Test 3 Ch. 11
What is public financing of elections, and why is it controversial?
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What do candidates spend money on?
>"Half the money spent on campaigns is wasted" >The largest expense is advertising; only a small proportion of spending goes for traditional campaigning- speeches, rallies, soliciting votes door-to-door, and shaking hands at the factory gate. >A large share of congressional campaign funds pays for expenses not directly connected to reaching voters. One study found that nearly a quarter of the money spent went into overhead- staff salaries, office and furniture rental, computers and other equipment, telephone calls, travel, legal and accounting services, and the like.
Who votes and why?
>Age and education have a strong influence on voting. African Americans and Hispanics are less likely to vote, as are people who live in southern states or states bordering the South. People with deeper roots in their communities (long-time residents, homeowners, church members, and people with jobs) are more likely to go to the polls, as are individuals with greater confidence in their own ability to understand and engage in politics (internal efficacy) and in their ability to influence the decisions of government (external efficacy). Turnout also is higher among people with strong partisan views and electoral preferences and those who live in areas with active parties and competitive campaigns. Turnout is also higher where legal barriers to registration are lower. The voting rates for men and women are about equal and those cynical or less trusting of government does not have an impact of voter turnout. One derives personal satisfaction from going to the polls. >Voting incurs costs but produces benefits and those with a greater psychological stake receive greater benefits. Those with money, education, experience, free time, and self-confidence are more likely to vote
What is the Motor Voter Law? Why is it important?
>Also known as the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Enacted over Republican opposition, the law requires states to allow citizens to register to vote when applying for or renewing their drivers' licenses, to register by mail, or to receive mail registration forms and assistance in filling them out at state welfare offices. It also forbids states to purge voters from the rolls for failing to vote. The purpose of this bill is to increase turnout by making registration easy- in other words, by reducing the cost to the citizens. >This law added millions to the voter rolls, and analysts suggest that it has the potential to increase turnout by as much as 10% points.
What are the basic components of a campaign?
>Common features found throughout competitive campaigns: Candidate, Message, Way to inform voters about both. >Role of public image, media scrutiny, importance of debates, negative campaigning.
What is campaign finance reform? What were the major laws and court cases surrounding this? (We will not cover this in class so read carefully and post questions on the board if you have them.)
>Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, extensively amended in 1974- partial public funding of presidential campaigns. >The story of how campaign reform led to the flood of "soft money" in presidential election campaigns, and how reforms aimed at stemming the flood merely rechanneled it, exemplify the partisan conflicts, dilemmas, and unanticipated consequences that vex campaign finance policy. >With their party in debt after the 1968 election, congressional Democrats embraced reform proposals that would limit campaign spending and finance presidential campaigns with public funds. Republican opposition to these reforms collapsed in the wake of the Watergate scandal, in which campaign finance abuses had figured prominently. After Nixon resigned in August 1974 to avoid impeachment, his successor, Gerald Ford, who like Nixon opposed public financing of campaigns, reluctantly agreed to sign the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) amendments, conceding that "the times demand this legislation". >FECA provided partial public funding for presidential campaigns and required full public reporting of and strict limits on all contributions and expenditures in federal election. >In Buckly vs. Valeo (1976), the supreme court upheld the reporting requirements and contribution limits (to prevent "corruption or the appearance of corruption") but rejected spending limits on the ground that they interfered with political speech protected by the 1st Amendment. Presidential candidates, however, could be required to abide by spending limits as a condition of receiving public funds for their campaigns. Also in this case, the court overturned, again on 1st Amendment grounds, ceilings on how much of their own money candidates could spend on their campaigns and on how much anyone could spend to agitate for or against candidates independently of candidates' campaigns. >The Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002- prohibits parties from raising or spending soft party money for federal candidates. Emergence of 527 committees (named after the section of the tax code dealing with them) and 501© committees ("charitable" groups under the tax code who can finance campaigns if they maintain the fiction that they are merely informing voters, not advocating the election or defeat of particular candidates).
Open seat
A seat in a state or district being contested by candidates, none of whom currently holds the office. Congressional seats become "open" when the incumbent dies or does not run for reelection.
What is suffrage and how did it expand over the course of U.S. history? Make sure to know the important groups affected and the approximate time in which it took place, particularly amendments or laws associated with these expansions. (Big answer! You need to cover it all.)
>Suffrage means voting. It started with the first settlers from England, who imposed property qualification for voting, and many denied the franchise to Catholics, Jews, Native Americans, and freed black slaves; women were rarely allowed to vote. >Universal suffrage for white men was achieved in the 1840s with the wake of the triumph of Jacksonian democracy; the argument for political equality implicit in the Dec. of Ind. Gradually swayed opinions, and opposition to universal male suffrage became a political liability- the more democratic the electorate, the more politically suicidal it was to oppose more democracy. >The 15th Amendment granted the right to vote to African American men; suffrage for blacks was not universal until the Voting Rights Act in 1965 (ch. 4). >Western territories were first to grant women the right to vote and southern Democrats held out to the bitter end; the 19th Amendment, 1920, guaranteed women everywhere the right to vote. >The 26th Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age of citizens to 18 years of age- this was provoked by the Vietnam War- if one can die for his/her country, one should be able to have a voice in the nation he/her is defending.
