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USA Government and Politics > Electoral Process and Direct Democracy > Flashcards

Electoral Process and Direct Democracy Flashcards

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1
Q

How often are presidential elections?

A

Every 4 years

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2
Q

What happens when a president dies?

A

VP takes over - doesn’t trigger an election

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3
Q

What day does the election happened?

A

The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November

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4
Q

What are mid term elections?

A

A test of the current president

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5
Q

What must presidential candidates be?

A

Natural Born, 35 years old, Residency of 14 years

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6
Q

What amendment limits presidents to two terms?

A

23rd Amendment 1951

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7
Q

What is usually a significant requirement?

A

Political experience - Trump didn’t have any

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8
Q

Where do most successful candidates come from?

A

Congressional backgrounds - mainly senators - or state governorships

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9
Q

How many presidents between 1968 and 2020 have been senators or state governors?

A

11 senators, 6 state senators

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10
Q

How many have been vP?

A

7

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11
Q

What was part of Trump’s appeal?

A

Not a party of the Washington elite

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12
Q

What has never happened?

A

An independent candidate win the White House - party endorsement is important

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13
Q

Who else came outside of party establishment?

A

Eisenhower 1952

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14
Q

What have presidential elections been dominated by?

A

White Men

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15
Q

Who was the democratic race between in 2008?

A

Clinton and Obama

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16
Q

What was significant about Obama?

A

First African American president

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17
Q

What was significant about Hilary?

A

First female presidential candidate in 2016.

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18
Q

What has also been a feature of presidential candidates?

A

Being married and a “family man”

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19
Q

Who was a Bachelor?

A

James Buchanan 1856

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20
Q

What can candidates not do in the primaries?

A

Call upon party support - they are on their own

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21
Q

Why do some presidential hopefuls fail?

A

Unable to put together a cohesive campaign

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22
Q

What has become more important?

A

Telegenic - JFK vs Nixon

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23
Q

What did Trump rely on heavily?

A

His skills of media manipulation

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24
Q

What has the president become?

A

Celebrity politicians - Reagan and Trump

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25
Q

What also matters?

A

Policies and visions - emphasis on practical and relevant policies

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26
Q

What is essential?

A

Appeal to both the core vote in “red and blue” states but also to win battle in swing states.

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27
Q

What have recent campaigns focussed on?

A

Issues of concern to many middle class Americans - economy, tax, jobs and immigration

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28
Q

What criticisms have there been?

A

Politicians know how to campaign but don’t know how to govern - in campaign mode but unable to use powers effectively - progressives.

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29
Q

When was the term “invisible primaries” coined?

A

1976 by Arthur T Hadley

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30
Q

When does the invisible primary start?

A

18 months before the presidential election

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31
Q

What are the invisible primaries?

A

Opportunity for candidates to raise their profile, gain national recognition, raise money and lay foundations for a successful campaign.

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32
Q

How is success measured in the invisible primaries?

A

National media exposure - on TV through CNN’s State of the Nation show and the like, or in newspapers like the New York Tomes or Washington Post. Sentiment that media can make or break someone in the invisible primaries.

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33
Q

When do candidates make a formal announcement of their candidacy?

A

Around a year before the election - have a clearer idea of their prospects

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34
Q

What is key to the early prospects of a candidate?

A

Polling - those that poll strongly at the outset are those most likely to emerge at or near the top following the primaries proper.

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35
Q

How many Democrats were in the invisible primaries in 2020?

A

29

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36
Q

How many Republicans were in the invisible primaries in 2015?

A

17

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37
Q

What formal events are there in the invisible primaries?

A

Debates

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38
Q

Who are usually the first to drop out of the race?

A

Those who don’t have money

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39
Q

How much money did Ben Carson raise in 2016?

A

$58 million

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40
Q

How much money did Jeb Bush raise in 2016?

A

$34 million

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41
Q

How much of his own money did Trump use?

A

$18 million - added to the $25 million

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42
Q

What does conventional wisdom suggest?

A

The early front runner is usually the one who secures the nomination - all about momentum.

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43
Q

Who lead the primary in 2007?

A

Clinton not Obama

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44
Q

Since 1972, how many republican front runners got the candidacy?

A

7/8

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45
Q

How many front runners for the Democrats have won the candidacy?

