Chapter 8: Voting and Political Participation

Question 1

Be able to define political participation and give examples of different kinds

Answer 1

o Actions that are aimed at changing or supporting the actions of political agents and officials.

Such as Voting, Protesting, Community work, Joining political organizations

Question 2

Compare and contrast the two types of Political Participation

Answer 2

o Conventional participation is routine behavior that uses the institutional channels and is acceptable to the dominant culture (voting, signs in yard).

o Unconventional participation is relatively uncommon behavior that challenges or defies established institutions or the dominant culture Spray painting slogans on walls).

Question 3

Be able to identify why political participation matters and identify the key role that individuals play in the government

Answer 3

Political participation matters because it is a critical part of any democracy. Individuals play a key role in the government by voicing their concerns and their opinions through political participation.

Question 4

Explain why voting is not a rational behavior of political participation

Answer 4

Voting is an essential component of democracy.

（Indeed, a system of government by the people is legitimate only to the extent that people participate. The fewer the number of people that participate, the less legitimate the system of government becomes.）

Question 5

Identify the key parts of both the Rational and Consumptive Voting Calculus and give examples of each

Answer 5

o Rational:
R=PxB-C

• R: reward
• P: the probability of vote mattering
• B: Benefit you directly receive
• C: Cost of voting

o Consumptive:

R=PXB-C+D •	D: Duty

Question 6

Be able to identify the key features of the likely voter

Answer 6

o	Age
o	Generation
o	Income
o	Education
o	Occupation
o	Residential context
o	Sex
o	Partisanship/Political Interest
o	Socialization
o	Race/Ethnicity

Question 7

Be able to identify other policy or candidate-related factors that affect the likelihood of voting

Answer 7

o	Attitudes
o	Candidates
o	Close election
o	Issues
o	Political Events
o	Political Parties, Labor Unions, Interest groups
o	Social Capital

Question 8

Be able to identify the key factors that contribute to voting choice

Answer 8

o	social identity
o	party identification
o	incumbent performance
o	policy issues
o	candidate traits

Question 9

Be able to explain why voter turnout has declined in the 20th Century

Answer 9

o Participation rules
o Uninformed voters
o Rules too complex
o Leads candidates to be more extreme

Question 10

Be able to compare and contrast the U.S.’s voting system with other industrialized democracies

Answer 10

The US Constitution states that special elections will be held to fill vacant Senate seats, but that state legislatures may empower the governor of the state to fill the seat by an appointment between the time that it becomes vacant and the time that the winner of the special election is certified. Most states allow the governors to pick the replacement who serves until the next general election when the voters decide who will serve the remainder of the term.

Question 11

Be able to identify the factors that affect participation in American elections.

Answer 11

o People will vote when benefits outweigh the costs

R=PxB-C

• R: the reward
• P: the probability that your vote matters
• B: The benefit you will directly receive if your candidate wins
• C: The cost of voting

o R=PxB-C+D

• D: equal to the amount of duty felt by an individual

Question 12

How do we get people to vote?

Answer 12

• The consumptive Model of Voting

* People vote because they get some inherent satisfaction from the act of voting

Question 13

Understand the distinction between primary and general elections and the key structures and rules of each.

Answer 13

o Primary election - a type of election where voters cast secret ballots for the candidate, they want to represent their party in the general election

o Caucus convention - a system of local gatherings where voters decide which candidate to support and select delegates for nominating convention

Question 14

What are Primary election voting rules?

Answer 14

 closed: people may vote if they are registered members of that party. No independents

 open: anyone can vote for a party primary regardless of party affiliation

 semi-closed: If you are registered, you can only vote for who you are with. Independents can vote for anyone

 Run-offs: If neither candidate receives a majority, then the two must face off in a runoff

Question 15

What are General Election rules?

Answer 15

 The nominee from each party faces one another at the general election

 leading up, there will be debates

 In the US, elections are based on the first past the post or plurality electoral rules

 Lastly, the electoral college casts its vote, usually based upon the popular vote, for president

Question 16

Understand the basic rules of campaign finance and how candidates raise funds for campaigns.

Answer 16

o The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 - set a new system of campaign financing based on federal elections based on 3 principles

o Political Action Committees (PACs)

 Individuals can contribute up to $5000 to a PAC

 The PAC can only contribute $5000 to a
candidate and up to $15000 to a national party but can use the money in other places

 Cannot accept corporate donations

o Super PACs

 “created” by the Citizens. United Supreme Court decision

 can accept unlimited donations

Question 17

Explain the role that the Electoral College has played in the evolution of campaigns and the party system.

Answer 17

o Electoral College

 Article 2, Section 1

• Details about electors
• number of electors per state
• Qualifications to be an elector

o The actual election

 If no candidate wins a majority or there is a tie, the vote goes to the House of Representatives

Question 18

Identify the current debates surrounding the Electoral College use.

Answer 18

o Problems with the electoral college

 The popular vote may lose
 Contingency problem
 “Constant two”
 Faithless factor

• Problem 1: popular vote may lose, happened 5 times

• Problem 2: it is not a particularly good plan
because each state only gets one vote, only the house of representatives gets to vote, they all must agree

• Problem 3: Each state is awarded 2 electoral votes in addition to the vote it has based on its population, L-Lock
• Problem 4: Few states have laws where electors have to vote the way the population voted

Question 19

Define Conventional Participation

Answer 19

Conventional participation is routine behavior that uses the institutional channels and is acceptable to the dominant culture (voting, signs in yard).

Question 20

Define Unconventional Participation

Answer 20

Unconventional participation is relatively uncommon behavior that challenges or defies established institutions or the dominant culture Spray painting slogans on walls).

Question 21

Define Rational Voting Model

Answer 21

An influential political scientific model that predicts citizens will vote if the benefits of doing so exceed the cost

Question 22

Define Consumptive Voting Model

Answer 22

System in which citizens pay a fine or receive some other punishments if they do not vote.

Question 23

Define Prospective Voting

Answer 23

Voting is based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected.

Question 24

Define Retrospective Voting

Answer 24

A theory of voting in which voters essentially ask this simple question: “What have you done for me lately?”

(Using the past performance of candidate/party to make a decision.)

Question 25

Define Sociographic Voting

Answer 25

Focuses on the national economy

Question 26

Define Pocketbook Voting

Answer 26

Focusing on your personal financial situation

Question 27

Define Primary Election

Answer 27

Elections held to determine parties’ nominees

Question 28

Define Caucus

Answer 28

a system for selecting convention delegates used in about a dozen mostly rural states in which voters must show up at a set time and attend an open meeting to express their presidential preference.

Question 29

Define Citizens United v. FEC

Answer 29

Corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited because doing so would violate the First Amendment.

Question 30

Define Political Action Committee

Answer 30

An organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation.

Question 31

Define Gerrymandering

Answer 31

Gerrymandering is the practice of setting boundaries of electoral districts to favor specific political interests within legislative bodies, often resulting in districts with convoluted, winding boundaries rather than compact areas.

Question 32

Define Super PAC

Answer 32

Political-action committee that is allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, individuals, and associations.

Question 33

Define Electoral College

Answer 33

A group selected by the states to elect the president and the vice-president, in which each state’s number of electors is equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress.

Question 34

Define Federal Elections Commission

Answer 34

An independent regulatory agency created in 1975 whose members are appointed by the president; responsible for overseeing campaign financing, including who can give money, how much they can give, and how donations are disclosed.