Campaigns, Elections, and Voter Access: A Study of Modern Democracy

Overview of Chapter 9 and Lesson 1 Agenda

• Chapter 9 focuses on the broad topics of campaigns, elections, and voting.

• Lesson 1 covers the first two sections of Chapter 9, specifically:

  • The importance of fair and independent elections.

  • The modern debate and competition over voter access.

• The agenda for this lecture includes:

  • The methods used for influencing voters.

  • The concepts of election meddling, specifically focusing on Russian influence.

  • Voting as the primary expression of the will of the people.

  • Current issues regarding voter access.

  • An analysis of whether new voting rules regarding access restrictions constitute 21st-century voter suppression.

The Nature of Democracy and the Role of the People

• In any democracy, the fundamental principle is that the people are empowered to rule.

• There are two primary ways democracies can operate:

  • Direct Democracy: This is where the people do not choose leaders, but instead choose policies directly. In this system, the people vote yes or no on specific political questions. Examples include:

    • Initiatives.

    • Referendums.

    • Recalls.

  • Indirect Democracy: This is the most common form of democracy. It is characterized by the people selecting leadership to govern on their behalf. The terms used to describe this system are interchangeable:

    • Indirect Democracy.

    • Representative Democracy.

    • Republic.

• The primary role of the citizen in an indirect democracy is to go to the voting booth and select their leadership.

Campaigns and the Influencing of Voters

• In a democratic system where certain individuals are trying to attain power, campaigns are the standard mechanism used to reach ordinary voters.

• The purpose of a campaign is to influence the electorate by:

  • Convincing a voter to vote for a specific candidate.

  • Convincing a voter to vote against a different candidate.

Election Meddling: Influence vs. Interference

• A central concern in modern elections is the role of foreign governments attempting to influence the outcome of domestic elections.

• Case Study: Russia and the 2016 US Election:

  • There is significant evidence indicating that Russia attempted to influence US voters in 2016.

  • Russia officially denies these allegations.

  • The Mueller Report: This was the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. The report concluded that there was no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia regarding election influence.

• Forms of Meddling:

  • Election Influence: This refers to efforts to persuade or manipulate voters through external communications.

    • Example: Social media sites removed thousands of accounts linked to Russia that used "Russian bots" to inflame and divide US voters.

  • Election Interference: This is a more serious and technical category of meddling that involves tampering with the actual electoral process.

    • Hacking the code or software of companies that manufacture ballot-counting systems.

    • Tampering with computerized voting machines.

    • Hacking into state-level websites (such as those of the Secretary of State or boards of elections) that maintain voter registration records to alter or delete voter information.

• The Success of These Efforts:

  • Influence: There is an abundance of evidence of successful Russian election influence.

  • Interference: There is some evidence that Russia attempted to engage in election interference, but it is believed they were not successful in altering actual tallies or processes.

  • Legal Action: In 2018, the FBI indicted several Russian military intelligence officials for their involvement in both election interference and election influence efforts.

Global Actors and the Future of Election Security

• Elections are intended to express the will of the people, which is traditionally limited by the borders of that specific democracy.

• Other Nations:

  • Iran: There is evidence in the textbook that Iran also attempted to influence the outcome of the 2016 US election.

  • China: The textbook states there is no evidence that China engaged in election influence in 2016; however, officials are monitoring for potential changes in China's strategy for upcoming elections, such as in 2024.

Voter Access and the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Definition of Voter Access: This refers to the relative ease or difficulty of both registering to vote and casting a vote.

• The Pandemic Shift: Out of necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, many states modified their policies to make voting easier for individuals who were elderly, unhealthy, or had pre-existing conditions that made them wary of leaving home.

  • States shifted to mail-in ballots.

  • Some states automatically sent mail-in ballots to all registered voters without requiring a specific request.

• Observations: These pandemic-era policies led to an increase in voter turnout. Theoretically, voter turnout increases as voting becomes easier.

Legal Precedent: Shelby County v. Holder

• The Supreme Court case of Shelby County v. Holder is critical to understanding current voting restrictions.

• The Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as unconstitutional.

• Rationale: The formula Congress used in 1965 to determine which jurisdictions required federal oversight was deemed outdated. It no longer accurately represented the reality of the 2010s.

• Consequence: Because the formula is no longer enforceable, the federal government cannot supervise changes to voter registration or voting processes. Specifically, federal district court judges no longer need to approve new rules before they are implemented.

• As a result, many states have moved to impose new rules and restrictions that they previously might have been unable to enact.

Current Trends in Voting Restrictions and Rules

• Since the pandemic ended, several states have reversed expansion policies and imposed new restrictions, such as:

  • Identification Requirements: Requiring a voter's Social Security number, driver's license number, or state identification card number to be included on a mail-in ballot to verify the voter's identity.

  • Changes to Mail-In Ballot Distribution: Eliminating automatic mail-in ballots. Some states now dictate that only those who explicitly request a ballot can receive one. The Secretary of State cannot send them out broadly.

  • Reason-Based Limitations: Requiring a voter to provide a specific reason why they cannot go to their polling place before being allowed to use a mail-in ballot.

  • Dropbox Restrictions: Eliminating or severely limiting the use of dropboxes for mail-in ballots, forcing voters to return ballots directly to a polling place or via the postal service.

The Debate Over Voter Suppression

• There is a significant debate regarding whether these new rules constitute legitimate election security or voter suppression.

• The Critic/Democratic Perspective:

  • Argues that these rules are a 21st-century form of voter suppression.

  • Notes that these rules are primarily being adopted in states controlled by the Republican Party.

  • Argues these rules disproportionately affect voters who typically support the Democratic Party, such as people of color and individuals at the low end of the socioeconomic scale (who may find identification requirements more burdensome).

• The Republican Perspective:

  • Argues that the rules are not intended to suppress the vote, even if they make voting more difficult for some.

  • Strongly maintains that these rules are necessary to prevent voter fraud.

  • Argues that securing the voting process is essential to maintaining public confidence in the integrity of voting and elections.