A

5/10

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46
Q

What is the main purpose of primaries and caucuses?

A

Select delegates who are pledged to vote for a particular candidate at the national convention. Used to select party candidates for state and congressional elections.

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47
Q

Who usually gets selected?

A

Incumbents - Trump in 2020 and Obama in 2012

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48
Q

What is turnout for primaries or caucuses?

A

Low - tends to be the core voters and supporter

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49
Q

What do candidates tend to do?

A

Veer to the extremes to attract votes from their more ideologically strong supporters?

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50
Q

What can happen?

A

Personal animosity and negativity

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51
Q

What sparks personal animosity?

A

Candidates are considered out of touch, too old, too moderate and not conservative/liberal enough by rivals

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52
Q

What did Trump do in the 2016 Primaries?

A

Gave opponents unflattering nicknames - lying Ted or cry baby Runio

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53
Q

What are presidential primaries?

A

State based elections to select party candidates - chosen by ordinary and turn-out is higher than caucuses

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54
Q

What are presidential caucuses?

A

State-based meetings to select party candidates, but tend to have lower levels of engagement than primaries.

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55
Q

What is the main difference between presidential caucuses and primaries?

A

Primaries - voting takes place in the same way as for mainstream elections
Caucuses - voting takes place in person at a large venue

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56
Q

What kind of supporters do caucuses attract?

A

More ideological voters

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57
Q

Examples of caucus states?

A

Iowa and Dakota

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58
Q

What do states that tend to hold caucuses tend to be like?

A

Geographically large but sparsely populated

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59
Q

What dictates how primaries and caucuses operate?

A

State law - but they are all a popular test of candidates and all elect delegates

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60
Q

When do primaries run from?

A

January to June - timing determined by states

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61
Q

Why do some states opt to go early?

A

Maximise media coverage

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62
Q

Example of Early State?

A

New Hampshire - first primary
Iowa - first caucus

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63
Q

What is the most famous grouping of regional states?

A

Super Tuesday - 2020 had 14 states voting

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64
Q

What can happen on Super Tuesday?

A

Up to a third of all delegates are elected on Super Tuesday - strong performance can secure a nomination

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65
Q

What has become a trend?

A

Front-loading the election - states move their primaries up in the process to give their votes more influence

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66
Q

How many states held primaries or caucuses before March in 1980?

A

11

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67
Q

How many states held primaries before March in 2008?

A

42 - including Texas and California

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68
Q

What happened in 2016 and 2020?

A

Move back towards an extended primary season but all over by the end of March

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69
Q

What can primaries be?

A

Open or closed

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70
Q

What is a closed primary?

A

Only those who have registered an affiliation can vote in that party’s primary

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71
Q

What is an open primary and what can happen?

A

Anyone can vote in an open primary - can lead to cross-over voting

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72
Q

What happened in 2008?

A

Significant number of Republicans and independents endorsed Obama

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73
Q

Example of a closed primary state?

A

Delaware and Kentucky

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74
Q

What do some primaries do?

A

Adopt a winner-takes-all approach to awarding delegates - others have a proportional approach

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75
Q

Example of a partially closed state?

A

Utah and South Dakota

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76
Q

What is a partially closed state?

A

Up to the party to decide if they let in unaffiliated or opposition voters - can exclude opposition voters but let in unaffiliated votes

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77
Q

Which states don’t have a winner takes all approach with EC votes?

A

Maine and Nebraska

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78
Q

What is the threshold for delegates in most states?

A

10% or 15%

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79
Q

What are all democrat primaries?

A

Proportional

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80
Q

What states are not proportional for Republican primaries?

A

Arizona, Florida and Ohio

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81
Q

How many voters attended the 2012 Republican caucus?

A

2108

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82
Q

What % of the vote did Cruz, Trump and Rubio gain in 2016?

A

27%, 24% and 23% respectively

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83
Q

Where did all three of McCain, Romney and Trump lose but won the nomination?

A

Iowa

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84
Q

What is a bellwether state?

A

Win this state, win the nomination

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85
Q

Example of a Bellwether state?

A

New Hampshire

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86
Q

Who hasn’t won New Hampshire?

A

Clinton 1992, Bush 2000, Obama 2008 and Biden 2020

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87
Q

What does New Hampshire do in terms of candidate performance?

