Elections Flashcards
First stage of presidential election and its function
Invisible primary
Money raising, name recognition announcement or candidacy, party debate
A year before election
2nd stage of presidential election
Primaries and caucuses
Show support for candidates , choose delegates NPCs
Jan / aug
3rd stage of presidential elections
Choosing the VP candidate
Candidate announces choice of running mate
Days/ weeks before convention
4th stage of president election
National party convention
Confirm candidates , approve party platform, acceptance speeches
Aug/sept 3/4 days
5 that stage of pre election
General election campaign
Campaign between parties
Sept, oct and early nov
6th stage of presidential election
Election day
Voters go to polls
Tue after first monday in nov
7th stage of presidential election
Electoral college
Electors vote in state capitals
Mid December
How much did Ron de Santos pay in Iowa caucus
Over 1,400 per voter and still lost
How did trump use legal cases to fund campaign
Selling mugshot mugs made £7.1 mil
Loser of invisible primaries that won
Trump and Obama
Advantages and disadvantages of invisible primaries
Advantages : visibility and support for candidates, allows for range of candidates, scrutiny
Disadvantages: lack of serious debate, dependent of fundraising , voter apathy, hidden scandals
How much money did hakeem jeffires receive from his party 2022
$1000
2024 iowa caucus result
trump won 51% 98/99 districts, de santis 2nd
2024 south carolina primary
trump = 59% of vote
Haley = 40 % (in her home state and where she was governer)
example of caucusses being ideological
2016 sanders won 13 caucus
example of a caucus taking too long to count.
2020 iowa caucus took days due to technical issues
is TO high in primaries
32% TO in 2016
how have been impacted by the media
less up to party leadership
media has impact tv debates, tv chooses based on polls which come from campaigns which rely on money (less democratic advantage to self funded ie trump)
and buying ads
2020 iowa caucus to
9%
example of EC benefiting small state
wyoming has 1 rep and 2 senate and around half a million population
how many more votes did clinton win in 2016
3 mil
how does the ec ensure broad national support for candidates
biden winning sun and rust belt in 2020
example of EC inflating a victory
1996 clinton won 49% of vote but 70% of EC
how does california show dispropotion of EC
has a population of 39 mil but 54 ec votes however if it was proportional to small states it should have 70+
whats an alternative to the EC
national popular vote bill
what was the TO in 2020
66% highest in history, biden won with 306 ec votes, 51% of the voted and had the most votes of any candidate in history
what are the mccain feingold 2002 reforms
attempt to ban soft money and makes candidates endorse their own attack ads
what are matching funds and why arent they used
fed gov would match any donations up to 250, in 2008 obama raised significanlty more without matching funds and focussed on small donations from regular people
what is FECA 1974
aims to reduce reliance on wealthy donors
established FEC
limits hard money and bans donations from abroad
set up matching funds
advantages of the invisible primaries
visibility and support for candidates, a range of candidates and scrutiny of candidates
how many democrat candidates were there in 2020
20 in the first debate
example of when debates have impacted primaries
rick perry (rep) couldnt name the 3 departments he would axe he then acheived less than 1 % of new hampshire vote
disadvantages of invisible primaries
lack of serious debate (to many candidates and soundbites), dependent on fundraising, voter apathy, scandlas emerging after the primary
% of iowa caucus which sanders won
26
how do primaries and caucuses uphold federalism
states choose when they vote and the type of vote they use
closed primary
only registered party voters can vote florida
open primary
where any registered can vote used in texas
modified primaries
only registered party membrs can vote in the primary as well as independent voters
proportional primaries
number of delegates given to a candidate is based in how many votes they won
% of democrats who voted in the 2012 republican primary
11% most voted for rick santorum
example of a winnner takes all primary
2016 trump won all 58 delegates for arizona but only 11 / 23 in new hampshire a proportional primary
why was there a significant decline in caucusses used in the 2020 dem primary
saw them as inaccessible and too ideological
which primary does the winner usually win
the new hampshire primary
who was bidens challenger in the 2024 primaries
dean phillips
what has happened to incumbents who have faced challenges in primaries
they lose the election - george hw bush and jimmy carter
how has tunrout for primaries increased
from 11% in the 1960s to 28% in 2016
how has the number of presidential primaries increased
from 5 in 1968 to 23 in 2016
whats wrong with presidential primaries
low turnout when incumbents are involved unrepresentative, process takes too long, expensive
2020 iowa caucus to
9%
what impact can conventions have on polls
post convention bounce
- however this is only accurate in 50% and may have little impact ie 2020 where biden rose by 3% and trump fell by 1%
example presidential debates dont matter
72% felt that mitt romney preformded better that obama in the 2012 election
2016 where did 94% of campaign events take place
in 12 key states
how many states had no events on 2020
14 and dc
% of votes ross perot won in 1992
18.9%
how amny ec votes does california have and how many does it need to be proportional
55 - 200
2016% ov vote trump won in comparision to ec
46% but 57% of the ec
how many of the last 14 elections have had faithless voters
8
how many states have laws preventing faithless electors
33 and dc
example of a faithless elector
2016 hawii gave a vote to bernie sanders and a vp vote to elizabeth warren
how many people does a ecv rep in wyoming compared to california
wyoming has 1 per 200,000 and california has over 3 times as many peopl per ecv
altenaitves to ec
maine uses a system where votes are given to the winner in districts and 2 for the overall winner
-propotional system based in states
-direct elction plan where there is a straightforward direct election
% of presidents who have won relection
69%
incumbency rate in congress
80%