What is negative campaigning?
>The act of attacking an opposing candidate's platform, past political performance, or personal characteristics. >Negative ads exploit voters' uncertainty inherent in the delegation of authority to powerful agents. Research suggests that negative ads do inform people about the candidates but also make them less enthusiastic about voting for any particular candidate.
What factors (both individual and institutional) are likely to increase turnout? Decrease turnout?
>The more onerous the registration requirement, the higher is the cost of voting. Southerners are less likely to vote than are Americans who reside elsewhere. Social connections create personal incentives to participate when, for example, coworkers take note of the "I voted" sticker. Often, people participate because they are asked, which politicians take note of. >Wealthy, well-educated, older white people are overrepresented and the poor, uneducated, young, and nonwhite are underrepresented. Reasons for this are: unequal resources and people with social advantages are more likely to be mobilized by parties, interest groups, and campaign organizations. Political leaders deploy their scarce resources efficiently, targeting the people like themselves (educated and relatively affluent), people already organized and identified by membership in voluntary associations, and people whose social characteristics already incline them to participate.
Party label
A label carrying the party's "brand name" incorporating the policy positions and past performance voters attribute to it.
Candidate
A person who is running for elected office.
How do voters decide how they are going to vote?
A voter has to choose the standards for "better" and "relevant" and then determine which candidate best meets the standards. These choices are made under conditions of considerable uncertainty, and because the likelihood of casting a decisive vote is so tiny, people find it makes little sense to put much effort into acquiring information that might reduce uncertainty. >Gather information to reduce uncertainty by: >>Cues and shortcuts-Opinion leaders, personal characteristics of the candidate, party label, fee information (news media). >>Assessing past performance (Retrospective)-Evaluating incumbents, role of the economy (utilize direct experience/experience of others via the media. >>Comparing future policy options (Prospective)-Focus on issues(but which ones dominate?), Depends(Single-issue voters versus those who make decisions based on bundles of issues).
Party identification
An individual's enduring affective or instrumental attachment to one of the political parties; the most accurate single predictor of voting behavior.
What is party identification and why is it important?
An individual's enduring affective or instrumental attachment to one of the political parties; the most accurate single predictor of voting behavior. It is a central focus of modern electoral research. It has proven to be a strong predictor of the vote in any election in which candidates run under party labels. The best single predictor of the vote in federal elections; a central focus of modern electoral research.
What is issue voting?
Basing votes for a candidate or party by comparing the future policy options they represent and by the positions they take on issues.
Performance voting
Basing votes for a candidate or party on how successfully the candidate or party performed while in office.
What is performance voting?
Basing votes for a candidate or party on how successfully the candidate or party performed while in office. "In-party"-when one thinks the government is performing well. Voting for the "outs" when one thinks the party in charge is performing poorly.
Independent spending
Campaign spending-by a person or organization for or against a political candidate-that is not controlled by or coordinated with any candidate's campaign.
In presidential elections, what is the strategy for allocating campaign money?
Congressional candidates tap four basic sources for funds: >Individuals-tend to favor winners. >Political action committees. >Their own pocketbooks. >Party organizations-coordinated expenditures and independent expenditures.
Message mobilization
In a political campaign, the central thematic statement of why voters ought to prefer one candidate over the others.
Soft money
Money used by political parties for voters registration, public education, and voter mobilization. Until 2002, when Congress passed legislation outlawing soft money, the government had imposed no limits on contributions or expenditures for such purposes.
Single-issue voters
People who base their votes on candidates' or parties' positions on one particular issue of public policy, regardless, or the candidates' or parties' positions on other issues.
Coordinated spending
Spending by the Democratic and Republican Party committees on behalf of individual congressional candidates.
Access
The ability of privileged outsiders, such as interest group representatives, to obtain a hearing from elected officials or bureaucrats.
Negative campaigning
The act of attacking an opposing candidate's platform, past political performance, or personal characteristics.
Suffrage
To vote.
Issue voting
Voting for candidates based on their positions on specific issues, as opposed to their party or personal characteristics.
When might a potential candidate decide NOT to run for office?
When national conditions are not favorable to their side- if the president has a lot of support and is doing a good job and he is a member of the opposing party, one may decide not to run because when numerous people are supporters of the president and his party, they are less likely to vote for an opposing party member; if they do not think they are likely to succeed.
What is soft money?
to preserve a role for local parties and grassroots activists in presidential campaigns, Congress in 1979 amended FECA to permit state and local parties to spend money on party building, voter registration, and get-out-the-vote activities. No limits were placed on contributions or expenditures for these purposes, and, until the law was amended again in 1988, the sums involved did not even have to be reported to the Federal Election Commission. These funds were nicknamed "soft money" to distinguish them from the tightly regulated "hard money" governed by the public funding system.
