Week 9: Participation and Voting

direct election

a system of choosing government officers in which voters directly cast ballots for a particular person

primary election

a type of election where voters decide which party candidate will be on the general election ballot

there are three types of primaries

open primary

a type of primary election in which voters don’t have to be registered with a political party in order to participate in voting for that party’s primary

closed primary

a type of primary election in which voters are required to be registered with a political party in order to participate in voting for that party’s nominees

blanket primary

a type of primary election in which voters are presented with all the candidates for each offic3e irrespective of party. the candidates from each party with the highest votes then move to the general election

general election

a type of election in which all registered voters can make a final choice between parties’ nominees for each office on the ballot. the winner — usually chosen by plurality rule — fills the office.

runoff primary

an election held between the top 2 candidates in a primary when none of the candidates received the required threshold of the original votes cast.

special election

an election that is not regularly scheduled but is instead called to fill unexpected vacancies in the US Congress or the state legislature, to allow the public to vote on proposed amendments to the state constitution, or to select city council members.

nonpartisan

the absence of involvement or influence from political parties. the use of party labels on the ballot is prohibited by law.

how do major party candidates get on the ballot in Texas?

collect signatures or pay a filling fee

how do minor party candidates get on the ballot in Texas?

selected at the party’s nominating convention

voting requirements in Texas

• US citizen

• resident of tx for at least 30 days

• 18+

• registered to vote for at least 30 days before election

• must have a voter card - need id

• requirements have become more strict recently

voter suppression

a strategy used to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of ppl from voting

bandwagon effect

suggests that undecided voters are likely to cast their ballots for the candidate they think is most likely to win

what is driving campaigns becoming more expensive?

technology changers, tv advertising, and increased competition between the 2 major parties

political action committee (PAC)

organization established by individuals or private groups that spend money to elect or defeat candidates. they are regulated under both federal and state law.

Federal Election Commission (FEC)

an independent regulatory agency established in 1975 to regulate campaign finance through enforcement of campaign and finance laws and disclosure of contributors and contributions in federal elections.

Sharpstown stock fraud scandal

a scandal that led to a wave of reform in TX politics surrounding the reporting and disclosure of campaign funds

Texas Ethics Commission (TEC)

a statewide regulatory authority that was established in 1991 by constitutional amendments and was assigned a range of responsibilities. these responsibilities incl providing guidance on TX ethics laws, collecting financial disclosure statements from gov officials, and recommending salaries for the lieutenant governor, speaker of the tx house, and the tx lege.

dark money

money or capital from an obscured source that is traded in order to influence elections, policy implementation, or public political discourse

did the constitution set up the right to vote?

no

how is tx voter turnout compared to the us?

consistently lower

traditional forms of participation

• voting

• party and campaign activities (making contributions, showing up to public events or rallies)

• civic engagement (working at local nonprofits, volunteering to participate in city or local boards or commissions, neighborhood association, attending town halls)

• running for office

civic engagement

individual and collective efforts undertaken to identify and address issues of public concern in a community

activism

using or advocating strong actions in support of or in opposition to one side of a political, social, or economic issue or cause

civil disobedience

the intentional, public, peaceful violation of laws or commands considered unjust, with the aim of provoking social or political change, and accepting legal consequences

what percentage of eligible voters vote in the US and in Texas?

US - 54%

TX - 46%

rational choice theory

a framework for explaining decision making by weighing the potential costs and benefits of available options to achieve objectives, or, to maximize their “utility”

reward from voting equation

pb - c + d = r

p = probability that your vote will decide the election

b = benefit of your candidate winning

c = cost of voting

r = reward from voting

c = civic duty

socially desirable

the tendency for ppl to engage in behavior, or respond to situations, in ways that will be viewed favorably by others

correlation

a statistical measurement of the degree of relationship between 2 or more variables, indicating their tendency to change together

not causal

socioeconomic status (ses)

an individual or group’s position within a social and economic hierarchy usually determined by combining the factors of income, education, and occupation

poll tax

a tax or a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. various privileges of citizenship, incl voter registration or issuance of driving licenses and resident hunting and fishing licenses, were conditioned on payment of poll taxes

exit polling

a survey conducted among voters immediately after they leave their polling location

what kinds of ppl are more likely to vote

women - typically more educated

more old people voting

more white people voting - more diverse in tx

how is tx viewed in terms of voting turnout?

low turnout state