12th APGOVT: Unit 5 Political parties and campaigns

What are political parties?

groups of people with similar ideas who aim to promote their public policy and get their candidates elected to office

What does Madison say about factions in Federalist Paper #10?

factions (like interest groups) are inevitable and that a federal system is best suited to balance them

What are the 3 heads of a political party?

1. Party in the Electorate: party supporters/members

2. Party in Organization: national, state, local levels of operation

3. Party in the Government: party members in office

Linkage institution

methods that facilitate connection between the people's voices and the government by filtering through issues and thus influencing the policy agenda

Invisible primary

early attempts during which candidates appeal to the elite of the party in hopes of demonstrating good leadership and gaining financial support, positive media attention

How do primaries generally work?

direct voting system in which for each party, the runner who receives the most votes is nominated/endorsed by the party and moves onto the general election

How do minor party candidates and independent candidates move onto the general election?

Minor party candidates are nominated through their party's own rules while independent candidates self-nominate, though both must meet certain requirements in order to advance to general election

2 key roles of third parties

-"spoiler" role (draw votes away from major parties)

-introduce ideas which can be picked up by major parties

Open primary

while people still select which party ballot they'd like to vote from, this selection isn't based on their party affiliation

Closed primary

Only registered party members can vote, and they must vote from the ballot of their party affiliation

Pro and con of closed primaries

PRO: increase party loyalty
CON: candidate must first appeal to these more polarized voters, possibly hurting their popularity with moderates and opposing sides

General election

an open-to-all election in which those eligible directly or indirectly vote for who'd they like to take office

run-off election

election that occurs after a primary or general election that produces no single, eligible candidate

What makes up the House of Representatives?

435 total representatives who come from every state based on population and who serve a 2-year term(s) starting and ending at the same time

How are HoR candidates elected within each state?

Each state is divided into state legislature-drawn, congressional districts whose number equals number of representatives. Candidates can only run for office in one district and only voters of that district can vote for those candidates

How are senate candidates elected within each state?

unlike House of Representative elections, voters can choose any senate candidate regardless of congressional district

17th amendment (ratified 1913)

called for direct voting of senators in order to eradicate corrupt patronage within state legislatures

What is the Responsible party model and how does it reflect political parties' role as a linkage institution?

a party that clearly states its policies in order to help guide voters in their choices, then working to fulfill those campaign promises once the candidate is in office

Rational Choice Theory/Downs' Model

individuals vote in order to receive the most benefits

Straight ticket voting is most common among which type of voters? Split ticket voting is most common among which type of voters?

those who vote based on candidates' party affiliation; independent voters

Straight ticket voting

voting exclusively for the candidates of one party for all elections occurring

Split ticket voting

ability to vote for candidates of any party for all elections occurring

Coattail effect

popularity of one candidate may increase the popularity of other candidates of the same party

The US electoral system classifies as a ... system, meaning ...

single member district, meaning the winner takes all

Proportional representation

a coalition government whose legislative seats are divvied out to parties proportional to the percent vote they received

Corruption of local political machines (2)

-mutual partnership with large business

-patronage

Caucus

alternate way besides primaries of nominating a candidate for the general election in which local party members meet to decide

Why did the 2000 Democratic Party et. al. v Jones nullify blanket primaries

Since blanket primaries presented all possible candidates on the ballot, they could force political parties to associate with candidates they did not endorse, taking away their right of Freedom of Association

3 parts of a national party

national convention, national committee, national chairperson

What is the national committee of a national party responsible for?

consists of members from all states who take care of year-round operations

What does the chairperson of a national party do?

If the national party holds the presidency, the president chooses, but if not, then the national committee chooses via vote; attends to the daily activities of the party

What are critical elections/party realignments and when do they commonly occur?

the majority party is replaced by the minority party often in times of national divide or crisis because people are unsatisfied with how the majority party is handling things

Why was the 1932 election considered a critical election?

