Elections Flashcards
what do elections not effectively ensure
accountability
what is poor in elections?
turnout
what was the turnout in the 2014 midterms?
it was lower than 40%
why is turnout often unrepresentative?
it often white, male and wealthy. This means that once again there is an imbalance in the way of election outcomes
what substantial obstacles to voting are there
having to register to vote and voter ID laws - Shelby County v Holder 2013
how often are house elections
every 2 years
how often are senate elections
every 6 years
how often are presidential elections
every 4 years
what was turnout in 2020 and 2018
2020 - 68% of eligible voters
2018 - 49% of eligible voters
what measures have helped to enhance turnout
early voting and postal voting
how many postal votes in 2020
65.6 million
what is American turnout comparatively lower than
countries like Germany and England, who are consistently in the 60 and 70% range
what has the frequency of elections led to
politicians trying to meet the needs of wealthy donors
what leads to safe seats and a guaranteed victory
gerrymandering
what is not unheard of
for reps to serve their whole life
who was the longest-serving house rep
John Dingell, 59 years and 21 days
what is incumbency re-election at
98%
who was returned to congress unopposed
John Lewis
who carries out redistricting in California
a neutral body
who beat an incumbent in 2018
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
how many people lost their senate seat in 2018
6
who lost his senate seat in 2018
Bill Nelson
why is gerrymandering reform unlikely
because both parties use it
what is the imbalance in the electoral college
some votes are more important than others e.g. Wyoming is overrepresented compared to California
