1. Elections and Voting Behavior

2. Function of Elections Institutionalizes political activity: channels it through electoral process instead of other methods Provides regular access to political power: leaders can be replaced not overthrown Elections have “legitimacy” in eyes of people. Through elections people have ability to guide the policy direction of the government

3. 3 General Kinds of Elections Primary: selects party nominees General: contests between nominees of the parties Policy Questions: voters engage in making or ratifying legislation

4. How Does Government Regulate the Electoral Process? Elections allow the government a chance to exert a good deal of control over when, where, how and which of its citizens will participate. Electoral processes are governed by a variety of rules and procedures that allow those in power a significant opportunity to regulate the character and perhaps the consequences of mass political participation There are 3 general forms of regulation that have played a role in our electoral history.

5. Electoral Composition Government will regulate the composition of the electorate in order to diminish the electoral weight of groups they deem to be undesirable. In the past they used property qualifications for voting Some states used poll taxes and literacy tests; the placing of polling places and scheduling voting hours to depress participation by one or another group. Today the most obvious regulation is: voter registration. Progressive reform introduced at turn of 20 th century – to discourage fraud and corruption

7. Government Seeks to Manipulate the Translation of Voter’s Choices into Electoral Outcomes There is more than one way to decide the relationship between individual votes and electoral outcomes. Many possible rules that can be used to determine how individual votes will be translated. Two types of regulations are important:

8. The Rules That Set The Criteria For Winning Majority System: To win the seat a candidate must receive a majority (50 percent plus 1) of all votes cast in the relevant district. (Most of these have a provision for a “runoff” election among the two top candidates if none receive a majority of the votes cast.) Plurality System: victory goes to the individual who gets the most votes in an election, not necessarily a majority of votes. (most general elections in US are this type) Proportional Representation: mostly used in Europe; competing political parties are awarded a number of seats based upon the % of the votes they received in the election

9. Electoral Districts American politicians have sought to influence electoral outcomes by manipulating the organization of electoral districts. Congressional district boundaries in the US are redrawn by governors and state legislators every 10 years (after a census) Gerrymandering: the manipulation of electoral districts to increase the likelihood of one or another outcome. Principle: different distributions of voters among districts produce different electoral outcomes; those in position to control the arrangements of districts are also in a position to manipulate the results.

10. Insulating the Decision Making Processes The Electoral College Founders wanted president to be selected by the nation’s elite, not directly by the people. Electoral College created for this purpose Electors chosen by states Since 1828, practice has been for electors to choose candidates that won the states popular vote. How it works: –Each has as many electoral votes as it has US Senators and representatives –Except for Main and Nebraska, each state is a winner take all system (Electors vote in a block regardless of percentages) –Electors meet in December, after November election, then send votes to Vice President. He will officially announce it when Congress convenes in January –If no candidate wins electoral college majority, vote goes to House of Representatives. ** balloting in House is one vote per delegation – thus giving the small states greater influence (last time 1828)

11. Frequency of Elections: fragments the effects of elections upon the governments compositions. Ballot: Australian Ballot –presents the names of all candidates for any given office on the same ballot; replaced partisan balloting and allowed for “split ticket voting”

12. Direct Democracy –Referendum: voter given the chance to approve or disapprove some legislative act, bond issue or constitutional amendment proposed by the legislature –Initiative petition: requires gaining the signatures on a proposed law equal to 10 percent of the number of voters in the previous election Lawmaking from the ground up: citizens taking charge of legislative agenda; can force an issue on which legislature fails to act California: Proposition 13 – property taxes; Proposition 209 – affirmative action –Recall: removal of a public official by popular vote

13. Electoral College Electoral College Founders wanted president to be selected by the nation’s elite, not directly by the people. Electoral College created for this purpose Electors chosen by states Since 1828, practice has been for electors to choose candidates that won the states popular vote. How it works: –Each has as many electoral votes as it has US Senators and representatives –Except for Main and Nebraska, each state is a winner take all system (Electors vote in a block regardless of percentages) –Electors meet in December, after November election, then send votes to Vice President. He will officially announce it when Congress convenes in January –If no candidate wins electoral college majority, vote goes to House of Representatives. ** balloting in House is one vote per delegation – thus giving the small states greater influence (last time 1828)

