VOTING AND ELECTIONS

Elections and Democracy

Democratic controlElections are essential for democratic

politics.Elections are the principal means by

which popular sovereignty and majority rule are supposed to work.

Can elections ensure that governments will do what the people want?

Purpose of Elections

Political Participation

Political participation refers to political activity by individual citizens.Unconventional participation —

includes activities such as demonstrations and boycotts

Conventional participation — includes activities such as voting, writing letters, contacting officials, giving money

Expansion of the franchiseThe franchise was quite restricted in

the early years of the United States.The expansion of the right to vote

has been one of the most important developments in the political history of the United States.

Direct partisan elections

The vanishing electorateSuffrage expanded to more groups

during the first century of American history, and larger and larger proportions voted.

Voter turnout rate in the U.S. is very low compared with other modern industrialized countries.

The ideal of political equality is violated by low rates of voter turnout.

Barriers to Voting

Causes of low voter turnoutRegistration Eligibility rules Cal. (illegal – under 18,

noncitizen,state resident requirements, non prisoners/parolees, non legally insane)

Alienation and apathy about politics that many Americans felt after the 1960s

California Registration

The deadline November 5, 2002 General Election is October 21, 2002. Register criteria: 1. United States citizen 2. resident of California 3. at least 18 years of age (or by next election date)

4. not in prison or on parole for conviction of a felony 5. not been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent to register and vote

You will need to re-register when

You move; You change your name; change your political party affiliation: Fill-out a Voter Registration Form Online We recommend you use this service at least one month prior to election day to avoid missing your opportunity to vote due to postal delays.

Campaigning Involvement

Despite low voter turnout levels, Americans are more likely than people in other countries to participate actively in campaigns.

Areas of involvementContact officialsGive money Attend meetingsAttend political ralliesWork actively in a campaign organization

Who Participates?

Characteristics of voters and nonvotersThere is class bias in voting and other

forms of political participation.Some statistical analyses indicate that

the crucial factor in voter turnout is the level of formal education.

Income level may be more important than education in affecting who actually votes.

Does It Matter Who Votes?

Two contrasting points of viewThe rate of participation is unimportant because

the preferences of those who vote are similar to those who do not vote.

A low voter turnout rate may be a positive factor since more educated people vote.

Nonvoters are clearly different from voters.How participation can make a changeBroader participation would increase

popular sovereignty and political equality.

Types of Elections

Primary election – direct partisan elections where voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party’s ticket in the general election

Closed primaries – party registered voters to cast a ballot

Open primaries – allows independents to vote

Blanket primaries – voters casts ballots in either party’s primary (but not both) on an office –by- office basis

Runoff primary – a second primary election among candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the first primary

Nonpartisan primary – done in California’s local elections

General Elections – voters decide which candidate will fill public office

Elections & voters making Laws

Applies to Cal. & around 17 other States (famous proposition #s-13, 5, 215)

Initiative – voters propose legislation to be place on the state ballot

Referendum – allows a legislative statute from taking effect.

Recall – allows voters to remove elected officials from state or local office between elections.

The Initiative Mess

Ballot measure represent big $New policy entrepreneurs can emergeCampaigns increasingly rely on televisionElected official employ the initiativeLocal gov’t workload increaseses after

passage

Purpose of Campaigns

Campaigning for Office

Contending for a presidential nominationPrimaries and caucusesMomentumHow to win — factors that affect

candidates’ success in gaining delegate support

National conventions

Nomination Politics and Democracy

“However, the crucial role of party activists and money givers in selecting candidates means that nominees and their policy stands are chosen partly to appeal to party elites and financial contributors, rather than to ordinary voter.”

Money and Elections

Presidential campaigns cost enormous amounts of money.

The cost has increased rapidly over time.

The source of campaign money is far more problematic for democracy than the cost of presidential elections.Where does the money come from?Does money talk?

How Voters Decide

The way in which people make their voting decisions affects how elections contribute to democratic control of government.

Parties, candidates, and issues all have substantial effects on how people vote.

Social characteristics and party loyaltiesCandidatesIssues

The Electoral College

When voting for president, American voters are actually voting for a slate of electors who have promised to support the candidate. Consequences of the electoral college system

Magnifies the popular support for winners

May let the less popular candidate winIt discourages third parties

How does it work?

Electors are allocated to the states based on their representation in Congress - one elector for each of the two Senators, one for each representative. For the decade of the 1990's, California has 54 electoral votes.

On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, the electors representing the party whose presidential slate garnered the most votes assemble in the Senate Chambers of the State Capitol at 2:00 p.m. to cast their votes, voting separate ballots for President and Vice President. The results are sealed and delivered to the Secretary of the United States Senate; the Senate tallies the states' votes and officially declares the President.

Electors are paid $10 plus mileage (5¢ per mile) for the round trip from their homes to the Capitol. Arrangements for the college meeting are handled through the Governor's office.

All states but Maine and Nebraska have a winner-take-all system for electors; in those two states electoral votes are awarded proportionately. US Senate historian indicates one California instance of "faithless electors" -- one who voted for Wm. Jennings Bryan when the state went for Wm. McKinley (1900).

What happens if the electoral vote is a tie?

The House of Representatives makes the decision with each state having one vote. Representatives of at least two-thirds of the states must be present for the vote. If they cannot decide by March 4, then the Vice President becomes President and the person receiving the largest number of Vice President votes becomes Vice President.

How are electors chosen?

Each party determines its own method for selecting electors. In the Democratic Party, each congressional nominee and each US Senate nominee (determined by the last two elections) designates one elector whose names are filed with Secretary of State by October 1 of the presidential election year.

In the Republican Party, the nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, controller, attorney general, secretary of state, United States Senators (again, going back two elections) the Senate and Assembly Republican leaders, all elected officers of the Republican state central committee, the national committeeman and committeewoman, the president of the Republican county central committee chairmen's organization and the chair or president of each Republican volunteer organization officially recognized by the state central committee act as electors.

No incumbent Senators, congressional representatives or persons holding an office of trust or profit of the US can serve as electors. American Independent electors are selected at the party's nominating convention, as are those of the Libertarian, Natural Law, and Reform parties, who further specify a 50/50 ratio of men and women.

For more information, you may want to look at the following sites: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) This site provides answers to frequently asked questions on the electoral college. Santa Cruz County Elections Department - What is the Electoral college? This site provides information on the origins of the electoral college, the pros and cons of the electoral college and the rules that govern the electoral college today.

Do Elections Matter?

In terms of the responsible party government theory...Republicans tend to be more

conservative than Democrats on a number of economic and social issues.

This provides voters with a measure of democratic control by enabling them to detect differences and make choices.

Voters exercise control in the electoral competition theory by either reelecting successful incumbents or defeating unsuccessful officeholders.

Elections force parties to compete by nominating centrist candidates and by taking similar popular positions.

U.S. elections help make the public’s voice heard, but political equality is damaged by providing more political influence to some types of people than to others.