Elections USA

What electoral system is used in the US?

FPTP

What are the steps of the electoral process?

the election of the president is an indirect process

1. Each state gets a certain number of electors

2. the people of each state vote

3. the candidate who wins a state gets ALL of that states electoral votes

4. To win the national election a candidate must win the majority of the electoral votes (270 or more).

5. The electoral college meets and votes (after the election

What are the constitutional requirements to become president?

-at least 35 years old

-natural-born USA citizen

-resident of the US for at least 14 years

What is a primary?

voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate- its a private vote

What is a caucus?

local party meeting in which open voting takes place. States differ between 'closed'(party member only) and 'open' (any resident can take part) methods

How does the electoral college work?

1) Each state is awarded a certain number of Electoral College votes (ECVs) (equal to that state's representation in Congress - the number of Senators (2) plus the number of Representatives.) E.g. in 2008, California had 55 ECVs while Wyoming had only 3.

3) There are a total of 538 ECVs.

4) To win the presidency, a candidate must win an absolute majority of ECVs - that is, 270.

5) Whichever candidate wins the most popular votes in a state receives all the ECVs of that state. This is not in the Constitution, but 48 of the 50 states have a state law requiring it.

6) If no candidate wins 270 ECVs, the president would be elected by the House of Representatives, each state having 1 vote - that is, a total of 50 votes.

7) The vice-president would be elected by the Senate, each Senator having 1 vote - that is, a total of 100 votes.

8) The winners would need to receive an absolute majority of the votes in the respective chambers.

9) Only twice has the Electoral College failed to come up with a winner and the election been thrown to Congress - 1800 and 1824

How many ECVs does California have?

55

How many ECVs did Biden and Trump get in the 2020 election?

306-Biden

232- Trump

What are the advantages to the electoral system?

• invisible primaries: a wide range of candidates that are well-scrutinised, identifies which candidates are able to gain the most money and popularity

• primaries and caucuses: maintains federalism, allow for genuine party involvement, more participation in 'open' votes

• National party conventions: formally announce candidate, engage the party, tv coverage allows for national involvement

• electoral college: decisive outcome, states with small populations are still important, promotes 2 party system, usually results in winner gaining majority of the popular vote

What are the disadvantages to the electoral system?

• invisible primaries: lengthy process can lead to disinterest, the candidates who raise the most money doesn't mean they're the best

• primaries and caucuses: low turnout, open votes can be sabotaged

• national party conventions: candidates already known before, tv coverage usually just acceptance speech not a reveal of candidates

• electoral college: complex, winner may not have a majority, swing states overly powerful, population not properly represented due to winner-takes-all system

What is incumbency?

already holding an office

What are incumbency advantages?

Name recognition, more media coverage, donor network, experience, government control (can impose legislation right up to election e.g. Obama 2012 DACA), presumed success, do not have to worry as much about fundraising

What issues did Obama face despite being incumbent?

-polling very close, said to have performed poorly in first televised debate, opponent Romney raised more

What is campaign finance?

donations to pay for campaigns

How much in campaign donations did Biden and Trump raise in the 2020 election?

Biden= nearly $50 million

Trump= $72 million

What are PACs and what do they do?

Political Action Committees & they're groups specifically set up to donate to candidates. Limited to $5,000 per candidate per election

What are Super PACs?

independent expenditure only committees. unlimited money for political activities, can support or oppose a candidate but cannot campaign with them

What was the 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act?

placed legal limits on campaign contributions

What was the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act?

banned soft money

What is soft money?

unregulated campaign money

What is hard money?

money given directly to candidates

Why is it so difficult to reform campaign finance?

-supreme court: the ruling Citizens United v FEC 2010 made it difficult to limit spending

-Loopholes: tactics are constantly found to get around limits

-Federal Election Commission: frequently gridlocked and fails to work in a bipartisan manner

What was the 2010 Citizens United v FEC case?

resulted in development of Super PAC's

Reasons for electoral reform?

-small states over-represented

-swing states have too much importance

-outdated

-winner-takes-all

-winner may not have majority of vote

Is electoral reform necessary state-wise?

NO:

-electoral college retains state power

-protects voice of small states

-insures all areas of state has a role

YES

-smaller states underrepresented

Is electoral reform necessary for the people?

NO

-electoral college does work with avoiding the tyranny of the majority

-2 party system usually gives the people a real choice

YES

-last 5 elections the popular vote has not been respected

Is electoral reform necessary for the president?

NO: usually results in decisive outcome and smooth transition

YES: encourages him to pay more attention to swing states

Is electoral reform necessary for the constitution?

NO: electoral college does not work as the founding fathers intended, keeping presidency away from popular vote

YES: makes constitution seem outdated