CHAPTER 10 NOTES

Elections and Voting Behavior Elections are the process through which power in government changes hands. Such a change is possible because elections bestow legitimacy both on the process and on the incoming officials, who have been chosen to lead by a majority of the people. According to the theory of democracy, elections give voters a voice in policymaking because they allow people to choose the candidate who is most likely to act in their interests or according to their political beliefs. For this to work in practice, however, candidates must represent distinct stands on the issues.

HOW AMERICAN ELECTIONS WORK There are three kinds of elections in the United States: 1) primary elections, 2) general elections, and 3) elections on specific policy issues which take place at the state and local level through referendum (state-level method of direct legislation) and initiative petition (voter- proposed changes in the state constitution).

Whether to Vote: A Citizen's First Choice Suffrage has been expanded several times throughout American history. Although the Constitution left the issue up to the states, generally only white, male, property- owners had the right to vote. Today, almost all Americans over the age of 18 can vote in elections. The Fifteenth Amendment granted suffrage to African Americans. The Nineteenth Amendment extended voting privileges to women. The Twenty-Sixth Amendment set the minimum voting age at 18.

Although more people are able to vote, fewer people are exercising this right. Some of their reasons for not voting: They believe that one vote in more than 100 million makes little difference. They are unable to take time off of work to vote on a Tuesday. Reformers have suggested moving Election Day to a Saturday. Voter registration is difficult or inconvenient in most states. Procedures have been made easier, especially with the Motor Voter Act, but turnout has still decreased. There is little ideological difference between the two parties' candidates.

Some reasons people are more likely to vote:  They perceive a significant ideological difference between the two parties' candidates.  They have a sense of political efficacy- they believe their vote will make a difference.  They want to perform their civic duty in a democracy.

Who Votes? People with a college education Older people, especially senior citizens Hispanic Americans and African Americans are less likely to vote, but those with higher levels of education vote in greater percentages than educated Caucasians. More women than men have voted in recent elections. Union members People who are married Politicians who rely on these voters to be elected are more likely to address their concerns in the policy arena.

Studies show that if turnout increased among groups with low rates, Democrats would probably receive more votes. Reforms are unlikely because Republicans do not want to lose this advantage.

How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens' Decisions 1. People vote according to their party identification. A candidate of their chosen party probably shares their political beliefs. They do not have to decide on or become informed about every issue. This trend is declining as parties have lost some significance in the political process.

2. Voters evaluate what they know and see of the candidates' personalities to make a decision. A candidate's appearance may play an unconscious role in voter decision making. People tend to value integrity, competence, and reliability in a candidate. Voters with a college education are more likely to base their decision on a candidate's personality. They make inferences about the candidate's performance.

3. People vote for candidates who share their policy preferences.  Voters have firm policy convictions.  They are familiar with each candidate's policy preferences.  They are able to discern differences among candidates' stands on issues.  A person may also vote retrospectively by choosing a candidate who vows to continue policies helpful to him or her, or by choosing the opposition candidate who promises to change the policy.  Candidates may avoid taking a clear stand on a controversial issue, making policy voting difficult.  This method requires a lot of effort on the part of voters.

The Last Battle: The Electoral College In the United States, the president is not chosen directly by the people in a popular election. The Electoral College casts the final vote. The writers of the Constitution created this institution to keep the presidency at a distance from the masses. It was intended to allow only the elite to choose the president.

Each state's number of electors is equal to its total number of representatives and senators. Electors are chosen by the state party organizations. Almost all states are winner-take-all: The candidate who receives the highest popular vote in the state gets all of that state's electoral votes. Electors convene in December and deliver their votes to the president of the Senate (the vice president), who officially announces the majority winner at the opening of the congressional session in January. If no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes (at least 270), the members of the House of Representatives vote, with each state delegation having one vote.

This system has received an enormous amount of criticism. It gives an unfair advantage to states with larger populations. Because they have a greater number of electoral votes at stake, large states and their policy concerns receive more attention from presidential candidates. A candidate may need to win in only a few large states to win the election. This neglects the less populous states (although George W. Bush used a small state strategy to win the presidency in 2000 and 2004). Because most large states also have large cities, the system is biased in favor of urban voters. It is possible to win the popular vote but lose the election because of the electoral votes. This happened to Al Gore, who won the popular vote in 2000.