Federal Government - Exam 3

Unconventional Participation

actions that fall outside traditional methods, aiming to challenge the status quo/ draw attention to social issues

- terrorism always has a political motive (April 19, 1995 - Timothy McVeigh blew up the federal building “hated the federal govt.”)

- Boston Tea Party

- Civil Rights Movement

- Urban Riots (LA Riots in 1992)

Why government wants you to vote

- Pacifies your participation (govt would rather have you voting than “violence, etc.”)

- Impact is limited - gives elites leeway to do wtv they want

- you give an informal consent to the system when you vote

Historical Barriers to Voting

Race - 15th amendment, Jim Crow found a way around this (grandfather clause + the white primary)

Historical Barriers to Voting

Gender - The Seneca Falls Convention (1848), 19th amendment (1920), Wyoming (first state granted women the right to vote)

Contemporary Limitations to Voting

- Citizenship

- Residence

- Registration

- Felony Conviction

- Showing a government issued photo id

- number of polling places in a given locale

Cooperative Activity

- joining an interest group → collection of likeminded individuals organized for political action

many voices “speak louder” than 1

Functional Representation

interest groups provide one with representation on an issue of importance to the person

ex: The National Rifle Association (NRA) represents gun enthusiasts, the AARP represents senior citizens, Sierra Club represents environmentalists

Lobbyist

does the political work of an interest group (usually former office holders)

- makes contact with elected officials

Measures of Interest Group Power

Contribution, Information, Focus (defensive or promotional), Opposition (is there any?), Collaboration, Dollars, Size, Group Cohesion, Skill, Timing, Access, Interest

Campaign Activity - Phone Bank

call

Campaign Activity - Canvass

go door to door

Most High initiative participation method

run for office yourself

Non- Participation

20% of us will NEVER vote in our life (Ginsburg)

Buckley v Valeo (1976)

SCOTUS struck down limit and said that as long as you follow these rules, a campaign can spend as much money as it can collect following these rules

- no limits on what a rich person can spend on his own campaign

Citizens United v FEC (2010)

under federal law corporations and labor unions are allowed to give zero cents out of the corporate or union treasury directly to a political candidate

- corporations can independently spend on campaigns

Personal Contacting

contact your elected officials for whatever reason - visit, write, call, email

Casework

assist when you have a problem with government (have staffs to help you out with this)

successful casework = voter loyalty

Socioeconomic Level (Verba + Nile)

education level = key variable

correlation between education and income

Anglos participate more than racial/ethnic minorities

The Age Variable

elderly vote more + generally younger people participate less

The Gender Variable

The Gender Gap in American politics

What does an election accomplish?

government officials are selected

voters signal a preference for the direction of government policy

voters protect themselves from protentional abuses by elected officials

Primary Election

sympathizers of a political party choose that party’s candidate for the general election

Open Primary

any registered voter can participate

Closed Primary

participation is limited to party members or those who registered with the party

General Election

presidential, mid-term elections

Presidential Election

even numbered year when presidential candidates are on the ballot

(2016, 2020, 2024) most participated in elections

Mid-Term Election

even numbered when presidential candidates are NOT on the ballot

(2018, 2022)

most (not all) state-wide officials are chosen Mid-Term

turnout usually drops

Special Election

when there is a vacancy for an office (the governor must call a special election to fill out the rest of the vacancy)

Bond Elections

an election that allows a governmental entity to go into debt (has to get voters permission to go into debt)

Reapportionment

every 10 years after Census re decide how many House seats each state gets

Redistricting

redrawing of legislative district lines (every 10 years) (states can redraw the lines every year if they want)

Wesberry v Sanders (1964)

one person, one vote concept…each of these House legislative district lines must contain the same or similar amounts of people

Partisan Gerrymandering

when the legislative district lines are drawn to unfairly benefit one party over the other

2 ways state legislature can gerrymander

Cracking - try to spread out your political opponents through as many districts as possible (more difficult)

Packing - put your political opponents in as few districts as possible, maybe one if possible

Local Election in Texas

municipal (mayor + council/commission) and school board elections are non-partisan (free from party affiliation)