POLS 207- Test 3
7. How does competition affect turnout?
It doesn't
Texas Local governemnt
Municipal increased School districts and special districts decreased Counties : same
Correlation with Inter-party competition vs tax
Negative relationship with per capital debt and spending child in primary and secondary school
30. Are we a responsible party system?
No
Pattern between partisan control of state legislatures and policy
No consistent pattern
public policy influences with inter party competitiveness
No evidence
Evident policy changes with party change
No evident
Relationship between long term partisan control and policy, only regional difference for TANF for southern states
No relationship
Voting is lowest during which years?
Non-presidential election years
Responsible Party System
Not - cannot completely control nominations, campaign financing, or party members' adherence to the party platform. - No clear policy consequences
16. Are older or younger people more likely to vote?
Older
CITY SERVICES
POLICE FIRE STREETS SEWAGE
Elected Executives
Sheriff, Constable, County Clerk, Tax Assessor, Treasurer, County Attorney
Municipals Managed Environments
- , cities have been granted charters that have established a measure of autonomy for them. - general laws in order to avoid disputes over city politics - home rule for cities with a population over 5,000. Types of governments: - mayor-council, - commission, and - council-manager Hybrid form of mayor-council and council-manager are growing in popularity.
List some of the voting rights for racial minorities.
- 15th Amendment - White primaries gotten rid of - Registration Barriers + Poll Tax + Unequal application - Civil rights act of 1964 - Voting rights act
Referendum
- Allows citizens to appove or disapprove proposals by state legislatures. - Some states have mandatory legislative referendums to enact or reject constitutional amendments or certain statutory laws. - Basically voter have the final say - All states permit optional referendums. - Direct Democracy Texas ( southern states ) don't have one
Qualified direct initiatives
- Automatically up for popular vote
INTEREST GROUPS - Informational Function
- Beliefs not necessarily comprehensive in scope - Limited policy preferences -Primary target is group members rather than entire public
Who Are the Lobbyists?
- Citizen lobbyists - Former state legislators or executives. - "public interest" lobbyists who promote their conception of the common good and take home a modest salary.
Reform movement goals
- City as a whole - Policy vs administration - Experts
Voting Rights
- Civil Right Act 1964 - Voting Eight Act 1965, 1970, 1975, 1982, 2006
Interest Groups in the Political Process
- Contributing money to politicians = ensure personal access to legislators - spend money entertaining legislators and executive officials at parties, lunch, award ceremonies, and other events. - campaign contributions. => rewarded with favorable laws, rulings, and policies - Texas ranks in the top three states for the number of lobbyists representing the energy, insurance, banking, real estate, health care, and agriculture industries
The Council-Manager Form
- Dallas and San Antonio - An elected city council of five to fifteen members appoints a city manager - A mayor is elected at-large or by the council, but, except for presiding over the council, has the same powers as the other council members. - most efficient form of city government and that it allows for some separation of politics and administration, but in reality politics and administration cannot be separated completely.
Machine Politics
- Decentralized : large city council, neighborhood councils. - Responsive: extreme local control; ethnic and national neighborhood; everything geared toward lower class; employment, welfare and entertainment - Corrupt: everything is for sale. Voters bought form illiterate through bribes and friendship.
Is the party over?
- Decline in party attachments - primary elections--weakened parties - new-style politics advertising campaign, media based negative campaigning--mud, "swift boating" "branding"
PARTIES- Informational Function
- Develop program and educate public - Sets of believe, nearly comprehensive - Policy goals and programs for governemt
INTEREST GROUPS- Government Function
- Do not organize government - But do provide information and organize for specific policy goals
Interest Groups Representation
- Economic producing groups - People with more education and income - Those who join groups out of personal involvement - Wealthy - White and Male - Involved in business
Reform Institutions
- Election reforms : Non- partisan, Australian ballot printed by city, fewer city council positions, at large seats, separate from states and federal elections - Civil Service: manage city by expertise rather than patronage. treat people equally rather than by friendship. - Manager
County Expenditure
- Health and Welfare - Public Safety - General govt & other - Interest - Roads & transportation - Parks, housing and environment
Special Districts
- Inadequacy of Established Governments - Certain problems aka flood control,can seldom be solved within a single city or count (find it difficult to finance needed projects) - Poor organization, lack of personnel, and other problems make local governments incapable of dealing with some problems.
