POLS 207 Exam 2 (Smith)

How do most people participate in the political system?

Political participation includes voting, running for office, participating in marches or demonstrations, giving money, attending rallies or events, writing letters or emails, or discussing issues with friends (this class).

What is a rational voter?

A "rational" voter is one who will vote on if the personal benefits outweigh the costs

Benefits: policy, civic duty, varies by individual
Costs: time, information/becoming informed, also varies by individual

It's not rational to vote (cost outweighs benefits): individual vote doesn't matter, especially in Texas and other non-battleground states

Who votes vs who does not vote

People with higher education tend to make more money and in turn, tend to vote more often.

Why do some states have higher voter turnout?

States that are more competitive politically (battleground states) usually have higher voter turnout because the individual votes is "worth more" than in states where the political party is historically set and not likely to change.

How could voter turnout be increased?

-Make registering to vote easier.
-Make voting easier.
-Online voting.
-Hire invested and engaged poll workers.
-Get people excited about politics between elections.
-Incentives to vote.

Who or what determines voter qualifications?

the states
"The constitutional rights, powers, and privileges of establishing voter qualifications, including voter registration requirements, are incidents of state sovereignty protected by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, the Tenth Amendment, and the Seventeenth Amendment. This power includes the power to obtain information the states deem necessary to assess eligibility or voter registration applicants, and to enforce voter qualifications. A mere oath without concrete evidence of citizenship...does not suffice."

Open primary

Any primary election in which a voter either does not have to formally affiliate with a political party in order to vote in its primary or can declare his or her affiliation with a party at the polls on the day of the primary even if the voter was previously affiliated with a different party.

Closed primary

A type of primary election in which a voter must affiliate formally with a political party in advance of the election date in order to participate in that party's primary.

Closed primary in Texas: voter must vote with the same party throughout primary season (can't change parties from primary to runoff), even if not registered with that party

Runoff primary

A second primary election conducted to determine which of the top vote-getters in the first primary will be awarded the party nomination for an office.

60 days after primary
Top two candidates by percentage go against each other
One of the two must have >50% of votes
Candidate can finish second in primary and win the runoff

Fifteenth Amendment

Prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude".

Nineteenth Amendment

Prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex.

Twenty-Fourth Amendment

Prohibits both Congress and the states from conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax.

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Prohibits the states and the federal government from using age as a reason for denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States who are at least eighteen years old.

The responsible party model

a party system in which each party offers clear policy alternatives and holds their elected officials responsible for enacting these policies in office

We expect parties to say what they mean and mean what they say

As per this model, the parties:
-Develop and clarify alternative policy positions for voters
-Educate people about issues and simplify choices
-Recruit candidates for office who agree with the party positions
-Organize and direct their candidates to win elections
-Hold their elected officials responsible for enacting the parties' policy positions after they were elected
-Organize legislatures to ensure party control of policymaking

Problems with this model:
-Parties generally do not offer voters clear policy alternatives
-Voter decisions are not motivated primarily by policy considerations
-American political parties have no way to bind their elected officials to party positions or even to their campaign pledges

General election

A regular election of candidates for office.

Primary election

Open or closed primaries organize elections and narrow the choices of political office seekers confronting the voters.
"Selection not election"

Initiative election

A means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote (referendum, sometimes called a plebiscite).

Recall election

A procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before that official's term has ended.

What do the national party committees do?

keep the party operating in between elections

They have the greatest role in presidential election years when they are responsible for planning the nominating convention and also spend heavily in support of their party's nominee (some of this spending is directly coordinated with the nominee's campaign; the rest is in independent expenditures).

When is negative campaigning successful?

-when focused on opponent's policies and not their personal qualities
-when presented by the press and not TV ads
-when shown to younger voters

Baker v. Carr

Districts have to be contiguous and take geography into account.

"The redistricting of state legislative districts is not a political question, and thus is justiciable by the federal courts."
Ruled that the underrepresentation of race can be considered.

Reynolds v Sims

Districts in a state have to be roughly the same population.

"The Court struck down state senate inequality, basing their decision on the principle of "one person, one vote."
Ruled that the underrepresentation of race can be considered.

The functions of legislatures

-Enacting laws: collectively consider 101,000 per session, pass about 19,000
-Considering constitutional amendment, gubernatorial (governor) appointments, and state courts: often shared process
-Approving budgets: may be single most important function
"Who gets what, when, and how?"
Extremely political
-Serving constituents: requires great deal of legislators' time
Government works for you
-Overseeing state agencies: frequently need to challenge state administrators
Principal Agent Model:
-Legislature is principal: enacts but cannot implement laws
-Executive is agent: enforces but cannot enact laws
-Principal oversees that agents enforces the laws correctly

Why do incumbents win?

-Visibility: campaigning for reelection almost constant, may take more time that lawmaking
-Resources of office: staffs, offices, expense accounts, travel budgets
-Money: interest group contributions go overwhelmingly to incumbents
-Professionalism and careerism: professionalism in state legislatures encourages careerism
-"Known commodity"
-Can rely on past record (I did vs. I will)

What is apportionment?

The dividing up of seats in the U.S. Congress

What is gerrymandering?

The drawing of districts for partisan advantage.

Regular legislative session

140 days, every other year

Special legislative session

30 days long, called by governor

What do committees do?

Functions: most chambers will have 20 to 30 standing committees
Personnel: assignment typically made by leadership, with occupational background a factor
Committee preferences: generally reflect preferences of the chambers

Who determines the membership of legislative committees?

Committee assignments are made by the leadership in each chamber.

What is pigeonholing?

Committee chair refuses to schedule a committee hearing for a bill and it effectively dies.

The requirements for election to the Texas State Legislature

The requirements for holding office in Texas are minimal so that it is open to as many people as possible.

A senator must be at least 26 years of age, a citizen of Texas five years prior to election and a resident of the district from which elected one year prior to election. Each senator serves a four-year term and one-half of the Senate membership is elected every two years in even-numbered years, with the exception that all the Senate seats are up for election for the first legislature following the decennial census in order to reflect the newly redrawn districts. After the initial election, the Senate is divided by lot into two classes, with one class having a re-election after two years and the other having a re-election after four years.

A representative must be at least 21 years of age, a citizen of Texas for two years prior to election and a resident of the district from which elected one year prielection. They are elected for two-year terms, running for re-election in even-numbered years.

How is legislative leadership chosen?

Speaker of the House: chosen by the House members themselves, not by the voters.
President of the Senate: Lieutenant Governor of Texas
Committee chairs: appointment by the Speaker of the House/President of the Senate

How long is the legislative session in Texas?

140 days