government

Caucuses

A caucus is a meeting or gathering of members of a political party where members deliberate and choose from a list of those seeking the presidential nomination.

Open Primary

A primary election in which any voter can cast a ballot in any party's primary. Voters decide on election day to vote either in the Democratic primary OR the Republican primary

Voting Timeline

Colonial Times and Early Republic - Only white males who owned property voted 1850 - All white males voted 1870 - Black males given the right to vote 1920 - Women given the right to vote 1960s - Black males and females vote in large numbers (civil rights legislation) 1971 - 18 year olds given the right to vote

Education

Political activism increases with education levels. College graduates are more likely to vote than are those who have at most a high school diploma.

Gender

Since 1980, women are more likely to vote for Democrats. The gender gap has been more prominent in the 1980s and 1990s than it was in the 1970s.

Age

Americans over the age of 65 are as, or more, likely to vote than are members of other age groups because they believe that they have a personal stake in governmental policy.When 18 to 21 year olds received the right to vote in 1971, in the 1972 national elections they turned out at a lower rate than the rest of the electorate. Four factors that contribute to lower voting rates among Americans in the 18-to-25 age bracket: College attendance in a state other than one's home state Frequent relocation of one's primary residence The remoteness of most political issues to the daily lives of young people Military service

The Supreme Court and Soft Money

Buckley v. Valeo - The Supreme Court ruled that limiting campaign contributions violates the right to free speech.

List four reasons why the electoral college has not been abolished.

History and tradition Would require a constitutional amendment No clear consensus on an alternative The electoral college collectively benefits small states. (more representation per electoral vote)

Front-loading

In the past decade many states have moved forward the date of their presidential primary elections or caucuses in an effort to increase the significance of their election results. This is called front-loading. A significant trend in the presidential nominating process over the past three decades is the increasing importance of presidential primaries rather than state conventions.

Why do some members of Congress defend the use of soft money?

Incumbents always receive the vast majority of all campaign contributions. Soft money contributions strengthen their reelection chances.

The Electoral College

Method used to choose the President and Vice President. (Article II, Section I) Number of electoral votes of a state = congressional delegation (Representatives + Senators) 538 total electoral votes 100 Senators 435 Representatives 3 electors from Washington D.C. (23rd Amendment) A presidential candidate must win a majority of the electoral vote to be elected president. (270 electoral votes) If no presidential candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives selects the president among the top three candidates. (1800 and 1824) Each state gets one vote. The results of electoral college voting tend to distort the winner's margin of victory, when compared with the popular vote for president. The rules governing the electoral college make it especially important for presidential candidates to concentrate their campaigns efforts on "battleground" states and on the states with the largest populations. The electoral college uses the winner-take-all feature.

Campaign Finance and Soft Money

Public money is used to help finance presidential campaigns. TAX FORM Congressional and gubernatorial campaigns do NOT use public money.

. Factors that have contributed to the overall decline in turnout in federal elections.

Registration requirements (you must be registered to vote 30 days before the election; "motor voter" laws are designed to increase voter registration) Weak party affiliation (dealignment) Weekday elections (people work and have things to do) A more mobile population (a lot people move or go to colleges in different states and forget to register to vote) Cynicism (all the candidates are bad) Apathy (don't care) Frequency of elections at the state and local level (one of the weaknesses of federalism) Lost sense of political efficacy (political efficacy is the belief that one can make a difference in politics by expressing an opinion and acting politically)

Primary Elections

Republican Party rules permit winner-take-all primaries. The Democratic Party uses super delegates in the presidential nominating process.

List and explain three ways in which the winner-take-all feature of the electoral college affects how presidential candidates from the two major parties run their campaigns.

Resource allocation = Focus on competitive states, swing states, and large states Issues = An issue may swing a bloc of voters in a state Choice of Vice President = Regional balance

What is soft money?

Soft money = Unregulated money that is funneled by individuals and political committees through state and local political parties. Corporations and unions are prohibited by law from donating directly to candidates, but they may make unlimited soft-money contributions. Soft money contributions are supposed to be used for general purposes: Get-out-the vote campaigns Voter registration drives Running the party headquarters Campaign propaganda that relates to the party

Why do some members of Congress argue for limiting soft money?

Some members of Congress worry about the corrupting influence of soft money.

The Conventions

The convention officially nominates the presidential and vice presidential candidates for the party. Successful candidates for the Republican presidential nomination tend to more conservative than rank-and-file (ordinary) Republicans because party activists, whose political participation is disproportionate to their numbers, tend to be very conservative.

Voter Turnout

The majority of the electorate does NOT vote in most elections. The framers of the United States Constitution left decisions on voting eligibility to the individual states.

All of the following can be considered true about the impact of a higher level of education on voting habits:

The more likely the voters are to support government-enforced racial and sexual equality. The more likely the voters are to support environmental protection efforts. The less likely the voters are to support restrictions on abortion rights. The more likely the voters are to promote civil liberties.

Describe the winner-take-all feature of the electoral college.

The presidential candidate with the most votes in a state will receive all the electoral votes for that state. The winning candidate does not need to have a majority of the votes to win the state, just the most votes. When a candidate wins a state with the most votes but does not have a majority, it is called a plurality.

The General Election

The presidential nominees from each political party face each other in the general election in November. Partisan identification is the most important influence on voters in presidential elections. Critical elections: Most closely associated with party realignment. Typically occur when groups of voters have changed their traditional patterns of party loyalties. The president is NOT elected directly by registered voters. The president is elected by electors in the electoral college.

closed primary

Voters are required to identify a party preference before the primary election and are not allowed to split their ticket. Effect = Because independents in many states are not allowed to participate in primary elections, many independents register as either Republicans or Democrats.

Four factors that have reduced a presidential candidate's reliance on his political party.

Voters no longer identify with political parties as strongly as they once did. Campaign finance legislation limits the amount of money parties can contribute to their candidates. Recent developments in polling and market research have made it easier for individual candidates to track public opinion. To publicize their names and messages, candidates can now use television to bypass their parties. Since 1972, voters in presidential elections have become more focused on individual candidates.

Race and Ethnicity

Whites (56%) are more likely to vote than blacks (51%) In areas with significant populations of linguistic minorities, voting materials must be made available in the preferred languages of the population.

Obstacles for Third Party Candidates Running for President

Winner-take-all aspect of the electoral college A vote for a third party candidate is viewed as a wasted vote. Difficult ballot access Third party candidates must get thousands of signatures to appear on the ballot for each state. No federal funding of presidential campaigns Third parties must have at least 5% of the popular vote in the previous presidential election to receive federal funding. Exclusion from presidential debates A third party candidate rarely appears in presidential debates because debates are controlled by the two major parties.