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Chapter 7 Elections. Chapter 7: Elections American Elections: Basic Facts and Fundamental Questions Incumbent – a politician running for re-election.

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Presentation on theme: "Chapter 7 Elections. Chapter 7: Elections American Elections: Basic Facts and Fundamental Questions Incumbent – a politician running for re-election."— Presentation transcript:

1 Chapter 7 Elections

2 Chapter 7: Elections

3 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

4 POPULAR VOTE vs. Electoral vote, 2000–2012

5 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.

6 Constituencies: Who Chooses Representatives?

7 How Do American Elections Work?

8 What do parties provide? Ballot placement Direct mail to lists of targeted voters Phone banks Don’t forget money!

9 Presidential Elections

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

11 Electoral Campaigns

12 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

13 Campaign Advertising

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

15 Campaign Finance FEC – the Federal Election Commission is in charge of administering election laws. Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (BCRA) – aka “McCain-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

16 Contribution Limits in the 2012 Elections

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

18 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

19 The 2012 Elections

20 Groups and Votes in the 2012 Election

21 Elections Matter

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

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

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

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

26 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.

27 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.

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

29 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

30 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

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

32 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

33 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

40 Elections

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