Chapter 7- Voting and Elections- Government

25. Which party do women tend to support?

41 percent are likely to identify as Democrats and only 25 percent are likely to identify as Republicans.

66. What strategies do candidates employ in a general election?

By the general election, each party has only one candidate, and campaign ads must accomplish a different goal with different voters. Because most party-affiliated voters will cast a ballot for their party's candidate, the campaigns must try to reach the independent and undecided, as well as try to convince their party members to get out and vote. Some ads will focus on issue and policy positions, comparing the two main party candidates. Other ads will remind party loyalists why it is important to vote. General campaigns also try to get voters to the polls in closely contested states.- Get out the vote; television and other interviews, technology and the internet

69. What is the purpose of a get out the vote campaign? Which groups of voters do campaigns target?

General campaigns also try to get voters in their party to the polls in closely contested states. How do they do this- example- 2004 - Bush recognized it would be difficult to get ohio democrats to vote republican so volunteers walked through precincts and knocked on Republican doors to raise interest in Bush and the election. Volunteers also called Republican and former Republican households to remind them when and where to vote.102 The strategy worked, and it reminded future campaigns that an organized effort to get out the vote is still a viable way to win an election.

57. When does the general election campaign take place?

General election campaign takes place between mid-August and early November.

60. What is the winner-take-all method of distributing electoral votes?

In forty-eight states and the District of Columbia, the candidate who wins the most votes in November receives all the state's electoral votes, and only the electors from that party will vote.

36. What is voter fatigue?

In many states, due to our federal structure with elections at many levels of government, voters may vote many times per year on ballots filled with candidates and issues to research. The less time there is between elections, the lower the turnout.63

61. What is the district method of distributing electoral votes?

In two states, Nebraska and Maine, the electoral votes are divided. The candidate who wins the state gets two electoral votes, but the winner of each congressional district also receives an electoral vote.

46. What are Super PACs?

Independent Expenditure-Only Committees. These organizations cannot contribute directly to a candidate, nor can they strategize with a candidate's campaign. They can, however, raise and spend as much money as they please to support or attack a candidate, including running advertisements and hosting events.

51. Which state is most closely associated with the caucus system?

The Iowa Democratic Caucus is

47. How are candidates nominated for office?

The most common method of picking a party nominee for state, local, and presidential contests is the primary. Party members use a ballot to indicate which candidate they desire for the party nominee.

39. How do candidates for elected office compare with the general population?

Those who seek elected office do not generally reflect the demographics of the general public: They are often disproportionately male, White, and more educated than the overall U.S. population.

24. Do men or women turn out in larger proportions?

Today, more women vote than men. In 2012, 59.7 percent of men and 63.7 percent of women reported voting.

17. Which group is the largest, which is the smallest, among VAP, VEP, and registered voters?

VAP- largest, VEP - middle group - registered voters- smallest

23. How does voter turnout vary based on race/ethnicity?

Whites turn out to vote in the highest numbers, with 63 percent of White citizens voting in 2012. In comparison, 62 percent of African Americans, 31.3 percent of Asian Americans, and 31.8 percent of Hispanic citizens voted in 2012.

83. What is a referendum?

asks citizens to confirm or repeal a decision made by the government. A legislative referendum occurs when a legislature passes a law or a series of constitutional amendments and presents them to the voters to ratify with a yes or no vote.

26. What are reasons for low voter turnout?

being too busy (19 percent) to more complex answers, such as transportation problems (3.3 percent) and restrictive registration laws (5.5 percent). Low turnout also occurs when some citizens are not allowed to vote. One method of limiting voter access is the requirement to show identification at polling places.

71. How has social media changed campaigns?

campaigns moved online and created websites to distribute information. They also began using search engine results to target voters with ads. Candidates also use social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, to interact with supporters and get the attention of younger voters.

13. Are convicted felons allowed to vote?

in some states yes- Mississippi, Nevada, Florida

70. How did the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act affect campaign ads?

included a requirement that candidates stand by their ad and include a recorded statement within the ad stating that they approved the message. Although ads, especially those run by super PACs, continue to be negative, candidates can no longer dodge responsibility for them.