APPOINTED EXECUTIVES
- Individuals and boards, auditor, health officer, coroner, library board. - Elected by commisioners
County Budget
- Law enforcement 50 % - Roads and bridges 10-30% - Health and Welfare 10 %
Special Districts - Ease of Organization and Operation
- Local political leaders may promote a special district as a solution to a problem they do not want to become their own and the legislature is willing to go along. - Creating a special district may spread the costs over several cities or counties included in the special district
County revenue
- Local taxes 44% - Intergovernmental - Current Charges
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
- Mayor-Council 41% - COUNCIL MANAGER 50% - COMMISSION 3% - TOWN MEETING 6%
Who is more likely to vote?
- Older population - White - Liberals more than conservatives - Highly educated people
Organized participation
- Political Parties- active during election - Interest Group- active between election
Why doesn't Texas vote?
- Political Socialization + institutions of socialization in Texasdo not encourage the state's children to be politically active + Texans are taught to accept the political system, not to participate in it. - The political party system + Voter turnout higher in states where political parties are more competitive and better organized. + competition in the South, including Texas, has increased in recent yearsas the Republican party has become more active, parties in Texas remain weak and voting levels are still below the rates that prevail in the rest of the country. + One party system, districts are gerrymandered to favor incumbents
County Revenues
- Property tax >50 % - License and fees - Grants - Fines
CLOSED PRIMARY
- Registration is by party in advance and this information is public. - those register in a party may vote in its primary. - Register but chose neither pary => cannot vote - Register for one party but want to vote for another = > must change registration
MIXED PRIMARY
- Republican require registration as a Republican. - Democrat permit voters who chose no party chose to participation in election
Qualified indirect initiatives
- Require legislative approval before being scheduled for popular vote
School Districts
- School board members are publicly - elected, usually in an at-large, by-place system. - Decisions are generally well publicized. - public interest in and knowledge about school district politics. - The number of school districts is decline - The state is the ultimate authority for basic school policies and partially funds public schools
Correlation with number of lobbyist
- State population - Total Personal income - State and local employee - State Revenue - State expenditure
What are some voting laws that have been implemented in Texas through the years?
- White primaries - Poll Tax - registration Barriers
PARTIES-- Government Function
- Winners organized government - Legislatures caucus & get committee assignments by party - Governor appoints supporters by party - Judges tend to vote together.
COUNTY GOVERNMENT
- oldest form of local government - BOARD or Legislative body—in Texas, Commissioners Court - Elected Executives - Appointed Executive- - BUREAUCRACY: no civil service requirement
The Commission Form--A Historical Footnote
- originated in Galveston - Elected commissioners administer various departments and collectively comprise the policy-making board of the city. - s lost favor because many believe that individual commissioners tend to become advocates for their departments rather than public-interest advocates. - Texas home rule cities no longer use commission government, although some general-law cities still have this form.
Lobbying
- to attempt to influence policy makers face-to-face. - Making direct personal contact with legislators is the best lobbying technique - While everyone has a right to influence government officials, it is corporations and trade organizations that employ the most lobbyists.
The Mayor-Council Form
- weak mayor-council form other executives such as the city attorney and the city treasurer are also elected. - the strong mayor-council form ( Houston) is most common among the nation's largest cities, while in small communities the weak mayor form is more prevalent - council members are elected at-large or by districts and the mayor is elected at-large -have an official appointed by the mayor to tend to the internal business of the city while the mayor attends to political matters. - provide the kind of leadership needed to deal with the problems of major urban areas.
OPEN PRIMARY
-Party Ballot is private. - Voters received ballot from both parties and decide in the secrecy of the voting booth in which party's primary to vote. - register in advance but not by party. ( Except Dakota)
Difficulties for Scientific Study
-Self- Reported Information - Reliability and validity - Bias in response
Institutional Factors
...
WHY ARE U.S. PARTIES SO SIMILAR?
...
WHY IS TURNOUT SO LOW IN MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS?
...