A

Lays fown a marker for how an individual will perform - also raises the profile and attracts campaign moeny

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88
Q

Why was Clinton dubbed the “comeback kid”

A

Clinton came second in 1992, recovering from early controversy surrounding his personal life (drug use, draft dodging, infidelity) and was able to exceed expectation

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89
Q

Where didn’t hold a Democrat Primary in 2012?

A

Virginia, South Carolina, Florida and New York

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90
Q

How many states did Obama get less than 90% in 2012?

A

14

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91
Q

How many states did Obama get less than 60% in 2012?

A

4

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92
Q

Who took 40% of the vote in West Virginia?

A

Keith Judd - despite serving s prison conviction for extortion

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93
Q

When did presidents face a serious challenge from within their own parties?

A

1976: Ford v Reagan, 1980: Carter and Kennedy and 1992 Bush and Buchanan

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94
Q

What does friendly fire do?

A

Damages credibility in the eyes of voters and provides ammunition for political opponents

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95
Q

What has happened since the McGovern Fraser reforms?

A

Primaries have become the norm following 1968 - turnout increased

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96
Q

What % of people voted in Montana in 2020?

A

45.7%

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97
Q

How many people voted in North Dakota in 2020?

A

2.6%

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98
Q

Who are the most likely to vote?

A

Higher levels of educational attainment or higher income groups are amongst the most likely to vote - also older voters.

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99
Q

What % of under 24s voted in 2016?

A

6%

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100
Q

What % of 45+ voted?

A

75%

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101
Q

Where had the highest youth turnout in the 2022 midterms?

A

Michigan - 37%

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102
Q

Why do competitive races raise turnout?

A

There is a genuine contest between candidates

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103
Q

Why do later primaries have lower turnout?

A

Nomination race can be effectively won and most candidates drop out

104
Q

How were candidates chosen before 1968?

A

Opaque way by party bosses at a state level - lots of power to the elites - lack of democracy

105
Q

When and why did Dems initiate the reforms?

A

1967 - Humphrey was chosen as nominee without having entering primaries

106
Q

What was the average of voters in 1968?

A

11%

107
Q

What was the average of voters in 2016?

A

20%

108
Q

How many hopeful candidates were there in 1968?

A

5 across both parties

109
Q

How many hopeful candidates were there in 2016?

A

22

110
Q

What could the primaries be described as?

A

Survival of the fittest - political natural selection

111
Q

How many days before the New Hampshire Primaries did Nixon enter the race?

A

40 days

112
Q

How much money did Sanders spend in 2016?

A

$235 million

113
Q

How much money did Clinton spend in 2016?

A

$275 million

114
Q

What does the ridiculous amount of money bring questions about?

A

Does money buy the nomination

115
Q

What has media been described as?

A

King makers - the way they present the candidates and their campaigns

116
Q

What does the debate process do?

A

Relegate policy behind image and personality

117
Q

What do primaries also lead to?

A

Infighting between parties and can be damaging to the general election

118
Q

When did the Democrats introduce peer review?

A

1984 - introduction of super-delegates

119
Q

What are super-delegates?

A

Party grandees, but have only been required to vote once - in 2008 to separate Clinton and Obama.

120
Q

How have super-delegates been criticised?

A

Undemocratic and a break on radical candidates.

121
Q

What would the abolition of caucuses do?

A

Increase participation

122
Q

What would abolishing closed primaries do?

A

Increase participation

123
Q

What would changing the running order of primaries do?

A

Avoid certain states holding too much sway

124
Q

What would linking super-delegates to primary results mean?

A

Avoid the possibility of voters wishes being ignored by party elites

125
Q

What would candidates choosing their own delegates avoid?

A

Faithless voters

126
Q

What would single national primary elections do?

A

Remove the federal aspect of the process and disadvantage both small states and relatively unknown candidates seeking to build up momentum over a series of contests by gaining endorsements and donations along the way.

127
Q

What would rotating regional primaries mean?

A

Country is divided into four regions with each region taking turns at holding all their primaries on the same day

128
Q

What would the disadvantage of regional primaries be?

A

Candidates with strong support in a particular region might gain a clear initial advantage/disadvantage.

129
Q

What is the Delaware plan?

A

Allow small states to go first - four categories grouped by population size - four stage process.

130
Q

How many of the Super Tuesday primaries did Biden win?