4. How did the enactment of the VRA affect African American registration and voting?

increased registration and voter turnout.....The effects of the VRA were visible almost immediately. In Mississippi, only 6.7 percent of Black people were registered to vote in 1965; however, by the fall of 1967, nearly 60 percent were registered. Alabama experienced similar effects, with African American registration increasing from 19.3 percent to 51.6 percent. Voter turnout across these two states similarly increased. Mississippi

85. What is recall?

it allows voters to decide whether to remove a government official from office. All states have ways to remove officials, but removal by voters is less common. The recall of California Governor Gray Davis in 2003 and his replacement by Arnold Schwarzenegger is perhaps one of the more famous such recalls. The

45. What was the significance of Citizen's United v. Federal Election Commission? On what was the ruling based?

led to the removal of spending limits on corporations. Justices in the majority argued that the BCRA violated a corporation's free speech rights.

19. Are younger or older adults more likely to vote?

older adults are more likely to vote- Census Bureau reported that only 53.6 percent of eligible voters between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four registered and 41.2 percent voted, while 79.7 percent of sixty-five to seventy-four-year-olds registered and 73.5 percent voted.34

32. What is early voting?

opens polling places as much as two weeks early. - addresses another reason for not voting is that polling places may be open only on Election Day. This makes it difficult for voters juggling school, work, and child care during polling hours (Figure 7.10). Many states have tried to address this problem with early voting

40. What are political action committees (PACs)?

organizations created to raise and spend money to influence politics and contribute to candidates' campaigns.

42. What is the Federal Election Campaign Act?

outlined how candidates would report all contributions and expenditures related to their campaigns.

6. What voter registration procedures do states use?

registering when you get drivers license, online registration, some are registered automatically,

68. What are shadow campaigns?

run by political action committees and other organizations without the coordination or guidance of candidates, also use negative ads to reach voters.

52. What is frontloading?

scheduled the majority of the primaries and caucuses at the beginning of the primary season.

5. What steps have some states taken to increase voter registration?

simplified registration laws -try to make it easier to register to vote

43. What is the significance of Buckley v. Valeo?

some portions of the FECA were ruled unconstitutional by the courts in Buckley v. Valeo (1976), such as limits on personal spending on campaigns by candidates not using federal money,

49. What is a top-two primary?

sometimes called a jungle primary, pits all candidates against each other, regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates with the most votes become the final candidates for the general election. Thus, two candidates from the same party could run against each other in the general election.

18. What factors affect voter turnout?

whether they are registered to vote, soci-economic status status—the combination of education, income, and social status, race, gender, and age groups, Those between eighteen and twenty-five are least likely to vote, while those sixty-five to seventy-four are most likely. One reason for lower voter turnout among younger citizens may be that they move frequently. Another reason may be circular: Youth are less active in government and politics, leading the parties to neglect them. When people are neglected, they are in turn less likely to become engaged in government.

38. Why do women tend to wait later in life than men to run for office?

women are more likely than men to wait until their children are older before entering politics, and women say that they struggle to balance campaigning and their workload with parenthood.

14. Can students attending college out of state vote?

yes- by either going home to vote or absentee ballot or registering to vote where they are temporary residents in college

62. What is a midterm election? When do they occur?

The even-numbered years between presidential years, like 2014 and 2018, are reserved for congressional elections—sometimes referred to as midterm elections because they are in the middle of the president's term. Midterm elections are held because all members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the senators come up for reelection every two years.

53. What is the role of party conventions?

1. parties require that the delegates officially cast their ballots. Delegates from each state come to the national party convention to publicly state who their state's voters selected as the nominee. 2. delegates will bring state-level concerns and issues to the national convention for discussion, while local-level delegates bring concerns and issues to state-level conventions. 3. conventions are covered by most news networks and cable programs. This helps the party nominee get positive attention while surrounded by loyal delegates, family members, friends, and colleagues. this positivity often leads to a bump in popularity, so the candidate gets a small increase in favorability.

22. What is the relationship between education and voter turnout?

Among those who have completed college, the 2012 voter turnout rate jumps to 75 percent of eligible voters, compared to about 52.6 percent for those who have completed only high school.37 This is due in part to the powerful effect of education, one of the strongest predictors of voting turnout. Income

73. What is straight-ticket voting?

Citizens also use party identification to make decisions via straight-ticket voting—choosing every Republican or Democratic Party member on the ballot. In

58. What role do debates play in election campaigns?

Debates are an important element of the general election season, allowing voters to see candidates answer questions on policy and prior decisions. While most voters think only of presidential debates, the general election season sees many debates. In a number of states, candidates for governor are expected to participate in televised debates, as are candidates running for the U.S. Senate. Debates not only give voters a chance to hear answers, but also to see how candidates hold up under stress.

