Chapter 7. Campaigns & Elections

ballot fatigue

the result when a voter stops voting for offices and initiatives at the bottom of a long ballot

caucus

a form of candidate nomination that occurs in a town-hall style format rather than a day-long election; usually reserved for presidential elections

chronic minority

voters who belong to political parties that tend not to be competitive in national elections because they are too small to become a majority or because of the Electoral College system distribution in their state

closed primary

an election in which only voters registered with a party may vote for that party’s candidates

coattail effect

the result when a popular presidential candidate helps candidates from the same party win their own elections

delegates

party members who are chosen to represent a particular candidate at the party’s state- or national-level nominating convention

district system

the means by which electoral votes are divided between candidates based on who wins districts and/or the state

early voting

an accommodation that allows voting up to two weeks before Election Day

Electoral College

the constitutionally created group of individuals, chosen by the states, with the responsibility of formally selecting the next U.S. president

incumbency advantage

the advantage held by officeholders that allows them to often win reelection

incumbent

the current holder of a political office

initiative

law or constitutional amendment proposed and passed by the voters and subject to review by the state courts; also called a proposition

midterm elections

the congressional elections that occur in the even-numbered years between presidential election years, in the middle of the president’s term

open primary

an election in which any registered voter may vote in any party’s primary or caucus

platform

the set of issues important to the political party and the party delegates

political action committees (PACs)

organizations created to raise money for political campaigns and spend money to influence policy and politics

recall

the removal of a politician or government official by the voters

referendum

a yes or no vote by citizens on a law or candidate proposed by the state government

residency requirement

the stipulation that citizen must live in a state for a determined period of time before a citizen can register to vote as a resident of that state

shadow campaign

a campaign run by political action committees and other organizations without the coordination of the candidate

straight-ticket voting

the practice of voting only for candidates from the same party

super PACs

officially known as Independent Expenditure-Only Committees; organizations that can fundraise and spend as they please to support or attack a candidate but not contribute directly to a candidate or strategize with a candidate’s campaign

top-two primary

a primary election in which the two candidates with the most votes, regardless of party, become the nominees for the general election

voter fatigue

the result when voters grow tired of voting and stay home from the polls

voting-age population

the number of citizens over eighteen

voting-eligible population

the number of citizens eligible to vote

winner-take-all system

all electoral votes for a state are given to the candidate who wins the most votes in that state

Elections are about

• Representation

• Policy/stance

• Accountability

Prospective evolution

what we think a candidate/part will do in the future

Retrospective evolution

what we think about what a candiddate/party did in the past

Every election is a term limit

every candidate has their own “term limit” when trying to get elected

Remember, conducting elections

is an exclusive power of the states

States have many different ways of conducting elections

• Plurality/majority systems

• Primaries vs caucuses

• Open vs closed primaries

The election cycle

• Nomination

• Primary campaigns

• Primaries and caucuses

• Convention

• General Election Campaign

• General Election

• Electoral college

Nomination

 parties determine their candidates

Primary campaigns

candidates debate one another, hold town hall meetings and rallies, and run campaigns ad

Convention

candidates are formally nominated

General Election Campaign

Appealing to the mass majority rather then just the party

Primaries and caucuses

 voters help select their political party’s candidates

General Election

Election Day is in early November, but many states allow early voting

Primary elections

Conducted by the states but political parties influence structure

Open vs closed primaries

• Closed: voters must be registered with the party

• Open: voters choose which party’s primary they vote in

Winner-take-all vs. proportional allocation

Democratic primaries are all proportional

Electoral votes

= # of Representatives + # of Senators

• Oklahoma has 5 Representatives, meaning it has 7 electoral votes

Electoral college vs popular vote

The Electoral College is the constitutional system for electing the U.S. president via state-allocated electors, focusing on state-by-state wins, while the popular vote is the direct, national total of individual citizen votes. The Electoral College can elect a candidate who loses the popular vote.

Swinging states

elected decided by a small number of votes

Campaign strategies and decisions

• Issue priorities/positions

• Primary vs general

• Whether to attack (‘go negative’)

• Where to campaign

• Spending tactics

Federal election commission (FEC)

• Government agency that enforces and regulates election laws’ made up of six presidential appointees, of whom no more than three can be members of the same party

• Donors have a limited amount of donations for campaigns, this is to prevent corruption within the system. Limit set one individual to one campaign, you can max out in the general and primary

Citizens United v Federal Election Commission, 2010

Supreme court invalidated spending limits to independent political spending: “Money is speech”

• Money not given to a specific candidate

• Money given to a political action

• PACS not to coordinate with a campaign

New era of Super PACs with Dark money

Super PACs can accept unlimited money from 501(c) group who do not have to discule their donors

Coordination?

FEC now allows super PACs to coordinate with campaigns on “get-out-the-vote” efforts

Why don’t people vote?

• 60% turn out

• Midterm: 40%

• Irrational, don’t care

Paradox of voting

V = P (B) - C + D

V: Decision to vote

P: Probability of casting the deciding vote

B: Benefits received if preferred candidate wins

C: Costs associated with voting

D: Civic Duty

National Voter Registration Act of 1993

Often referred to as Motor Voter, was enacted to expedite the registration process and make it as simple as possible for voters. The act required states to allow citizens to register to vote when they sign up for driver’s licenses and Social Security benefits.

Voter ID Laws

Thirty-six states have laws requesting or requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls. The remaining 14 states and Washington, D.C., use other methods to verify the identity of voters.

Voter fraud

Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, election scam, voter fraud, vote rigging, or election engineering, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of rival candidates, or both.