A

10/14

131
Q

How were VPs chosen by the national convention?

A

Until 1980

132
Q

What happened in 1984?

A

Mondale broke with tradition and announced his running mate - Geraldine Ferraro before the convention.

133
Q

When did the Republicans begin announcing the VP before the convention?

A

1996

134
Q

What is a balanced ticket?

A

Balance could be reflected in ideology, age, region, race, or gender.

135
Q

How long had Biden been a senator for?

A

36 years - Former Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

136
Q

Why was Chaney chosen?

A

Former White House Chief of Staff (Ford) and Secretary of Defence (Bush) as well as being a Congressman in the House.

137
Q

Why else do presidents chose a VP?

A

Picking a rival, a presidential candidate can reunite a divided party.

138
Q

What is the National Party Convention now?

A

Formal coronation of successful candidates

139
Q

What do National Part conventions do?

A

Conclude the primary phase of the election process and sets the stages for the general election

140
Q

What is one role of the National Party convention?

A

Chance to unite a divided party as former rivals line up to endorse the winner

141
Q

What else does the NPC do?

A

Gives momentum to the candidates campaign - publicity - outline main policy themes

142
Q

What do most conventions see?

A

A temporary boost in the polls

143
Q

When did this bounce not happen?

A

2020

144
Q

When are conventions usually held?

A

July or August

145
Q

What is the convention in the order of NPC?

A

Challenging party goes first

146
Q

Who decides the venue of NPC?

A

National Committee

147
Q

Who attends?

A

Delegates chosen by the primaries and caucuses

148
Q

What would happen in the past to chose presidential nominees?

A

Roll-call vote by state with delegates making up their minds about who to endorse

149
Q

How are modern delegates committed to vote?

A

Required to vote for a particular candidate

150
Q

What does the new system mean?

A

Winner is usually known before the convention starts

151
Q

What happens if no single candidate receives a majority of delegates?

A

Brokered convention takes place

152
Q

What is a brokered convention?

A

Delegates are no longer committed to a particular candidate and new candidates can enter the race who did not contest the primaries.

153
Q

How many elections required more than one ballot between 1892 and 1952?

A

16 elections

154
Q

When was this last required?

A

Not since 1956

155
Q

What do NPCs decide?

A

Party Platform - policy platform

156
Q

How is the platform decided on?

A

By a Platform Committee which takes soundings from voters across the US

157
Q

When did the debate over party policy highlight party divisions?

A

2016

158
Q

What was the 2016 Republican Convention dominated by?

A

Issues of sexuality and same-sex marriage after Obergefell v Hodges

159
Q

What is the reality of the importance of policy?

A

Little reference is made to the platform during the election and term in office

160
Q

What does the NPC do in theory?

A

Unites the party of the in-fighting of primaries

161
Q

What happened in 2016?

A

Clinton and Sanders supporters were antagonistic at the convention

162
Q

How do Conventions enthuse voters?

A

Televised events - acceptance speech - showcase for the presidency

163
Q

How long is the GE campaign?

A

9 weeks - September through to November

164
Q

What two issues dominate?

A

Campaign finance and televised debates

165
Q

What is the concern with campaign finance?

A

Influence of wealthy individuals and organisations - is this elitist

166
Q

When did this issue reach a peak?

A

1972 - Nixon relying on “fat-cats” to finance re-election

167
Q

What did FECA 1974 introduce?

A

Limits on donations made by individuals, unions and corporations

168
Q

What weakened FECA?

A

Congress with no bipartisan agreement and the SC

169
Q

What was the ruling in Buckley v Valeo?

A

Limiting spending by individuals or political action committees were unconstitutional and were a violation of first amendment rights.

170
Q

What happened in 1979?

A

Congress loosened the rules on soft money - side step FECA

171
Q

What happened between 1976 and 2008?

A

Presidential campaigns were financed via matching funds - in essence public funds allocated by the FEC to eligible candidates.

172
Q

What did Obama do in 2008?

A

Opted out of the funds - gave him more spending power

173
Q

What did Obama do in 2014?

A

Signed legislation effectively ending the system of using public money to finance federal elections.

174
Q

When was BICRA?

A

2002

175
Q

Who introduced BICRA?

A

John McCain and Russell Feingold

176
Q

What did BICRA do?

