny responsibility and blame problems on other reps or President

Initiative, Referendum, Recall Initiative- An election that allows citizens to propose legislation and submit it to the state electorate for popular vote Referendum- An election whereby the state legislature submits proposed legislation Good Things- This provides for more Direct Democracy Bad Things- in 1990 California had to provide a 2 volume book explaining all the initiatives on the ballot

Recall Or Deelection Voters can vote to remove an incumbent from office prior to the next scheduled election Example?

Quiz A _______ primary is a primary where only registered members of a party can vote. List 2 purposes of Elections Describe the concept of front loading What is the purpose of a Super delegate?

Electing the President The President is not elected by a Direct Vote Congress is a direct election The Gubernatorial election is a direct election. The President is elected by the Electoral College

The Electoral College Like most things at Constitution the Electoral College is a compromise Direct Popular vote and Congress choosing the President Electors were meant to be men of character with a solid knowledge of national politics

What is the Electoral College? It is the constitutional system used to elect the Chief Executive. Established by Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment (1804). Each state is assigned a specific number of electors. When you vote for President, you are actually voting for the group of electors from your state.

Once again.... When you cast your vote, you are actually voting for the ELECTORS from your state. The candidate that gets the most votes in your state, gets those electors. WINNER TAKE ALL SYSTEM!!!!! If you win a plurality of the votes, you get EVERY VOTE!!!!

To Find the Number of Electoral Votes for a state So: There are 538 Electoral Votes on the map To win: 538/2=269 A majority is 50% + 1 So to be President you need 270 Electoral Votes Number of Representatives in the House + Number of Senators (Always 2) Total Number of Electors TO WIN THE WHITE HOUSE YOU MUST WIN A MAJORITY OF ELECTORAL VOTES The candidate that wins the popular vote in that state gets all that state’s electoral votes (except for Maine and Nebraska).

NO Do the electors have to vote for the candidate from their party? .   While the state electors are "pledged" to vote for the candidate of the party that chose them, nothing in the Constitution requires them to do so. In rare instances, an elector will defect and not vote for his or her party's candidate. Such "faithless" electors rarely change the outcome of the election and laws of some states prohibit electors from casting them.

What procedure is followed for the electors to vote? Answer: Electors meet in their state capitals on the Monday following the second Wednesday in December to cast their votes. The electoral votes are then sealed and transmitted to the President of the Senate (same as the VP). In 2008, this would be Dick Cheney When do we finally have an official winner?   Answer: On January 6th, the President of the Senate announces the winner before both houses of Congress.

Why do we have the Electoral College? Concerns of Founders President would use military to overpower states Would use office to hold power through force and corruption Protection against the “ignorant masses” Areas of small population would be ignored Results Large states have more say, but small states are guaranteed at least 3 electoral votes