State Law regulate political party
1 . Defining membership 2. Defining formal party organization and its election
How we measure public opinion
1) .Question wording (Bad questions lead to bad results ) 2) Sampling (scientific random sample: nonstratified sampling, straw polls, and most nonprobability sampling methods with 1200-1600 ppl) 3) Contacting respondents (random phone calling )
Distribution of special District Govt
1. Natural resources 2. Fire protection 3. Water Supply 4. Housing and community development 5. Sewage 7. MultiFunction
Local Govt Revenue
1. Property Tax 2. Sales Tax 3.Charges and Misc 4. Utilities 5.Insurance
Local Govt Spending
1.K-1-12 Education 2. Utilities 3. Public Safety 4.Environment and Housing
Indirect democracy - Vote for elected officers
10-60 %
Direct democracy - Initiative and ref.
20-50% in western states
Attend Public meetings
3-20%
Mayor/ Council
41 % Checks and balances : both agree = POLICY making by competition Mayor= executive, city council = legislature Formal power ( strong) Tie breaking power ( weak ) , compete with elected city council Large population Houston
Commission form
5% Gaveston Combine Voters elect mayor ( exe) and 4 comissioners ( city council)
Council / Manager Form
50% School District Govt Population smaller than 250 000 : Dallas and San Antonio Professional Elect City council appointed city manager In school, school board appoints a superintendent
Town meeting
6% Located in New England states direct citizen participation Eligible citizens= legislative Potential for participation is high but actual is low Small munitipal govt
Number of Local Governments
90,000 local government 1. Special District ( increased) 2. Municipal 3. Townships 4.School Districts ( decreased ) 5. County
Non-participants- Apart from president elections
>60%
Explanations for non-voting
ALIENATION COST-BENEFIT SATISFACTION
PRIMARY ELECTION SYSTEMS
CLOSED PRIMARY OPEN PRIMARY MIXED PRIMARY TOP TWO
TOP TWO
California and Washington - Chose candidate who will face each other in the general election- but not necessarily candidates from each of the two major parties.
What is county govt in Texas known as ?
Commissioner COurts
What state does have county govt ?
Connecticut
Middle-sized cities from 25,000 to 250,000 in population.
Council-manager government - business-like efficiency and political neutrality of the city manager plan.
Oldest local govt
County govt
Has turnout increased or declined in the past several years?
Declined
Texas Voting eligible population turn out- Non-Presidential Election years
Democrat always lower than Republican
Party Identification in Presidential Years
Democrat decreased Republican Increased
INTEREST GROUP ACTIVITIES
ELECTIONEERING - get members to vote; elect friends, defeat enemies LOBBYING -Government for policy change; sharing information PROPAGANDIZING -Public for support
Which form of govt adopted from England ?
Municipal govt
38. Why would district elections result in more minority representation than at-large elections?
Gerrymandering-drawing district lines so that certain districts have a higher percentage of minorities
INTEREST GROUP ASSETS
LARGE NUMBERS - Useful for electioneering and communication preferences to govt officials. - Smaller = easier to organized / stimulate participation WEALTH - Funding STATUS - Visibility and expertise
Why do Americans vote less?
Lack of party-group linkage Registration restrictions Non-compulsory voting Voter exhaustion
Run for Office
Less than 1%
Impact of the Democrat party in control
Liberal programs - Larger tax burden - Greater spending per capita - Fewer restrictions on abortion - Generous welfare benefits
INTEREST GROUPS -Constituent Function
Limited - Do not select candidates but support the candidates ( during primary elections) - Can and do support both contestants for same office - Support after election is common in Texas
35. Which government is closest to the people?
Local
Blanket Primary Election System
Louisaina - candidates who win a majority of the vote is the "early election" win the office
Does the U.S. have higher or lower voter turnout compared to other countries?
Lower compare to most Western countries
18. Why do we only have two major political parties?
Makes it harder for other minority parties to get any votes
Oldest form of municipal govt
Mayor/ Council
Democrat Party Control vs Abortion POLICY
Moderate negative
Population and Local Governments
Moderate positve
History of American Political Parties
Ratifying the Constitution ( Federalists vs Anti-Federalist- disorganized, rural) Civil War ( Republican North vs Democratic South) Machine Politics( urban machine vsDemocratic Party with no ties with DP) New Deal Democrats
Texas Voting eligible population turn out- Presidential Election years
Republic can have higher than democratic Except 2008 democratic 19% 2004 Republican as low as 5%
Factors associated with turnout?