A

Banned soft money donations to political parties and limited the use of corporate and union money to fund ads discussing political issues within 60 days of a general election or 30 days of primary elections.

177
Q

What was the response to BICRA?

A

527 groups emerged

178
Q

What did the 527 Group do?

A

Raised millions of dollars for the 2004 election

179
Q

What are PACS?

A

Political Action Committees

180
Q

What case reinforced Citizens United?

A

Speechnow.org v FEC

181
Q

How long have Super PACS had a major role in elections?

A

Since 2012

182
Q

How have televised debates been organised since 1987?

A

By Non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates

183
Q

How has the format of debates changed since 1988?

A

Mixing the traditional question-answer style, standing at podium, to town hall style debates (candidates seated on a bar stool facing the audience) and roundtable conversations between the candidates.

184
Q

When was the only time that a third party candidate featured in the debates?

A

1992 with Ross Perot

185
Q

What is the only example of debates transforming an election?

A

Carter v Reagan in 1980 - Reagan’s closing remarks seen as crucial to winning the election

186
Q

What is the October Surprise?

A

A phenomenon several times over the last forty years when an event changes the direction of public opinion.

187
Q

What happened in 1972?

A

Henry Kissinger declared just 12 days before the election that “peace is at hand in Vietnam” - detonated McGovern’s anti-war platforms.

188
Q

What happened in 2016?

A

FBI Director Comey declared he was opening an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of private email during her time at the State Department - something which fed the Crooked Hilary attack line of Trump.

189
Q

What proved controversial in 2020?

A

Early Voting - Trump’s unfounded allegations about fraud surrounding mail-in votes

190
Q

What was the turnout in 1960?

A

67%

191
Q

What was the turnout in 1980?

A

54.7%

192
Q

What was turnout in 1996?

A

51.6%

193
Q

What year had the highest turnout for more than a hundred years?

A

2020

194
Q

Examples of swings states?

A

Ohio, Florida and Virginia

195
Q

What has Ohio been seen as?

A

Bellwether state - backed every election since 1964

196
Q

How many incumbents have lost?

A

4 since 1933

197
Q

What is the main reason for people losing?

A

Poor economy

198
Q

How many times has the loser won?

A

5 times - Adams 1824, 1878 Hayes, 1888 Harrison, 2000 Bush and 2016 Trump

199
Q

How many EC votes are there?

A

538

200
Q

Which state has the most?

A

California with 55

201
Q

What do most states adopt?

A

A majoritarian winner takes all system - FPTP

202
Q

Which states award votes by district?

A

Maine and Nebraska

203
Q

What do electors do after votes have been counted?

A

Meet in the capital of each state and send their results to the VP.

204
Q

Who counts the EC votes?

A

VP

205
Q

What happened in 2001?

A

Al Gore hd to announce his own defeat to Congress

206
Q

What happens in the case of a tie?

A

President would be elected by the house of Representatives, with each state having one vote - a simple majority of 26 out of 50 would suffice - VP by Senate

207
Q

How many times has the electoral college failed to elect a winner?

A

1800 Jefferson and 1824 Adams

208
Q

Who is the only US president to have been elected without winning both the EC and the popular vote

A

John Quincy Adams

209
Q

Why is the EC a thing?

A

Avoidance of tyranny of the majority

210
Q

What is another advantage of the EC?

A

The winner could claim mandate from both the states through the electoral college and from the people via the popular vote.

211
Q

What is a critique of the EC?

A

Small states now have a disproportionate influence, an inversion of the original intention.

212
Q

How many voters in California give one vote?

A

713,000

213
Q

How many voters in Wyoming give one vote?

A

195,000

214
Q

How many EC votes did Perot get in 1992?

A

None with 18.9% of the vote

215
Q

How many elections have rogue electors been a problem

A

7/14 since 1968

216
Q

How many states have laws prohibiting rogue electors?

A

33

217
Q

How many faithless electors were there in 2016?

A

7

218
Q

Example of Faithless elector?

A

Faith Spotted Eagle - Native American activist

219
Q

What was the margin in Pen State in 2020?

A

67,000

220
Q

What was the margin in Georgia in 2020?

A

25,000

221
Q

How many states did George Wallace win in 1968?

A

5

222
Q

What was GWB’s approval rating following 9/11?

