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AQA A-level US and comparative politics (government and politics) > 8. the electoral process and direct democracy > Flashcards

8. the electoral process and direct democracy Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the US electoral system and time of the US election?

A
  • Majoritarian
  • elections for president is indirect and done through Electoral College (EC)
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2
Q

What are the main characteristic of US presidential and congressional campagins?

A

Frequency:
- “constant campagining” due to sheer number of elections
- national elections: every 2yrs (congress, state gov, etc
Focus:
- dominated by personalities
-focus on local issues and what promises are made
Format:
- 3 TV debates between presidential canidates (less influential now due to increase in partisanship)
- attack ads, PACs and Super PACs, focus on family and religion

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3
Q

What are primaries?

A
  • secret ballot to select each party’s canidate
  • open (anyone can vote e.g. Alabama), closed (only registered members can vote e.g. New York)
  • e.g. New Hampshire, South Carolina
    Advantages:
  • allows ordinary voters to choose canidate
  • tests candidates’ qualities for the office
    Disadvantages:
  • adds cost and length to campaigns
  • increase focus on candidates not polices
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4
Q

What are cacucses?

A
  • informal series of party meetings which ultimately select delegates for the national nominating convention
  • e.g. Iowa
    Advantages:
  • enables more through discussion and debate among party activists of candidates
    Disadvantages:
  • length and timing often discourage many voters from participating
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5
Q

What are national nominating conventions?

A
  • held by each party after primary and caucuses in the summer before the presidential election in November
  • formally nominate the party’s canidate
  • important in terms of media coverage and presenting a united front after divisive primary campagin (e.g. Sanders and Clinton)
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6
Q

What are the arguments against the Electoral College?

A
  • winner of the popular vote can fail to be elected president e.g. 2016 and 2000
  • smaller states are over represented e.g. California has 1 EC vote per 712,000 people while Wyoming have 1 EC vote per 195,000 people
  • encourages candidates to focus on swing states like Florida and forget safe states like New York
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7
Q

What are the arguments for the Electoral college?

A
  • Normally delivers the right result e.g. Only been 5 elects that have not been pop vote
  • reflects the federal nature of the US and ensures candidates campaign in a range of states not simply the most populated
  • faithless elector have never been affected by the final election outcome
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8
Q

What factors affect the outcome of US elections? - money

A
  • Incumbents traditionally outspend challengers
    2016 Senate elections incumbents raised $8.7M while challengers raised $600,000
  • Money is not a guarantee of success Hillary Clinton raised and spent more than Trump in 2016
    $581M v $330M
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9
Q

What factors affect the outcome of US elections? - media

A
  • traditionally TV debates were v. important but now not as much due to an increase in partisan realignment
  • raises profile of the canidates e.g. Obama was hardly known in 2008
  • 2016 Trump and Clinton spent $81M on Facebook ads
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10
Q

What factors affect the outcome of US elections? - Issues

A
  • different issues dominate e.g. 2004 main issue was security and foreign policy after 9/11
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11
Q

What factors affect the outcome of US elections? - leadership

A
  • leadership is closely tied in to canidate personalities and track record
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12
Q

What factors affect the outcome of US elections? - significance of incumbency

A
  • 2016 93% senators and 98% house members re-elected
  • since 1945 4 presidents have failed to be re-elected, Trump, Bush Senior, Ford and Cater
  • incumbents have greater name recognition, and established staff
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13
Q

Why is the cost of US election so high?

A
  • number and frequency of elections e.g. presidential, congressional, state gov elections, primaries, caucus
  • 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act has been ineffective
  • no limit on number on political ads that can be on TV
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14
Q

What is hard money?

A
  • money raised and donated to official campagins
  • TV ads produced by the candidates themselves are accompanied by an endorsement voice over with the candidates approval
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15
Q

What is soft money?

A
  • money raised and spent independently of the candidates’ official campaign, but which supports their candidate and attacks opposition
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16
Q

Should campaign finance be reformed? - yes

A
  • election expenditure has gotten out of control
  • the emphasis on fantasising distracts elected representatives from focusing on doing their real job
  • cost of elections means that only the personally wealthy or well connected e.g. Trump can afford to enter politics - heightens elites nature of politics
  • reforms are desperately needed to plug loopholes like the emergence of superPACs such as 527 & 501 groups
17
Q

Should campagin finance be reformed? - no

A
  • allowing for inflation, 2016 saw slightly less spent than 2008 & 2012
  • fundraising and political donations are a crucial part of the democratic process (all supporters to show loyalty)
  • USSC has upheld Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 2003
18
Q

When is direct Democracy used in the US?