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS Inter-party Competition Tradition / Culture Legal requirements Election Issues
Shortcomings of polling
Sampling Error - all poll contain 3-5% errors Limited Respondent Options - if options on survey are not broad enough, ppl wont be able to choose an answer which leads to bad results Lack of Information - if survey ask ppl about things they don't understand, the answer will often be invalid Intensity - polls do not measure intensity well Elitism- deliberate polls have been accused of elite bias
Parties-Constituent Function
Select candidates for office Formal process governed by state and federal law Support candidate for office
Texas Primary Election System
Semi- open - voter's party ballot choices are made publically. - Register in advance but not by the party.
African-American Percentage in Population and on Council
Strong positive
Democratic Party control of State Senate and State House
Texas : 25% -50% Nebraska : Unicameral
Interest Group Strength 2007
Texas : Dominant/ Complementary
City Revenues
Utilities Local Taxes Current Charges Other Intergovernemnt
City Expenditure
Utilities Parks, Housing and Environment Public Safety Roads and transportation other Interest Health and welfare
37. Why did states reform the urban machines?
To fight corruption
Higher education=higher______________
Voting
Forms up public participation
Voting Talk about politics Organizations Attending public meetings Contributions Communicating with representatives Campaigning Initiating and repealing laws - Initiative and referendum Seeking public office
Voting Laws in Texas
WHITE PRIMARY Poll Tax Registration barriers
Interest groups vs policy
Weak Negative - Tax burden - TANF benefit
Democrat Party Control and K-12 Educational Spending Per Child
Weak positive
Democrat Party Control vs Abortion RATE
Weak positive
Democrat Party Control vs Percent of Families With Children in Poverty Receiving TANF Benefits
Weak positive
Democrat party in control vs Tax burden
Weak positive
Median Family Income and City Taxes Per Capita
Weak positive
A PAC
a committee formed by an organization, industry, or individual for the purpose of collecting money and then contributing that money to selected political candidates and causes. - influence public policy more effectively than can a single, ordinary individual. - Maine and California limit the amount of money that PACs can contribute to state elections, in Texas : unlimited
Most smaller cities
a mayor-council form of government.
5. What is the Rational Activist Model?
a. Active involvement, being informed and rationally supporting the candidate
4. What is referendum?
a. Allows citizens to approve or disapprove proposals to legislature b. Voters have final say as to whether a law gets put into action or not c. Texas does not have a referendum
3. What is initiative?
a. Citizens proposing a new law or amendment by collecting signatures on a petition b. Texas does not have an initiative
43. Which form of government originated in school government? a. Council/manager b. Mayor/council c. Commission d. Town meeting
a. Council/manager
What are special districts?
a. Districts formed to serve one specific purpose i. Hospitals ii. Blinn college
34. What are some activities of interest groups?
a. Electioneering b. Propagandizing c. Lobbying
25. The federalists, at the first political party in the U.S. organized to...
a. Fight for independence b. Ratify the constitution
26. The impact of electronic and print news media causes Americans to focus most on __________ politics. a. Local b. State c. National
c. National
1. What is the difference between direct and representative democracy?
a. In a direct democracy, the general public determines the laws and policies through which the people will be governed. Each citizen has one vote they can cast either in favor or against the law. Under a representative democracy, people elect representatives who are tasked with creating laws and policies. The elected representatives vote on the issue in lieu of the public. The elected representatives are supposed to reflect the will of the majority of the people.