A

90%

223
Q

How much of the campaign is focussed on 6 states?

A

80%

224
Q

What is split ticket voting?

A

Voting for candidates from different parties in different election types

225
Q

When was the first time when every Senate race was in line with the presidential result?

A

2016

226
Q

What happened in 2020?

A

Republican Susan Collins held Senate while Maine voted for Biden

227
Q

What happened in 1982 mid-terms?

A

Democrats won 17 of the 28 Senate contests in Reagan won states two years earlier.

228
Q

How many districts split their votes in 2020?

A

Just 16 - record low of under 4%

229
Q

How many House districts voted for the presidential candidate from a different party in 2016?

A

35

230
Q

Example of a quirk in 2016?

A

Democrat Collin Peterson re-elected in a district where Trump was supported by 30%

231
Q

How many reps and senators have lost their party’s nomination in challenges between 1994 and 2010

A

30 reps and 6 senators

232
Q

House of Representatives results in 2012?

A

40 retired, 13 defeated in primaries, 27 defeated in General Election and a total of 350 were re-elected - 90%

233
Q

Senate results in 2012?

A

10 retired, 1 defeated in a primary challenge, 1 defeated in GE - total re-elected 21 - 91% - lost because of reapportionment and redistricting

234
Q

How many elected positions are there?

A

Around half a million

235
Q

What is the most famous state referendum?

A

Colorado - legalise marijauna

236
Q

What proposition banned gay marriage in California in 2003?

A

Proposition 8

237
Q

What does the US have?

A

Ballot Initiatives

238
Q

What are ballot initatives?

A

Bottom up

239
Q

What are referendums?

A

Top down

240
Q

What is a recall election?

A

Write in recalls in California - how Arnold Schwarzenegger became Governor. Ballot initiative for a balanced budget - democrat governor failed to do this and keep services as good.

241
Q

What happened in 2012?

A

Teachers union recalled Scott Walker - he won convincingly

242
Q

What are ballot initiatives?

A

Ppropositions: laws or measures proposed by voters, and if enough signatures are obtained, they’re placed on a ballo

243
Q

Example of ballot intiatives?

A

Marijuana, same sex marriage, Medicaid and voting rights to ex-felons. 2016: compulsory wearing of condoms in adult movies featured on California’s ballot

244
Q

What happened in 2018?

A

78% of Alabaman voters supported an amendment to the state constitution to allow the 10 commandments in courthouses. Half of states allows grows who collect enough signatures to demand a law to be vetoed.

245
Q

What does the number of signatures needed depend on?

A

States law

246
Q

How many signatures are needed in California?

A

8% for constitutional amendments or 5% for a statute of the number of people who voted for the government.

247
Q

What are referendums on?

A

Bills already passed by state legislature

248
Q

What is a legislative referendum?

A

State legislature puts bill up for a vote - 23 for statutes, 49 states for amendments.

249
Q

How many voters need to call for a recall in California?

A

12%

250
Q

What happened in Arkansas in 2014?

A

Opposition to raising minimum wage - voters vote for an initiative to rase the minimum wage - $6.25 to $8.50 an hour - more convincing that the win from the two officials

251
Q

What happened in Arizona in 2014?

A

Arizona Terminal Patients Right to Try - statute to allow terminally ill people to access medical treatments that have completed early clinical trials but not yet approved by the FDA - 78% agreed - strong mandate.

252
Q

What can initiatives lead to?

A

Tyranny of the minority

253
Q

What happened in 2015 in Texas?

A

Houston Equal Rights Ordinance 2015 - 50,000 voter triggered a referendum on the HERO - city law to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Law defeat 61% to 39% - small number of trans voters easily opposed by the majority.

254
Q

What happened in 2016 in California?

A

365,880 signatures were needed for an initiative in California in 2016 - hard for a Grassroots group - need lots of volunteers whereas a wealthy group can hire private companies to collect the signatures.

255
Q

What was the Washington initiative 522 in 2013?

A

Asked if foods should be required to have labels that show if they contain genetically modified ingredients

256
Q

What did polls suggest about initiative 522?

A

Yes had a lead of 62%

257
Q

Why did the yes vote lose?

A

Yes supported by smaller farming groups - $8 million raised. No campaign supported by big business raised $22 million.

USA Government and Politics (7 decks)

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