A

Referendums:
- some states require referendums when the state changes taxes
- 2016 Alabama referendum to change procedures on impeachment of officials
Initiatives propositions:
- 2016 71 initiatives were voted on
-2016 9 states held initiatives on legalising marijuana
Recall elections:
- takes 790,000 signatures to recall the governor of Michigan

19
Q

Does direct democracy help democracy?

A
  • Helps voters to have a direct say in framing laws “purer form)
  • Promotes variation in laws between different types of state e.g. liberal/conservative
  • adds another check and balance to state executives and legislatures between elections
  • increases opportunities for political participation
  • pressure groups often get involved e.g. NRA publicly backed measure 2014 to strengthen 2nd amendment
20
Q

Does direct democracy hinder democracy?

A
  • Can lead to the tyranny of the majority, namely voters passing laws that negatively impact on a minority e.g. driving tests can only be in English
  • Ordinary voters may not always understand complex laws fully but also may vote on unsustainable laws e.g. decrease tax but increase public service spending
  • adds more opportunity for stalemate and stalling over important issues
21
Q

What are the Primacy factors that affect voting behaviour? - race

A
  • African Americans overwhelmingly vote Democrat e.g. 2016 88% voted Dem while 65% Asian Americans voted Dem
  • White voters support Republicans but with small margins e.g. 2016 59% white voters voted Trump
22
Q

What are the Primacy factors that affect voting behaviour? - gender

A
  • women are more likely to vote Democrat while men tend to vote Republican
  • e.g. 2016 54% women - Hillary Clinton
    53% men - Trump
23
Q

What are the Primacy factors that affect voting behaviour? - religion

A
  • white evangelical Christians strongly back Republicans 2016 81% voted Trump
  • Non religous voters strongly vote Democrat 2916 68% voted Clinton
24
Q

What are the Primacy factors that affect voting behaviour? - wealth

A
  • there is less of a difference than might be expected
  • 2016
    both rep and Dem received 47% vote from those earning more than $100,000
    53% earning under $50,000 voted Dem
25
Q

What are the Primacy factors that affect voting behaviour? - self declared philosophy

A
  • 2016
  • 84% liberal voted Clinton
  • 81% conservative voted Trump
26
Q

What are the Primacy factors that affect voting behaviour? - sexual orientation

A
  • 2016
  • 78% who identified in the LGBT group voted Clinton while 14% voted Trump
27
Q

What are the Primacy factors that affect voting behaviour? - geography

A
  • suburban and rural areas favour Republicans while urban areas prefer Democrats
  • 2016
    90% of urban areas were won by Clinton
    75-90% suburbs backed Trump
28
Q

What are the Recency factors that affect voting behaviour? - issues and policies

A
  • Trump emphasise on restricting immigration and a travel ban on many Muslims and tariffs on foreign imports
  • Clinton opposed all of these
29
Q

What are the Recency factors that affect voting behaviour? - personalities

A
  • Clinton emphasises experience (first lady, senator and secretary of state)
  • Trump emphasised business record
30
Q

What are the Recency factors that affect voting behaviour? - October surprises

A
  • Trump and his Hollywood access tape
  • Clinton and her private email server
31
Q

How was the 1968 election a re-aligning election?

A
  • Nixon v Humphrey
  • Dems made progressive stance on civil rights and peace movements
  • Reps and southern strategy
  • election ushered in an era of Rep dominance in elections - winning 7/10 elections until 2004
32
Q

How was the 2016 election a re-aligning election?

A
  • Trump v Clinton
  • loyal Blue states such as Ohio swung behind Trump 62% of the vote
33
Q

What is split ticket voting?

A
  • ability oto vote for canidates from different parties for different elected posts in the same election
  • but growth of hyper-partisanship has made this much less common
  • 2016 only 35 states split congressional districts
34
Q

What evidence is there for abstention in voting?

A
  • 55.7% population that is voting age turned out
  • turnout for primaries typically less than 30% - 5.5.% in Kansas caucuses
  • 2012 66% African Americans turned out compared to 64% white
  • 2016 63% women turned out to vote compared to 59% men
35
Q

What are the reasons for low voter turn out in US elections?

A
  • multiple elections - democratic overload
  • lack of voter choice (two parties)
  • political alienation - political efficacy
  • voter registration requirements
  • New Voter ID laws e.g. in Texas they require a gov issued passport to vote
  • Gerrymandering in states increases the uncompetitive mature of many house district

AQA A-level US and comparative politics (government and politics) (14 decks)

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