POLS 207 Exam 2

What is the difference between representative democracy and direct democracy? At which levels of government (federal, state, local) can these be found in the United States?

What are some of the arguments for and against direct democracy and its use in the states?

What are the three principal instruments of direct democracy? Explain each.

In which region of the United States do citizens have more access to direct democracy?

What are the two basic types of political participation?

What are some ways in which participants in politics differ from the overall population?

What are some factors that might explain state-level differences in voter turnout? What powers do states have over how elections are run?

Give an account of how political participation and vote choice (i.e. preferring certain parties or candidates) varies with demographic characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, and age.

What are some of the barriers, both historic and contemporary, that states have put in place that make voting more difficult? Under what circumstances might a barrier to voting actually violate the right to vote?

What does it mean that a state or locality was “covered” under the Voting Rights Act? How did the Voting Rights Act work to protect the right to vote in these covered states and localities? How did this change after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Shelby County v. Holder (2013)?

What are state Voter ID laws? Explain the controversy surrounding them.

What are vote-by-mail laws?

Explain differences between Democrats and Republicans on the question of what constitutes the greatest threat to the electoral system.

Forms of Political Participation

Conventional and unconventional

conventional

commonplace, widely accepted, examples: voting, volunteering, political donations, joining groups, running for office

unconventional

challenges or defies government channels or dominant culture, examples: sit-ins, demonstrations, protests, boycotts, truck parades

Political participation is uncommon and not continuous

drivers for political participation is regular elections and volatile local issues

the word “democracy” suggest some degree of political participation by the people - “demos” the people, “kratos” power/rule

direct democracy

the people themselves make the laws

representative democracy

the people elect &/or appoint representatives to make laws for them - includes mechanisms of accountability

problem with pure democracies

the tyranny of the majority

direct democracy

absent in national politics: no nationwide voting on laws or amendments and no provision for a national referendum

found only at state and local levels of government

states with most tools: AZ, CA, CO, MI, MT, NV, ND, OR

direct democracy in the states

initiate laws and amendments, pass laws and ratify amendments and recall elected officials

referendum

depending on their state and its laws, votes can vote on constitutional amendments, state laws, local ballot measures

initiatives

citizen-initiated proposals to get laws or amendment placed on ballot

initiative campaigns

More sophisticated and expensive - petition, education, and mobilization

Recall

voters remove an elected official from office before end of their regular term, not the same as impeachment

which officials can be recalled?

executive recall most common, judicial least common

Rights of political participation

negative liberty, positive liberty

negative liberty “freedom from”

freedom as absence of constraint/impediment. i.e: laws dont restrict something

positive liberty “freedom to”

freedom requires human action, participation in ones own governance, political activity, laws create conditions in which liberty can be exercised

Voting is a two-part decision

whether to vote, and how to vote(choice of party or candidate)

Is it rational to vote?

voting is an activity with costs, e.g. time, effort, fuel

rational for individual to vote IF:

expected benefits of voting are greater or equal to the costs

Voting may also carry intrinsic and or psychological rewards

1. civic/patriotic duty

2. political efficacy

Voter Turnout

denominator is key:

• voting age population - 18+

• voting eligible population - VAP - aliens, prisoners, and disenfranchised felons

• registered voters

average turnout in texas

• presidential elections - 50%

• mid-term elections - 35%

• odd-year local elections - 10-25%

voter registration and turnout

voter registration laws: laws requiring eligible voters to get on the official voter rolls before voting

• administrative rational: public officials can better maintain accurate lists of eligible voters

registrations turning voting into a 2-step process

1. getting registered (often in advance)

2. going to the polls and casting ones ballot

history of voter registration

• 1820-1850s: states drop property requirements for voting

• adoption of voter registration laws

• drivers: urbanization, immigration and racial animus

barriers of registering

• registration procedures could be complex

• barriers often designed to hinder participation of certain groups (race, class, education)

• e.i: poll tax, literacy tests

• effectively prevented most black americans from voting for decades

voter registration today

modern voter registration laws less obviously discriminatory

• Civil Rights Act of 1964

• 24th Amendment - prohibited poll taxes

voter registration: registration time-frames

in many states, people must register to vote in advance

national voter registration act (NVRA) of 1993

requires states set their registration deadlines for federal election no more than 30 days before the election

• some states now have same-day registration

Voter registration: registering online

can register online in 42 states +D.C., not in texas

voting blocs

a voting bloc is when a group of indivduals often votes a certain way

who votes and who doesn’t?

Higher turnout

• older people

• higher education

• high income-earners, homeowners, greater economic stability

• married couples

• swing state residents

Lower turnout

• younger people

• lower education

• renters, less economically stable

• unmarried, separated, divorces

• certain minority groups

The demography of voting: race & ethnicity

black or african american

• high turnout

• since 1930s, have favored democratic candidates

hispanic

• rising

• GOP making inroads

asian

• lower turnout

• most likely to register as independent

demography of voting: age and gender

younger voters:

• lower voter turnout

• most likely to vote democratic

older voters:

• high and consistent turnout

• vote republican

women

• lower rates of participation, not anymore

• vote democratic

voting and the states

the u.s. constitution does not define a national electorate, state legislatures draw electoral districts, and states determine the time, place, and manner of elections.

variation in state laws with voting

• registration time-frames and procedures

• availability of early voting and mail-in ballots

• polling locations and hours

• types of ballots and equipment

15th amendment

introduction of voter registration and associated barriers to registration

• poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clause

• whites only primaries

removing barriers to the vote

• 19th amendment (1920)

