Unit 5 Political Participation

Amendments

  • 15th- Right to vote cannot be denied rased on race/color/former slavery

  • 17th- Popular election of senators

  • 19th- Women’s right to vote

  • 24th- Poll taxes cannot be a condition to vote(no need to pay to vote)

  • 26th- 18 years and older can vote(down from 21 to 18 years old)

Types of voting

  • Rational-choice voting- Voting based on one’s own interest

  • Retrospective voting- Voting based on what they have done

  • Prospective voting- Voting based on the predictions on what they will do

  • Party-line/straight-ticket voting- Pick one party, vote all people there

Voting turnout

  • Structural Barriers

    • Viter registration laws

    • Voter ID laws

    • Location of polling places

    • Methods of voting(In person, by mail, early voting)

  • Types of Elections

    • Highest turnout for Presidential Elections

Likely voters determined by

  • Demographics(olders is more likely, gender/race/etc all effect voter turnout)

  • Political efficacy- Belief on how much your vote matters

Factors influencing voter choice

  • Party

  • Ideology

  • Candidate Characteristics

  • Vital issues of the day

  • Regligious beliefs(ex Catholics favor democrats)

  • Gender

  • Race & Ethnicity

Linkage institutions

  • Allows communication between the people and politics

  • Parties

  • Interest Groups

  • Elections

  • Media

Function & Impact of political parties

  1. Candidates are recruited

  2. Campaigns are coordinated: fundraising and media strategy

  3. Party platform is developed every 4 years and articulated throughout the campaigns

    • RNC & DNC(Republican National Convention & Democratic Nation Convention)

  4. Successful elections are impacted by voter education and mobilization

Candidate Centered Campaigns

  • Changes in media have shifted campaigns from party campaigns to more candidate centered campaigns

Party success

  • Parties want to win

  • People vote based on what they want and what the candidates offer.

  • Most americans are Moderates(Take neither side)

Campaign Finance

  • Fundraising and spending- 2 biggest roles of Political Parties

  • Laws limit how much people can donate

  • Money has to be used for certain activities

  • Money has to be reported to and monitored by the Federal Election Commission(FEC).

Changes in Communications/data management tech

  • Effective target marketing

  • Specific & coodinated campaigns

  • Questionable ethics during 2016 campaign by Cambridge Analytica- mined data from Facebook and gave it to a party

Third Parties

  • Always around

  • Unrealized effect- Impacts the main candidates

Why third parties can’t win- Winners take all

  • Only need more votes than other parties, where most is split between the 2 main parties.

  • Other barriers

    • No ability to compete in debates

    • Difficulty raising money & getting media attention

Interest groups

  • Has policy specialists- unlike parties with policy generalists(generalised policies)

  • Endorse candidates

  • Educate voters & Office hollders

  • Help draft legislation

  • Mobilize membership- help rally support for a candidate

Part of the Iron triangle

Differences of influence of interest groups

  • Differences in resources(economic & political & # of people)

  • Unequal access to decision makers

  • “Free-Rider” program- get the benefits from an interest groups without being part of the interest group. If everyone doesn’t participate and takes advantage of the benefits, the group would have no power.

Impacts on society & policy making

  • Single issue groups

  • Ideological/social movements

  • Protest movements

Incumbency Advantage

  • Incumbent: Candidate already in office running for another term.

  • Incumbent advantage: All the tools available to office holders can be used to run a successful campaign for another term.

  • 80% incumbents won their reelection campaigns

Primary system

Closed

  • Must register with a party to vote

  • Encourages party loyalty

Open

  • Voter does not have to register with a party, can participate in other party’s primaries

  • Recent trend

Caucuses

  • Gathering of party members to argue for a candidate to win.

  • Very few states use this method

Presidential nominating conventions

  • Well-orchestrated, 4-day media event to draw attention for a party’s platform and earn support for their Candidate

  • Delegates setn from every state and territory to choose the presidential nominee

  • Primetime speeches are scheduled each evening

General(presidential) elections

  • Coattail effect- popular Presidential candidate can impact other candidates

Electoral College

  • Gathering of delegates from each state who elect the president based on the election results from their respective states

  • Allows for small state advantage

  • 538 total delegates

  • Winner take all, except Maine/Nebraska

  • Delegates cast their vote in December for the President

  • 270 to win

  • A delegate promising a candidate must vote for that candidate

Pros

  • Gives smaller states “voice”

  • $ is spread throughout

  • Broad appeal across states

  • Stability through a 2-party system

Cons

  • Winner can lose

  • not 1 person-1 vote

  • Minority party not represented

  • Regional campaigning has less impact

  • Lower voter turnout

The winner of the popular vote might not become president

House of Representatives chooses the president in a tie

Senate chooses the vice president in a tie

Modern campaigns

  • Dependence on professional consultants

  • Rising campaign costs and intensive fundraising efforts

  • Constant election cycles

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act(BCRA)

  • Banned soft money

    • Untracked donations given to a party or interest group

  • Reduced Attack Ads(candidate states themselves and says they approve the message)

Citizens United v. FEC

  • 1st amendment allows unlimited spending for corporations/unions to promote a political view

Campaigning financing loopholes

  • 527 groups

    • Independent groups with unlimited function for non-specific political campaigns

  • 501(C) groups

    • Unlimited contributions without reporting(to taxes; no taxes)(ie religious, educational, nonprofits) - Not allowed to endorse a candidate

    • 50% of funding on political activities

  • Political Action committees(PAC)

    • Concern of impact of PAC on winners once in office(what happens to PAC when candidate wins)

  • Super PACs

    • Unlimited contribution w/o coordination with candidates

  • Dark Money

    • Contributions that are difficult to track(~20%)

Political Information

  • News events

  • Investigative Journalism

  • Election Coverage

  • Political Commentary

Horse Race Elections

  • Focusing on who’s ahead on the polls, instead of issues

  • polling data- shows popularity or levels of trust/confidence