Democrat FDR won and shifted Democratic party in favor of stronger federal control and more help to the needy

Party dealignment

the gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, decreasing party loyalty

Significance of 1800 election (3)

-first peaceful transfer of power between parties

-started period of Democratic-Republican dominance

-Marbury v. Madison

1860 election signifiance (2)

-started period of Republican government dominance

-Civil War instigator

1932 election significance (2)

-return of Democratic government dominance

-contributed to shifting policies of Democratic party

1968-present government is characterized as ...

divided, because control of the executive branch and one or both houses is split between the two different parties

Bush v. Gore 2000 ruling

recounting of Florida's ballots was considered a violation of the 14th amendment Equal Protection Clause, thus giving Bush Florida's electoral votes necessary to win

Give at least 2 reasons for an increase in party dealignment

-increased prominence of media allows people to evaluate candidates more independently

-people more focused on specific issues which are highlighted more by smaller parties and interest groups

-split ticket voting

-in general just increasing apathy

Step 1 of becoming president

nominations: self-nomination, nomination through caucuses, primaries

Why is frontloading controversial?

media given too much power to report outcomes and potentially sway decisions of later voters

National convention

meeting held by nationwide party delegates, chosen by voters, and superdelegates, those in office, every 4 years to finalize their presidential candidate and policy platform

McGovern-Fraser Commission 1968

in response to reform calls by minority groups, the Democratic convention left selection of convention delegates open in order to make representation more diverse

Name at least 3 aspects of the campaign trail

campaign manager, campaign legal team, media consultants, research staff and policy advisors, fundraisers, event and travel organizer

Results of 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act (2)

-required open records of contributions made directly to campaign

-established Federal Election Commission to enforce campaign finance laws

Hard money

limited money that is given directly to campaigns and is fully disclosed

2023 individual contributor limit for a presidential or congressional candidate

$3300

Buckley v. Valeo (1976) outcome

allowed for unlimited self-funding of campaign

2 similarities between PACs and Super PACs

-commonly started by interest groups, labor unions, or groups of shared political interests

-unlimited spending for promoting their cause as long as it’s not for a campaign

How do PACs and Super PACs differ in receiving contributions

PACs can only receive LIMITED funding from individuals only, while Super PACs can receive unlimited funding from individuals, unions, and corporations

How do PACs and Super PACs differ in giving contributions

PACs can give limited funds directly to candidates and parties, while Super PACs cannot give directly at all

527 groups

independent groups, often super PACs, free of contribution restrictions because they do not directly fund candidates

501(c) groups; type of money commonly associated with in a political regard?

non-profit groups exempt from reporting their contributions and from regulations for how much funding they can receive; dark money

Soft money

unlimited, unregulated contributions given to political parties to supposedly assist with organization development

2002 McCain-Feingold Act (aka Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act) outcome (3)

increased individual contribution limit, restricted advocacy ads, banned soft money contributions (latter 2 worked to limit power of super PACs)

When is Election day

The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November

What makes up the electoral college?

state legislature-chosen delegates whose number = 3 delegates from DC + 435 Congressmembers (Senate + House)

How many electoral votes are needed to win the presidency?

270/538

How do electoral votes work?

if a candidate wins the popular vote, then they get all of that state's electoral votes (winner takes all)

Why does the electoral college result in inequality of people's voices?

people living in states with a larger population are at a disadvantage because each electoral vote will consider more people

Electoral college voting dates

December: electors cast ballots based on popular vote
January: Senate counts votes, and VP makes official announcement

12th amendment

gave electoral college delegates 2 ballots: one for the president and one for the VP

3 reasons for voting in general

-Political efficacy (voting gives a sense of importance)

-civic duty

-Downs' Model/Rational Choice Theory

3 amendments that expanded voting rights

15th
19th
26th (lowered voting age to 18)

2 acts that facilitated voting

-1965 Voting Rights Act abolished pre-screening tests for voting eligibility

-1993 Motor Voter Act allowed people to register to vote when applying for drivers' license