1. Chapter 10 Elections and Voting Behavior

2. How American elections work
Three kinds of elections:
Primary elections: voters select party nominees
General elections:contested between nominees of each party
Elections on specific policy questions for legislation—recently become more common in some states and in European countries (EU vote, etc.)
Two ways for public to pass legislation directly:
Referendum—Whereby voters are given the opportunity to approve or disapprove some legislative act
Initiative Petition –Requires gaining signatures on a proposed law equal to 10% of the number of voters in the previous election
(24 states do this: SD, CA, OR, CO, etc.)

3. A Tale of Four Elections in the United States

4. 1800: The First Electoral Transition of Power
Incumbent President John Adams (Federalists)
Challenger Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)
Issue was with the initial set up of the Electoral College
First peaceful transfer of power between parties via the electoral process in history

5. 1896: A Bitter Fight over Economic Interests
Incumbent president, (D) Grover Cleveland, was blamed for 1893 depression
William Jennings Bryan (Democrat) V. William McKinley (Republican)
80% eligible voters turned out and voted
Democrats’ main issue: unlimited coinage of silver
William Jennings Bryan won the Democratic Party nomination with speeches about the virtues of silver
McKinley won the election and the Republicans regained majority status.
Thus the way was clear for the Progressive Movement to impose a new way of thinking and a new agenda for politics.

6. The U.S. presidential election of 2000 was one of the closest elections in U.S. history, decided by only several hundred votes in the swing state of Florida. On election night, the media prematurely declared a winner twice based on exit polls before finally conceding that the Florida race was too close to call. It would turn out to be a month before the election was finally certified after numerous court challenges and recounts. Republican candidate George W. Bush won Florida's 25 electoral votes by a razor-thin margin of the popular vote there, and thereby defeated Democratic candidate Al Gore.
2000: What a Mess!!

7. 2004: The Ratification of a Polarizing Presidency
George W. Bush became the fourth Republican since McKinley to win a second term.
The intensity of the election was in part due to the controversy of the 2000 election.
The 2004 campaign was characterized by negative campaigning.
Leadership of the War on Terrorism and “moral values” proved to be key issues.

8. Electoral College Results

9. Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice
From Government in America, 13th edition.

10. Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice
U.S. has low voter turnout
Downs: it is rational to not vote
Those who see clear differences between parties are likely to vote.
If indifferent, then one may rationally abstain from voting.
Political Efficacy: the belief that one’s political participation really matters
Civic Duty: the belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should always vote

11. Who Votes? Based on: Education Age Race Gender Marital status Mobility
Union membership

12. Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice
Who Votes?
Marital Status: Married = more likely to vote
Union Membership: Union member = more likely to vote
Traits are cumulative–possessing several adds up

13. How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions
Policy Voting
Basing your vote choice on issue preferences and where the candidates stand on policy issues
Policy voting may occur if :
Voters know where they and the candidates stand on issues and see differences between candidates
Unlikely to occur because:
Candidates can be ambiguous on the issues.
Media tend to focus on the “horse race” not issues.
Today candidates are forced to take a clear stand in the party primaries increasing chances for policy voting.

14. How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions
Mandate theory of elections: The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platform and politics
Party identification
How Americans see the candidates
Policy voting: When people base their choices in an election on their own issue preferences

15. Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice

16. The Last Battle: The Electoral College
Electoral college actually elects the president—founders wanted him chosen by the elite of the country
States choose the electors
Winner-Take-All system gives bigger emphasis to more populated states

17. The Last Battle: The Electoral College
How it works today:
Each state has as many votes as it does Representatives and Senators.
Winner of popular vote typically gets all the Electoral College votes for that state
Electors meet in December, votes are reported by the vice president in January
If no candidate gets a majority (270 votes), the House of Representatives votes for president, with each state casting one vote.

18. The Last Battle: The Electoral College
ABA: “archaic, undemocratic, complex, ambiguous, indirect, and dangerous”
According to Lineberry “many, but certainly not all, political scientists oppose its continued use, as do most voters” (p.314)
Founders wanted president to be elected by the nation’s elite not the people