63. What is the coattail effect?

During a presidential election year, members of Congress often experience the coattail effect, which gives members of a popular presidential candidate's party an increase in popularity and raises their odds of retaining office.

64. What is EMILY's list? Whom does it support?

EMILY's List, a political action group, was founded on this principle; its name is an acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast" (it makes the dough rise). This group helps progressive women candidates gain early campaign contributions, which in turn helps them get further donations

65. What strategies do candidates employ in primary elections?

First, name recognition is extremely important. Second, visibility is crucial when a candidate is one in a long parade of faces. campaign ads in primary elections rarely mention political parties and instead focus on issue positions or name recognition. Many of the best primary ads help the voters identify issue positions they have in common with the candidate.

81. Is direct democracy available throughout the United States?

Not all states allow direct democracy, nor does the United States government.

21. Which recent presidential candidate inspired young people to go to the polls in greater numbers than before?

In 2008, for the first time since 1972, a presidential candidate intrigued America's youth and persuaded them to flock to the polls in record numbers. Barack Obama not only spoke to young people's concerns but his campaign also connected with them via technology, wielding texts and tweets to bring together a new generation of voters

48. What is the difference between an open primary and a closed primary?

In a closed primary, only members of the political party selecting nominees may vote. A registered Green Party member, for example, is not allowed to vote in the Republican or Democratic primary. Parties prefer this method, because it ensures the nominee is picked by voters who legitimately support the party. An open primary allows all voters to vote. In this system, a Green Party member is allowed to pick either a Democratic or Republican ballot when voting.

78. What is the incumbency advantage?

In congressional and local elections, incumbents win reelection up to 90 percent of the time, a result called the incumbency advantage. incumbents have name recognition and voting records. The media is more likely to interview them because they have advertised their name over several elections and have voted on legislation affecting the state or district. Incumbents also have won election before, which increases the odds that political action committees and interest groups will give them money;

82. In which region or regions of the country is direct democracy more common?

Most states in the western half of the country allow citizens all forms of direct democracy, while most states on the eastern and southern regions allow few or none of these forms. States that joined the United States after the Civil War are more likely to have direct democracy, possibly due to the influence of Progressives during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Progressives believed citizens should be more active in government and democracy, a hallmark of direct democracy.

28. What are Voter ID laws?

One method of limiting voter access is the requirement to show identification at polling places. The impetus for more stringent requirements for voter ID is to prevent voter fraud, such as someone voting multiple times or someone voting who does not meet the requirements to be a voter in that state; The downside of stricter voter ID laws is that they impact particular groups more so than others. Minority groups and the elderly, for example, see turnout numbers dampened when voter ID requirements become more rigorous.

72. How do voters decide?

One popular shortcut is simply to vote using party affiliation. Voters make decisions based upon candidates' physical characteristics, such as attractiveness or facial features.105 They may also vote based on gender or race, because they assume the elected official will make policy decisions based on a demographic shared with the voters. voters will also look at issues or the economy when making a decision. For some single-issue voters, a candidate's stance on abortion rights will be a major factor, while other voters may look at the candidates' beliefs on the Second Amendment and gun control. Retrospective voting occurs when the voter looks at the candidate's past actions and the past economic climate and makes a decision only using these factors. In some cases, a voter may cast a ballot strategically. One other way voters make decisions is through incumbency. In essence, this is retrospective voting, but it requires little of the voter.

27. Is voting mandatory in the United States? Is it in some other countries? Which countries?

One prominent reason for low national turnout is that participation is not mandated. Some countries, such as Belgium and Turkey, have compulsory voting laws, which require citizens to vote in elections or pay a fine. This helps the two countries attain VAP turnouts of 87 percent and 86 percent, respectively, compared to the U.S. turnout of 54 percent. Sweden and Germany automatically register their voters, and 83 percent and 66 percent vote, respectively. Chile's decision to move from compulsory voting to voluntary voting caused a drop in participation from 87 percent to 46 percent.46

7. How does Oregon make it easier to register to vote?

Oregon has few requirements for registering and registers many of its voters automatically. When citizens turn eighteen, the state now automatically registers most of them using driver's license and state identification information.

