Campaigns and Primaries Flashcards
Why are campaigns so expensive?
Campaign cost accumulate due to the need to reach such a vast population and the high cost of media/television/digital advertising. Also, California has a high proportion of non-partisan, independent, and low-propensity voters, which means that effective campaigns must invest heavily in voter outreach, registration, and mobilization efforts. Moreover, the Top-Two Primary system means that campaigns must be prepared to run through multiple rounds of voting, necessitating sustained fundraising and advertising efforts over a longer period.
How do candidates raise the money to support them?
- Personal: Their own money ( as seen by Arnold Sch. and Trump). This is a growing trend, although California voters tend to be more skeptical of self-funded candidates
- Friends/Family/Work Colleagues ( also seen by Trump, Kamala, etc)
- Local opinion leaders and political activists: There are lots of big/small donors but it gets tougher to obtain these donors the further you move down (ie. legislature vs. governor)
- Interest groups and PACS: common for state legislature and low-profile races. However, there is an expectation of return as these groups have personal interests.
- Other Candidates
What are the implications of moneys central role in campaigning?
-The high cost of running a campaign creates a barrier to entry for candidates without access to significant financial resources. This can lead to a lack of political diversity in the pool of candidates.
-Candidates who are able to raise large sums of money are more likely to succeed, and this often means that the interests of the wealthy few are prioritized over those of ordinary citizens or marginalized communities.
-Because of the high costs of campaigning, many candidates spend a significant portion of their time fundraising rather than engaging directly with voters or focusing on policy issues.
-The reliance on large donations for campaigning creates opportunities for corruption or the appearance of corruption. Candidates who accept large sums of money from interest groups or corporations may be seen as being unduly influenced by those donors.
How do money and special interest groups influence campaigns and subsequently, public policy? (Def Quid Pro Quo Corruption)
- Quid pro quo corruption: Exchanging money for a service (“give you money to vote for this bill). This is a felony.
-Legal bribery: Groups have questionnaires that may be used to figure our who to endorse (this is not illegal as it it not direct and the questionaries are often not published but rather secret)
-Insidious corruption: less obvious corruption that can be just as harmful as overt forms of corruption. Seen in “Scope of practice” issues. If optometrist gives you money but dentists don’t, this may determine how the candidate ultimately votes in certain issues.
Detail Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
Landmark case that held that while the government can limit how much individuals contribute to political campaigns, it cannot place limits on campaign expenditures, expenditures by a candidate from personal resources, or independent expenditures by a groups supporting the campaign. This is because the Court equated money with speech in this context, so the First Amendment applies.
-Spending money to influence elections is a form of constitutionally protected free speech
-upheld some federal limits on campaign contributions, but held expenditure limits unconstitutional
Define Independent Expenditure
An expenditure on behalf of a candidate that is made independently of the candidate. Independent expenditure is made to support or oppose the nomination/election of candidate(s), but are not coordinated with the candidates campaign. Independent expenditure can access any publicly available information and use that in their ads. This expenditure cannot be limited and therefore it often exceeds other types of spending.
Describe the history of Campaign Finance Reform: Proposition 9 (1974), Proposition 208 (1996), Proposition 34 (2000)
Prop 9 (1974): Created the five-member Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), limited campaign expenditures for candidates and ballot measure committees, requires lobbyists to register with the California secretary of state, prohibits contributions from lobbyists to candidates, and provides that the Legislative analyses the analysis of ballot measures in the voter pamphlet, among other changes.
Prop 208 (1996): enacted campaign finance limits, prohibited lobbyists from making contributions, establishes voluntary campaign spending limits, limits when campaign fund-raising may occur, and created penalties for campaign finance violations.
Proposition 34 (2000): established limits on campaign contributions to state legislative, executive offices, and state political parties (for support or defeat of candidates). Is what we have today.
Detail Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
The court held 5–4 that the freedom of speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns by corporations including for-profits, nonprofit organizations, labor unions, and other kinds of associations.
-Opened independent expenditures nationally (building on Buckley)
Describe the four primary ways to address campaign finance and reform
- Disclosure: Increase transparency through strict disclosure requirements that ensure that all contributions and expenditures are publicly available and easily accessible. Pro: helps to see who is giving many to who. Con: very cumbersome and doesn’t stop impact of money on politics
-Contribution limits: Limiting the amount of money that individuals, corporations, and PACs can contribute to candidates, parties, and ballot measures. Pro: Limiting impact of money. Con: Keeps big donors from giving checks directly and thus more time spent fundraising
-Spending limits: Limit how much money candidates can spend on their campaigns, which would theoretically reduce the influence of money on elections and encourage candidates to focus more on grassroots campaigning.
-Public Finance: Public pays for campaign through taxpayer dollars, which would limit influence of interest groups. However, there are issues with this as candidates don’t have and are likely encouraged not to accept public finance if they know they can get more funding through other means. Also, these taxpayer dollars could be put toward more important areas like education.
Based on the litigation history of campaign finance, which aforementioned ways to reform seem to be the most likely to be successful.
Transparency and disclosure reforms are highly likely to succeed in California, especially those that focus on disclosure of donors and expenditures by Super PACs, independent expenditure committees, and other third-party groups. Increased transparency aligns with First Amendment principles because it does not directly limit speech or contributions, but rather provides voters with the information they need to evaluate the sources of campaign spending.
Define Blanket Primary
In a blanket primary, voters can choose one candidate from each office, no matter the candidates party affiliation. The top candidates from each party move on.
Define Top Two Primary
In top ten primaries, the two candidates that receive the largest number of votes advance to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation. Consequently, it is possible that two candidates belonging to the same political party could win a top-two and face off in the general election. This scenario would be impossible in a blanket primary.
What are the impacts of Top Two primaries on Californias campaigns and politics?
Negative impacts: The top-two system knocked out minor parties and I created more money in campaigns as you can have two people from the same party running against each other.
Positive impacts: Top two is a way of getting out entrenched incumbent without term limits. It also forced legislators and congress members to think of all their voters, for if they go against someone in the same party they need votes from other party voters.
