political science 3-5

Spring Break and Class Schedule

• Spring Break is upcoming; take some days off.

• Upon return, we will finish chapter 8 and have a review, making it our third review.

• A quiz on chapters 7 and 8 is scheduled for the first day back, so review material during the break.

Electoral College Overview

• The Electoral College is used solely for the election of the President of the United States.

• The number of electoral votes for each state is determined by:

  • The number of senators (always 2).

  • The number of congressmen is based on state population—minimum of 1.

• Total electoral votes in the U.S. equal 535, but it includes 3 votes for Washington D.C. due to a constitutional amendment.

Understanding Electoral Votes

• Example: A state with 10 congressmen and 2 senators would have 12 electoral votes.

• States like California have the most electoral votes due to larger populations, while smaller states like Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota have the minimum of 3.

U.S. Senators and Congressmen

• There are a total of 100 senators in the U.S.

• The total number of congressmen is 435, leading to 538 total electoral votes (including D.C.).

Washington D.C. Representation

• Washington D.C. lacks voting representation in Congress (no senators or congressional representatives).

• A constitutional amendment allowed D.C. 3 electoral votes.

• Until amendments passed, residents could not vote in presidential elections.

Presidential Elections Classification

• Two types of elections exist in terms of timing: Presidential elections and Midterm elections.

• The electoral process includes:

  • Winner-take-all system where the candidate receiving the most votes in a state gains all electoral votes.

  • Plurality elections where the candidate with the most votes (not necessarily a majority) wins.

Gerrymandering Explained

• Gerrymandering is the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one party over another.

• Key Terms:

  • Discriminatory drawing of districts to favor a particular political party.

  • Can create instances where one party holds significant power despite low overall support due to district manipulation.

• Gerrymandering is illegal if it violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 regarding race-based district drawing.

Historical Elections and Their Impact

• Example of electoral impact includes:

  • Woodrow Wilson (1916) elected due to a split Republican vote caused by Teddy Roosevelt running as a third-party candidate.

  • History shows four instances where the popular vote winner lost the electoral vote.

• Example: Rutherford B. Hayes ended Reconstruction after his contentious election.

Third-Party Candidates Influence

• Third-party candidates can pull votes from major parties and affect election outcomes, such as Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose Party.

  • Examples of third parties include the Green Party, Libertarian Party, and Reform Party (led by Ross Perot).

Conclusion on Political Landscape

• Political dynamics show that voting for third parties can be viewed as throwing away a vote due to the winner-take-all system. This discourages potential voter turnout.

• Swing states (states with nearly equal support for both parties) play a critical role in presidential elections as they can tilt towards one party or another.

Transition to Chapter 8: The Media

• The next topic of discussion will be the role of media in politics and how news dissemination has changed over time.

• Legacy Media is defined as traditional forms of media such as newspapers and television, contrasting with modern digital media.

• Discussion will include how media holds power accountable and the evolution from fact-reporting (exemplified by Walter Cronkite) to the more polarized and commercialized media landscape we see today.