33. What is mail voting?

Oregon, Colorado, and Washington have moved to a mail-only voting system in which there are no polling locations, only mailed ballots. These states have seen a rise in turnout, with Colorado's numbers increasing from 1.8 million votes in the 2010 congressional elections to 2 million votes in the 2014 congressional elections.58

67. With which presidential candidate was the "Daisy Girl" ad associated?

President Lyndon B. Johnson used the infamous "Daisy Girl" ad, which cut from a little girl counting daisy petals to an atomic bomb being dropped, to explain why voters needed to turn out and vote for him. If the voters stayed home, Johnson implied, his opponent, Republican Barry Goldwater, might start an atomic war.

3. How did Shelby v. Holder affect the VRA?

Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, threw out the standards and process of the VRA, effectively gutting the landmark legislation.8 This decision effectively pushed decision-making and discretion for election policy in VRA states to the state and local level. Several such states subsequently made changes to their voter ID laws and North Carolina changed its plans for how many polling places were available in certain areas. The extent to which such changes will violate equal protection is unknown in advance, but such changes often do not have a neutral effect.

35. What is a chronic minority?

Some people avoid voting because their vote is unlikely to make a difference or the election is not competitive. If one party has a clear majority in a state or district, for instance, members of the minority party may see no reason to vote. there is little incentive for some citizens to vote: they will never change the outcome of the state-level election. These citizens, as well as those who vote for third parties like the Green Party or the Libertarian Party,

50. What is a caucus?

a meeting of party members in which nominees are selected informally. Caucuses are less expensive than primaries because they rely on voting methods such as dropping marbles in a jar, placing names in a hat, standing under a sign bearing the candidate's name, or taking a voice vote. Volunteers record the votes and no poll workers need to be trained or compensated.

77. What is strategic voting?

a person may vote for a second- or third-choice candidate, either because his or her preferred candidate cannot win or in the hope of preventing another candidate from winning. This type of voting is likely to happen when there are multiple candidates for one position or multiple parties running for one seat.

11. What are the minimum voter registration requirements in every state?

a person must be a citizen, resident, and eighteen years old.

20. What is Rock the Vote?

activity. Rock the Vote began in 1990, with the goal of bringing music, art, and pop culture together to encourage the youth to participate in government. The organization hosts rallies, festivals, and concerts that also register voters and promote voter awareness, bringing celebrities and musicians to set examples of civic involvement. Rock the Vote also maintains a website that helps young adults find out how to register in their state.

1. What is the purpose of voter registration?

allows governments to determine which citizens are allowed to vote and, in some cases, from which list of candidates they may select a party nominee.

79. What is the franking privilege?

allows incumbents a limited amount of free mail to communicate with the voters in their district. While these mailings may not be sent in the days leading up to an election—sixty days for a senator and ninety days for a House member—congressional representatives are able to build a free relationship with voters through them.

44. What was the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act?

also referred to as the McCain-Feingold Act. McCain-Feingold restricts the amount of money given to political parties, which had become a way for companies and PACs to exert influence. It placed limits on total contributions to political parties, prohibited coordination between candidates and PAC campaigns, and required candidates to include personal endorsements on their political ads. It also limited advertisements run by unions and corporations thirty days before a primary election and sixty days before a general election.

30. What is the significance of Shelby County v. Holder?

arguing the Voting Rights Act's preclearance list was unconstitutional and that the formula that determined whether states had violated the VRA was outdated. In Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the Supreme Court agreed. In a 5-4 decision, the justices in the majority said the formula for placing states on the VRA preclearance list was outdated and reached into the states' authority to oversee elections.52 States and counties on the preclearance list were released, and Congress was told to design new guidelines for placing states on the list.

31. According to studies, which groups are most impacted by Voter ID laws?

citizens aged 18-24, Hispanics, and those without a college education from voting. households with yearly incomes under $25,000 said they did not have an ID that would be considered valid for voting.

16. What is the voting-eligible population (VEP)?

citizens eighteen and older who, whether they have registered or not, are eligible to vote because they are citizens, mentally competent, and not imprisoned. If a state has more stringent requirements, such as not having a felony conviction, citizens counted in the VEP must meet those criteria as well.

37. What factors do potential candidates consider when deciding to run for office?

competitors, family obligations, and the likelihood of drawing financial backing. His or her spouse, children, work history, health, financial history, and business dealings also become part of the media's focus, along with many other personal details about the past. Candidates

15. What is the voting-age population (VAP)?

consists of persons who are eighteen and older. Some of these persons may not be eligible to vote in their state, but they are included because they are of age to do so.