15. Registering to Vote Registering to Vote Designed to prevent corruption associated with stuffing ballot boxes (begun at start of 1900’s) Requires voters to put names on an electoral roll in order to vote Made it more difficult to vote more than once but also discourages some people from voting. Voter Registration is seen as part of the reason voter turnout in US is lower than other countries. Different with each state –N. Dakota – no registration, –Minnesota, Wisconsin – can register on election day –Texas – 30 days before election South for years put burdensome procedures on registration –Motor Voter Act (1993)

16. Who VotesWho Votes? Who Votes EducationAgeRaceGender Marital Status Government Employment

20. The Campaign Game Deal in images In past used trains to travel and speak Today mass media is the tool to reach the most people. –Television is essential: can speak directly to people in their own homes –Computers: offer web sites of information, fund raising requests on web sites –Direct mail: computer listing of people who have supported candidates or parties in the past. Used to get out ideas and raise $ Major goal is to get attention

21. Organizing the Campaign Candidate must do the following to be successful: – Get a campaign manager – Get a fund raiser – Get a campaign counsel – Hire media and campaign consultants – Assemble a campaign staff –Plan logistics –Get a research staff and policy advisors – Hire a pollster – Get a good press secretary – Establish a web site All of this costs lots of money!

22. Money and Campaigning Campaigns are expensive!!! Perception is that money buys votes! As a result ever since the early 1970’s government has tried to create Campaign Finance Reforms –Early 70’s, after growth of campaign expenses and Watergate Scandal –Federal Election Commission: bipartisan body that administers campaign finance laws and enforces compliance with their requirements –Presidential Campaign Fund: FEC is in charge of doling out money from this fund to qualified presidential candidates. Money comes from fund raised by a $3 voluntary check-off on your income tax return

23. Sources of Campaign Funds Individual Donors: direct mail ($2000 per candidate) Political Action Committees: (PAC’s) organizations channel contributions; $5000 per PAC, but allied or related PAC’s join their money together to give larger amounts. The Candidates:

25. Campaign Finance Reform Cont. Provided partial public financing for presidential primaries: $5000 raised in 20 states – government will match individual contribution of $250. (called “matching funds”) If candidates agree to accept the matching funds they also agree to limit their campaign expenditures to an amount stated by federal law.

26. Campaign Finance Reform Provide full public financing for major party candidates in the general election. Unlike primaries FEC pays fixed amount for campaign expenses. (In 2004 it was $75 million) Require full disclosure of contributions. Periodic reports must be filed with FEC Limited Contribution: limit individual contributions to $1000. (Increased to $2000 BY McCain-Feingold law -2004)

27. Loopholes in Campaign Finance Reform 1974 Supreme Court ruled that no limit was placed on how much candidates could spend on their own campaigns. (Perot – 1992) Soft Money: 1979 an amendment to the original act made it easier for political parties to raise money for voter registration drives and the distribution of campaign material at the grass-roots level or for generic party advertising. For 2 decades this was unrestricted – by 2000 ½ Billion dollars raised via soft money. –McCain-Feingold banned soft money (2002) 527 Groups: Independent groups that seek to influence the political process but are not subject to contribution restrictions because they do not directly seek the election of particular candidates. (2004 - $424 million spent on adds) Even with loopholes American politics has gotten more open and honest.

28. Political Action Committees (PAC’s) 1974 reforms created a new way for interest groups such as businesses and labor groups to contribute to campaigns. Any group large or small can now get into the act by forming its own PAC to directly channel contributions of up to $5000 per candidate in both the primary and general election. 2006 FEC reported 4,217 PAC’s Candidates need PAC’s because of the expense of high-tech campaigning today. All contributions must be meticulously reported to FEC – so if they are corrupting the system it is in the open about it.