12. Why do Americans vote less?
a. Lack of party-group linkages b. Registration restrictions c. non-compulsory voting d. Voter exhaustion
15. Are conservative or liberals more likely to vote?
a. Liberals
24. What have been some attempts to limit pressure groups?
a. Limit contributions- unconstitutional b. Make them register c. Public financing
6. What are convenience-voting procedures? Do they affect turnout?
a. Mail voting, no-excuse absentee voting, early voting, election-day registration b. No
29. Why are the states so similar?
a. Nobody is a strict rep or dem, lib or cons, fall somewhere in between
22. What is open vs closed primary?
a. Open- do not have to register with a specific party to be able to vote in their primary b. Closed- must be registered under a certain party to vote in their primary
27. What is the correlation between Democratic control over state legislature and state tax burden? a. Positive b. Negative c. No correlation
a. Positive
19. Describe political parties
a. Select candidates for office during elections b. Educate the public and set policy goals c. Organize government to pass legislation and appoint offices
14. What are the factors associated with turnout?
a. Socioeconomic status b. Interparty competition c. Tradition/culture d. Legal requirements e. Election issues
20. Describe interest groups
a. Support candidates year round b. Inform interest groups members on interest and goals c. Organize members to talk to public officials
32. What is negative campaigning?
a. Swiftboating, new style politics, branding
33. What are some assets of interest groups?
a. Wealth b. Large numbers c. Status
21. What is a primary election?
a. Where parties select their candidates to run against eachother in main election
17. What are some voting laws that have been implemented in Texas?
a. White primary b. Poll tax c. Literacy tests
2. What is political participation? What are some common forms of political participation?
a.Participating in politics b. Voting, talking about politics, attending public meetings, communicating with representatives, contributions, campaigning, initiating and repealing laws, seeking public office
11. Voter turnout is positively correlated with... a. Party competition b. Education c. Contributions to candidates
b. Education
44. Which form of government can have a mayor with actual powers? a. Council/manager b. Mayor/council c. Commission d. Town meeting
b. Mayor/council
41. Which of the following are true about school districts? a. The number of school districts is increasing b. The number of school districts is decreasing
b. The number of school districts is decreasing
Larger cities which need the political focus
by an elected mayor use either a mayor-council or mayor-manager form.
40. In the council/manager form, city managers are____________. a. Elected b. Appointed by the mayor c. Appointed by the city council d. Appointed by the county judge
c.
9. Generally, Americans.... a. Not willing to talk to pollsters b. Very informed and willing to express their opinions c. Are not well informed and are willing to express their opinions d. Shy and have to be coaxed to give an answer
c. Are not well informed and are willing to express their opinions
45. Which form of government originated in Galveston and uses cooperation amongst city council? a. Council/manager b. Mayor/council c. Commission d. Town meeting
c. Commission
28. What is the major difference between interest groups and political parties? a. Interest groups are not regulated b. Parties are not regulated c. Interest groups do not select candidates d. Parties do not select candidates
c. Interest groups do not select candidates
Initiative
collecting signatures of a certain number of citizens (petition) to enact proposal for a new law or amendment. - Usually by petition TX don't have one
10. Generally U.S. House of Representatives are... a. Competitive and challengers usually win b. Competitive and incumbents usually win c. Not competitive and challengers usually win d. Not competitive and incumbents usually win
d. Not competitive and incumbents usually win
8. Turnout is highest in elections for? a. City council b. Governor, off year c. Congress, on year d. President
d. Predisent
46. Which form of government utilizes direct citizen participation in order to enact policies? a. Council/manager b. Mayor/council c. Commission d. Town meeting
d. Town meeting
39. In mayor/council form of government, "Strong" mayors have______powers. a. Budget b. Veto c. Appointment d. All of the above
d. all
42. Which of the following is not a form of local government in the U.S.? a. Counties b. School districts c. Special districts d. All are forms of local government
d. all are forms of local government
13. Voter turnout has.. a. Decreased b. Increased c. Stayed the same
decreased
31. Is the number of people calling themselves democrats increasing or decreasing?
decreasing
Council manager
elected by voters and appoint city manager
Jeffersonian Republicans
o Second political party in US o First to organize to win elections and organize within government o Prototype for modern parties o Ancestor to modern democratic party
Electoral organization-
party activities concerned with appealing to voters and contesting and winning contests for office o Once it has members in office, parties can influence policies to their advantage o Seek to retain large numbers of their members over time
The American Voter
published in 1960 - continues to influence the way we think of mass attitudes and behavior. - studied the 1952 and 1956 presidential elections
a city manager
responsible for hiring and firing department heads and for preparing the budget.
23. Are political parties in decline?
slightly
Legislative organization-
when parties get together to pass laws o Always easier for legislators to defeat bills than pass them o After elections, political parties manage efforts of members within legislature
