pearson education, inc., longman © 2008 elections and voting behavior chapter 10 government in...

Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008

Elections and Voting BehaviorElections and Voting BehaviorChapter 10

Government in America: People, Politics, and PolicyThirteenth AP* Edition

Edwards/Wattenberg/Lineberry


A. How American Elections WorkA. How American Elections Work

1. Three types of elections:– Select party nominees (primary elections)– Select officeholders (general elections)– Select options on specific policies

Referendum: state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve proposed legislation or constitutional amendment

Initiative petition: process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote, given a sufficient number of signatures


Summary and 2 questions


B. A Tale of Three ElectionsB. A Tale of Three Elections

1. 1800: The First Electoral Transition of Power– No primaries, no conventions, no speeches– Newspapers were very partisan.– Campaigns focused not on voters but on state

legislatures who chose electors.– After many votes in the House, the office of the

presidency was transferred to Jefferson peacefully.


2. 1896: A Bitter Fight over Economic Interests– 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.


3. 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.


C. Whether to Vote: A C. Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First ChoiceCitizen’s First Choice

1. Suffrage: the legal right to vote– Extended to African-Americans by the

Fifteenth Amendment– Extended to Women by the Nineteenth

Amendment– Extended to people over 18 years of age by the

Twenty-Sixth Amendment


2. Deciding Whether to Vote– 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


3. Registering To Vote– Voter Registration: a system adopted by the

states that requires voters to register well in advance of the election day

– Registration procedures differ by state.– Motor Voter Act: passed in 1993, requires

states to permit people to register to vote when they apply for their driver’s license


4. Who Votes?– Education: More education = more likely to

vote. Most important factor– Age: Older = more likely to vote– Race: Caucasian = more likely to vote. BUT,

other ethnicities are higher with comparable education

– Gender: Female = more likely to vote


Who Votes? (continued)– Marital Status: Married = more likely to vote– Union Membership: Union member = more

likely to vote– Traits are cumulative - possessing several adds

up


D. How Americans Vote:D. How Americans Vote:Explaining Citizens’ DecisionsExplaining Citizens’ Decisions1. Mandate Theory of Elections

– The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and politics

– Politicians like the theory better than political scientists do.


2. Party Identification– People still generally vote for a party they agree

with.– With the rise of candidate-centered politics,

parties’ hold on voters declined in the 1960s and 1970s.

– Many more voters make an individual voting decision and are up for grabs each election, (so-called floating voters).


3. Candidate Evaluations: How Americans See the Candidates– Candidates want a good visual image.

Especially on dimensions of integrity, reliability, and competence

– Personality plays a role in vote choice, especially if a candidate is perceived to be incompetent or dishonest.


4. 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.



1. Electoral college actually elects the president—founders wanted him chosen by the elite of the country

2. States choose the electorsArticle II Section 1. The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall

hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

Electors are often chosen to recognize service and dedication to their political party. They may be State-elected officials, party leaders, or persons who have a personal or political affiliation with the Presidential candidate.

3. Winner-Take-All system gives bigger emphasis to more populated states

E. Electoral CollegeE. Electoral College


4. How it works today: On Election Day, the voters in each State choose the Electors by casting votes for the

presidential candidate of their choice. The Electors’ names may or may not appear on the ballot below the name of the candidates running for President, depending on the procedure in each State. The winning candidate in each State—except in Nebraska and Maine, which have proportional distribution of the Electors—is awarded all of the State’s Electors. In Nebraska and Maine, the state winner receives two Electors and the winner of each congressional district receives one Elector. This system permits the Electors from Nebraska and Maine to be awarded to more than one candidate.

– 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 AZ List of Electors

– 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.


Video #1 This 7 minute clip discusses the pros and cons of the Electoral College system, as well as

focusing on alternatives, such as the national popular vote, district, and proportional plans.

Video #2 In this 9 minute clip, U.S. Senate Associate Historian Don Ritchie discusses faithless

electors, the district plan, and the pros and cons of the Electoral College with historical examples to help illustrate his points.

Video #3 In this 3 minute clip, Birch Bayh discusses the negative aspects of the Electoral College

and his alternative, the National Popular Vote Plan.


1. How many people voted for Bush? How many people voted for Gore? Bush 50,456,002 47% Gore 50,999,897 2. Who won the popular vote? By how many Votes? Gore by 543,895 votes 3. Which candidate had the most electoral votes? How many more? Bush had 271electoral votes, 5 more than Gore How many states did each win? Bush won 30 and Gore won 20 plus DC 3. Which 10 states had the most Electoral Votes? 1. Ca.=54 (D) 2. NY=33 (D) 3. Tx. 32 (R) 4. Fl.=25 (R) 5. Pa.=23 (D) 6. Il.-22 (D) 7. Oh=21

(R) 8. Mi.=18 (D) 9. NJ.=15 10. NC.=14 (R) Which candidate won the majority of these states? Bush won 4 and Gore won 6 If Gore had won in Florida what would have the count been? Gore 291 and Bush 246

2000 Election2000 Election


1. Swing state- In politics, a "swing state" is a state in which neither party (Republican or Democrat) can claim a decisive historical advantage. For this reason, a "swing state" could vote either way, which makes integral states to campaign in.

Some examples of swing states: Ohio, Florida

2012 Election Scenarios2012 Election Scenarios


F. Understanding Elections F. Understanding Elections and Voting Behaviorand Voting Behavior

1. Democracy and Elections– The greater the policy differences between candidates,

the more likely voters will be able to steer government policy by their choices.

Unlikely—candidates do not always clarify issues positions

– Candidates who vow to continue popular policies are more likely to win elections.

– Retrospective voting: voters cast a vote based on what a candidate has done for them lately

Those who feel worse off are likely to vote against incumbents. Bad economies make politicians nervous.


2. Elections and the Scope of Government– Elections generally support government

policies and power.– Voters feel they are sending a message to

government to accomplish something– Thus, the government expands to fill the needs

of the voters.



SummarySummary

Voters make two basic decisions at election time:– Whether to vote– Who to vote for

Party identification, candidate evaluations, and policy positions drive vote choice.

Elections are fundamental to a democracy.

pearson education, inc., longman © 2008 elections and voting behavior chapter 10 government in...

Documents

state constitution

state legislatures

proposed legislation

democratic government

types of elections

votewho votes

democratic party nomination

american elections work1