Chapter 7: Voting and Election

  • states conduct all elections by supervising and coordinating the efforts of county and municipal election offices that oversee the individual precincts, early voting process, local absentee ballot counting, etc.

  • election laws protect integrity of elections by ensuring fair processes, secure accessible voting technology, privacy and accuracy of voter and election data, common standards for language of ballot, and increasing voter participation

    • political parties disagree on which of these to prioritize

    • 1965 Voting Rights Act passed after disenfranchisement of African-Americans

  • states choose their own registration requirements

    • Help America Vote Act of 2002: states must notify voters if they are purged

    • some states have additional limits on who can vote

      • ex: incarcerated criminals, convicted felons, can not prove residence with ID, individuals without government ID, individuals who can not prove age or citizenship with government documents, residents who can not prove they lived in the state

  • registration process differs from person to person and state to state

    • states have to provide registration services where they provide certain services, like issuing a driver’s license

  • voter turnout: comparing the number of ballots to the amount of people who could have voted

    • influenced by:

      • frequent moving

      • level of education

      • lower tax and regulatory burdens

      • less dependence on government social programs

      • family responsibilities

      • political apathy

      • lack of engagement with government

    • higher income, wealth and education —> vote more

    • caucasians vote more than African-americans, hispanics, asian-americans

    • political campaigns target likely voters —> lower turnout groups feel like they don’t care about them

    • reasons for not voting:

      • too busy

      • childcare/ family care

      • work conflicts

      • no transportation

      • don’t know where to vote

      • frustrated by technology

      • restrictive voter laws

      • no candidates/ issues that interest them

      • voter fatigue/ apathy

  • election cycle: nomination —> primary campaigns —> primaries & caucases —> conventions —> general election campaign —> general election —> electoral college

  • faithless elector problem: elector disregards with voter preference (very rare)

  • candidates have to disclose where they got the money for their campaign from

    • political donations are a form of protected free speech

    • Political Action Commitees (PACs): can raise unlimited funds if they don’t coordinate with campaign

  • direct democracy: allows policy intiatives to be determined by popular vote

    • ballot intiative/proposition: laws/amendment proposed by voters, subject to review by state courts

    • referendum: yes/no vote by citizens on a law or candidate proposed by state government

    • recall: removal of politician or government official by voters