• Smith v. Allwright ( 1944) - white primaries are unconstitutional

• civil rights act of 1964

• 24th amendment (1964) - prohibits poll taxes

• 16th amendments (1971) - extended right to vote to 18 year olds

how the VRA worked

1. sect. 5 federal preclearance - procedure for states and localities with history of discriminatory voting

2. sect. 4 coverage formula - determined which covered states and localities had to comply

shelby co. v. holder (2013)

sect. 4 of the VRA is unconstitutional

voter fraud

fraud involving votes

issue: voter ID laws

many voting-eligible persons do not have or cannot easily obtain proper forms of ID

• not free - poor affected

• take time to get

issue: vote-by-mail

some states require a person meet certain criteria, dropff off at certain drop boxes, and deadlines

• cannot show ID in person

• availability of drop boxes

other issues in voting rights

• availability of polling places

• availability of early voting

• providing illegal assistance to votes

• curbside/drive-thru voting

linkage institutions

institutions that connect the public to formal decisions-makers in government - interest groups, political parties, elections, media

interest groups are linkage institutions

connect the public to formal decisions-makers, are intermediated between powerful governments and powerless individuals - individuals can organize and exercise greater power in groups

interest groups

organized group of persons joining together for one or more common interest. their goal is to influence the political system and policy outcomes

who joins interest groups

people who have higher levels or education, higher levels of income and wealth, white males, business people

common types of interest groups in texas

• business and economic

• occupational and organized labor

• racial and ethnic identities

free-rider problem

occurs when person rely on others to contribute to a collective effort, they dont participate but still benefit

explaining differences in IG Power

1. economic diversity - ig influence greater when one industry dominates

2. party explanation - strong parties make for weak interest groups

3. professionalism of state legislatures

4. fragmentation of executive

interest group activities

engage in activities that connect to the public government like monitoring bills, lobbying, indirect lobbying, electioneering

monitoring bills

keep tabs on things that would affect the groups interests

lobbying

IGs are source of information, expertise and strategy - meant to persuade and influence

indirect or grassroots lobbying

media and public relations campaigns directed by IG

electioneering

getting members registered and out to vote

Political Action Committee (PAC)

independent expenditure committee formed by an organization, industry, or individual - collecting money contributing to candidates and causes

advantages of interest groups

1. perform important representation

2. feedback & communication of interests to government

3. source of information and expertise for government officials

4. intense preferences keep focus on issues

5. cut across geographic boundaries of electoral district

disadvantages of interest groups

1. over-represent narrow segments of society

2. provide biased info

3. can feed gridlock in legislatures

what is a political party?

a group of individuals, organized under a common label

what is the purpose of a political party?

attaining positions of public authority and attracting voters

interest groups vs. political parties

interest groups are small and specialized and policy focused while political parties are large and focused on winning elections

3 components of political parties

1. party in the electorate

2. party as an organization - recruits candidates and help run campaigns

3. party in government

functions of political parties

1. articulate policies - parties develop and clarify policy positions for voters

2. provide cues to voters - educate and simplify choices

3. selecting candidates

4. running campaigns

5. collective accountability

6. coordinating policymaking

major parties

• able to win regularly

• hold primaries and caucuses to select candidates

U.S. Electoral System

• First-past-the-post(FPTP) winner takes it all system of voting in single member districts

the organizational decline of party

• primary elections

• rise of candidate-centered politics

• media, support and money

party control of state offices is classified as either:

1. unified party gov’t

2. divided party gov’t

trifecta

same party controls both houses of legislature and governorship

the decline of party-in-government?

the political parties are not strong parties, increase in the polarization of party-in-government, and conditional party government

When either elected officials or the electorate are divided on strictly partisan lines, with the parties themselves becoming becoming more ideologically extreme.  (E.g. Republicans becoming more conservative; Democrats becoming more liberal; fewer moderates identifying with either party)

polarization

A party organization that controls party nominations and uses material benefits such as government contracts and jobs to reward supporters and maintain power

party machine

A voting procedure used in the event that no candidate achieves the majority of votes needed to secure a party's official nomination in a primary election.

runoff primary

A group brought together under the broad umbrella of a political party to support its candidates for office

electoral coalition

When the same political party controls both the governor's office and both houses of the legislature in a state

trifecta

A voting procedure in which only registered party members can participate in the selection of a party's selection of candidates for office

closed primary

A style of politics in which candidates for office promote themselves and their campaigns rather than relying on the party organization

candidate-centered politics

When one affiliates with and supports a political party

party identification

Meetings of party delegates that are called to establish party platforms and formally nominate candidates for office

party convention

When an individual who identifies with one political party votes in the primary to choose the candidates for a rival party

crossover voting

political parties in state law

parties and their affairs regulated by state constitutions and statutes

• laws regulate ballot access, official state recognition, nominate candidates, how to nominate candidates and contributions and spending.

winning elections at state and federal levels

to win office, candidates must win two different election - the primary and general

primary elections

to decide a parties candidate for the general election, its a threat to incumbent

primary vs. general election

primaries have low turnout and participants are committed partisans

general elections have declined greatly, may not be competitive or have multiple candidate

runoff primaries

in texas primaries, candidate must win a majority of the votes to win nomination, if no majority winner, race goes to runoff between two top candidates