Unit 5 - Electoral college and media

rational choice voting behavior

Citizens vote for candidates based on the belief that that candidate’s policies will directly benefit them

retrospective voting behavior

Choosing whether to vote for a candidate based on the merits of their past performance in the office

prospective voting behavior

Voting for a candidate based on your expectations of how they will perform in the office

party-line voting behavior

Voting strictly for candidates based on party affiliation, regardless of individual policy preferences

Describe how voter registration laws and procedures is an example of federalism and how they can serve as a barrier

Different states have different voter registration laws. This opens the door for certain levels

of discrimination depending on how easy or hard states make it for voters to register

how election type can impact voter turnout

Voters tend to turn out in higher numbers for presidential election years than mid-term congressional elections. It shows that many voters place more emphasis on the president than congress

demographic characteristics of a voter

Any person who is of a minority party in their state, or district of a state may choose to not vote because of single-member-districts (SMD) in congress, and the Winner-Take-All system of the electoral college.

political efficacy

The level to which voters believe that they are able to enact change in their government through participating in the political process.

interest group and how are they different than a political party

Interest Groups are focused on a single issue or narrow band of issues, while political parties encompass a wide range of issues. Interest groups don’t have enough individual support in voter numbers to get members elected to office, so they are more interested in finding ways to persuade current politicians to vote on bills in their group’s interest.

how interest groups provide education

use money to make TV commercials, internet ads, and banners, and other forms of media to educate the public on the merits of their issue. They also hire lobbyists to pitch their ideas to congressmen, looking for support for their interests. This can sometimes lead to corruption when congressmen are tempted by interest group money support over the merits of their cause

lobbying

first amendment right to petition makes lobbying legal. Unfortunately corruption can become rampant when interest groups use money and favors to influence politicians. Iron Triangle

political action committee (PAC)

Financial organizations made up of one or more interest groups, corporations, or non-profits that pool money to support a specific candidate’s election. FEC enforces strict limitations on amount of donations.

how interest groups use litigation

They bring up lawsuits against groups they oppose to further their own interests. They try to invalidate competing interests by accusing their actions to be illegal or unconstitutional.

iron triangle

lawmakers are influenced by interest groups in making policy, in turn, the bureaucracy enforces policy in a way that benefits the interest group in return for approved funding from the lawmakers when creating a federal budget. It is called an iron triangle because it blocks average American citizens from feeling they have real influence in policy

issue network

Multiple interest groups with shared interests organize to influence policy. ex.) forming a PAC.

interest group’s impact on policy

Some interest groups bring solutions or genuine policy proposals that benefit all or most Americans positively. Potential problems arise when they use money and influence to promote themselves over the interests of most Americans, by buying the favor of politicians through campaign financing.

interest group’s money

The more money that an interest group has at its disposal, the more ability it has to influence politicians by funding their campaigns. This has a direct effect on policy making. This can be monetary resources, as well as social connections and networking influences.

incumbency advantage

when a politician running for another term for an office they already hold has an advantage because of name recognition, as well as personal benefits from holding the office that make it easier for them to campaign.

open primary

a party allows anyone in the state, regardless of party membership, to vote in their state’s primary elections

closed primary

a political party only allows registered members of their states party to vote in their primaries

purpose of the presidential primary/caucus

national party organization is seeking a candidate to represent their party in a presidential general election.

purpose behind the national convention

serves to officially name the party’s candidate and also unite the party behind the candidate. Many influential people make speeches and endorse the candidate to help unite the party behind the nominee. This can be important when there was a lot of party support for different candidates during the primaries

how the Electoral College was a compromise for the Founding Fathers

They did not initially want the people directly involved in electing the president because they felt that the average citizen was not educated enough about potential candidates to make an informed decision. They also did not want citizens to elect the president because states were not evenly populated, giving larger states an advantage in the election. The electoral college solves both problems by having electors vote on behalf of the citizens of the states, and each state would get a number of electors equal to their total number of representatives in the legislative branch, House and Senate combined. This gives the citizens of the states representation, and also ensures that each state has a voice in electing the president.

how a state’s electoral count is calculated

Each state is given a number of electoral votes equal to its representation in Congress. It is the same principle as bicameral legislature.

how a state’s electoral votes are awarded

48 of 50 states award electoral votes under the winner-take-all system. This means that whichever candidate wins the state’s total popular vote gets all of the state’s electoral votes. Two states, Maine and Nebraska award electoral votes to candidates based on how the different districts in each state voted, only awarding the votes that represent the 2 senate seats to the overall popular vote winner of the state.

how the Electoral College is an example of majoritarianism

There are a total number of electoral votes up for grabs of 538. 435 of them represent the total number of House members. Adding 100 members representing the Senate, combined with 3 electoral votes given by the 23rd amendment to residents of DC equals the 538. Exactly ½ of 538 is 269. Therefore a presidential candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the election, representing the majority of available electoral votes.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission 2010

Citizens United was a group that was against Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary elections of 2008. They made a video that would possibly damage her reputation and wanted to pay for it to air on cable channels. There was a law that said that groups can’t spend money on campaigns within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election. The group was blocked by the FEC from airing the video. They sued and said that this violated their freedom of speech. The courts agreed and called that section of the law prohibiting the political action within 30 and 60 days as unconstitutional. They ruled that interest groups and corporations are made up of citizens and therefore are protected by the first amendment. They also determined that political speech and donating money to political action is an extension of speech. This opened the door for nearly unlimited political spending by corporations and interest groups.

super PAC

emerged as a result of the Citizens United Case. They organize differently than regular PACS and therefore avoid the existing rules on PAC contributions. Numerous PACs with shared interests will often combine to create these Super PACs.

FEC

the federal agency in charge of enforcing campaign laws

Selective Exposure

The tendency of people to seek out news sources that only support their already existing political opinions.

Narrowcasting

Media companies who cater to a specific ideology in their reporting in order to reinforce their political agendas.

caucuses

a form of party primary where supporters meet and organize themselves into groups in support of particular candidates.  Promotes open debate and traditional “old school” politics.

Soft money

Money that is not donated to a specific candidate running for office, but rather for general political party use.

BCRA

sought to limit soft money.

free riders

When certain members of a group benefit from group benefits without actually investing in the creation of the benefit.