Chapter 5 - 1/5 - Electoral systems Flashcards
How often is a presidential election?
Every 4 years.
When was the first presidential election?
1788
Why is a presidential election held every 4 years?
It is laid down in Article II of the Constitution.
What are the 7 stages of the presidential election?
- Invisible primary
- Primaries and caucuses
- Choosing the VP candidate
- National party conventions
- General election campaign
- Election day
- Electoral college voting
What are the 4 functions of the invisible primaries?
- Candidate’s announce their intention to run.
- Generate name recognition.
- Raise funds.
- Gauge public support.
When do the invisible primaries occur?
A year before the election.
What happens at the National Party conventions?
Confirm presidential and vice presidential candidates.
What must you be in order to run for president?
You must be a natural-born US citizen.
How old must you be in order to be president?
35
Who was the youngest ever elected president?
John F. Kennedy, who was 43.
How long must you have lived in the US in order to run for president?
14 years
What Amendment limited the president to two terms in office?
Twenty-second Amendment
When was the Twenty-second Amendment passed?
1951
Who chooses presidential candidates in the USA?
Ordinary voters, not parties.
What is the invisible primary?
The time between candidates declaring their intention to run and the first primaries and caucuses.
What media event is a key part of the invisible primary?
Televised intra-party debates between the candidates.
What did Ben Carson, Republican candidate in 2016, say about the media debates of the invisible primaries?
He criticised them for not “being able to explain something in depth”, being more of a media circus.
What did Donald Trump do to fund his campaign?
He largely self-financed it.
How much did Joe Biden spend in the 2020 primaries?
$116 million
What usually happens to the person leading at the end of the invisible primaries?
More often than not they are confirmed as the nominee.
Where did Trump stand at the end of the invisible primaries?
He was in the lead, 16-points ahead of Ted Cruz.
What is the invisible primary sometimes dubbed?
The money primary
What is the presidential primary?
A state-based election to choose a party’s candidate for the presidency.
What are presidential caucuses?
A series of state-based meetings to choose a party’s candidate for the presidency.
What is the difference between a presidential primary and a presidential caucus?
A primary is an election whereas a caucus is a meeting.
What sort of states hold caucuses?
Ones that are geographically large but thinly populated, such as Iowa and Nevada.
What sort of people go to caucuses?
Passionate and ideologically driven.
How many caucuses did the Democrats hold in the 2020 election?
Just 4, showing they are being used less and less.
Why did Bernie Sanders do well in the caucuses?
Because those who attended were more ideologically driven.
Who regulates the running of the state primaries?
Each state regulates its own primaries, meaning there are variations in how they are run.
What are the two functions of primaries?
- Show the popularity of presidential candidates
- Choose delegates to go to national party conventions
Who decides when to hold a primary?
Each state decides when to hold their own primaries.
What is Super Tuesday?
A day in February or early March when multiple states hold their primaries and caucuses at the same time to try and gain influence and attention.
What is front loading?
When a state schedules its presidential primaries or caucuses early on in the election cycle to try and gain importance and attention.
What is a closed primary?
A primary in which only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote in their respective party’s primary - if you are not registered for a party then you have no say in this stage of the election process.
What is an open primary?
A primary in which any registered voter can vote in either party’s primary.
What is a modified primary?
A state which allows voters registered as ‘independent’ to vote in the primary for either party.
What is a proportional primary?
A primary in which candidates win delegates in proportion to the votes they get.
What happens to primaries when an incumbent is running for the presidency again?
They get next to no coverage and are sometimes even cancelled entirely.
Which two states did not even bother holding Republican Party primaries in 2020?
- Arizona
- South Carolina
What is the 3 formal functions of the national party convention?
- Select the presidential candidate
- Select the vice presidential candidate
- Decide on a party platform
Why is the result of the presidential candidate virtually a foregone conclusion nowadays?
Because most delegates arrive as ‘committed delegates’, pledged to vote for the candidate decided on in their state’s primary or caucus.
What must a presidential candidate receive in order to be officially nominated for president?
An absolute majority of delegate votes.
What is it more accurate to say about the role of national party conventions choosing a candidate?
National party conventions just confirm - rather than choose - the presidential candidate.
What is a brokered convention?
A national party convention in which no candidate receives an absolute majority on the first ballot, and voting continues until a candidate does.
How do delegates operate in a brokered convention?
They are no longer bound to vote for the candidate decided on in primaries or caucuses, and can vote for whomever they wish - party leaders dread this happening.