54. When does it usually become clear who a party's nominee for president will be?

during the national convention

9. What is the National Voter Registration Act (Motor Voter)? What was its purpose? What impact on turnout did it have?

enacted to expedite the registration process and make it as simple as possible for voters. The act required states to allow citizens to register to vote when they sign up for driver's licenses and Social Security benefits. On each government form, the citizen need only mark an additional box to also register to vote. Unfortunately, while increasing registrations by 7 percent between 1992 and 2012, Motor Voter did not dramatically increase voter turnout.

8. What is a residency requirement?

establishes how long a citizen must live in a state before becoming eligible to register: it is often thirty days.

80. What is direct democracy?

occurs when policy questions go directly to the voters for a decision. These decisions include funding, budgets, candidate removal, candidate approval, policy changes, and constitutional amendments.

74. What is ballot fatigue?

occurs when someone votes only for the top or important ballot positions, such as president or governor, and stops voting rather than continue to the bottom of a long ballot.

76. What is pocketbook voting?

occurs when the voter looks at his or her personal finances and circumstances to decide how to vote. Someone having a harder time finding employment or seeing investments suffer during a particular candidate or party's control of government will vote for a different candidate or party than the incumbent.

75. What is retrospective voting?

occurs when the voter looks at the candidate's past actions and the past economic climate and makes a decision only using these factors.

56. What is a party platform?

platform, issues important to the party and party delegates

41. What was the Tillman Act?

prohibited corporations from contributing money to candidates running in federal elections

84. What is initiative?

proposition. An initiative is normally a law or constitutional amendment proposed and passed by the citizens of a state. Initiatives completely bypass the legislatures and governor, but they are subject to review by the state courts if they are not consistent with the state or national constitution. The process to pass an initiative is not easy and varies from state to state.

2. What was the significance of the Voting Rights Act (VRA)?

protected the rights of minority voters by prohibiting state laws that denied voting rights based on race. The VRA gave the attorney general of the United States authority to order federal examiners to areas with a history of discrimination. These examiners had the power to oversee and monitor voter registration and elections.

12. How do voter requirements vary from state to state?

states often place additional requirements on the right to vote. The most common requirement is that voters must be mentally competent and not currently serving time in jail. Some states enforce more stringent or unusual requirements on citizens who have committed crimes. Florida and Kentucky permanently bar felons and ex-felons from voting unless they obtain a pardon from the governor, while Mississippi and Nevada allow former felons to apply to have their voting rights restored.24 On the other end of the spectrum, Vermont does not limit voting based on incarceration unless the crime was election fraud.25 Maine citizens serving in Maine prisons also may vote in elections. Beyond those jailed, some citizens have additional expectations placed on them when they register to vote. Wisconsin requires that voters "not wager on an election," and Vermont citizens must recite the "Voter's Oath" before they register, swearing to cast votes with a conscience and "without fear or favor of any person."26

29. What is the significance of Crawford v. Marion County Election Board?

the Supreme Court decided that Indiana's voter identification requirement was constitutional, although the decision left open the possibility that another case might meet the burden of proof required to overturn the law.

59. What is the Electoral College and how does it work?

the constitutionally created group of individuals, chosen by the states, with the responsibility of formally selecting the next U.S. president. The number of Electoral College votes granted to each state equals the total number of representatives and senators that state has in the U.S. Congress or, in the case of Washington, DC, as many electors as it would have if it were a state. The number of representatives may fluctuate based on state population, which is determined every ten years by the U.S. Census, mandated by Article I, Section 2, of the Constitution. For the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, there are a total of 538 electors in the Electoral College, and a majority of 270 electoral votes is required to win the presidency. Once the electoral votes have been read by the president of the Senate (i.e., the vice president of the United States) during a special joint session of Congress in January, the presidential candidate who received the majority of electoral votes is officially named president. Should a tie occur, the sitting House of Representatives elects the president, with each state receiving one vote. While

55. In practice, who selects the party's vice-presidential candidate?

the party's presidential candidate/ nominee

34. What are arguments against early voting and mail voting?

those who vote early cannot change their minds during the final days of the campaign, such as in response to an "October surprise," a highly negative story about a candidate that leaks right before Election Day in November. (For

10. What was the purpose of the Help America Vote Act (2002)?

to reform voting across the states and reduce voters on the registration that had moved or died. As part of the Act, states were required to update voting equipment, make voting more accessible to the disabled, and maintain computerized voter rolls that could be updated regularly.18