Electoral Process And Direct Democracy 28/5 Flashcards
1
Q
3 factors determining electoral outcomes
A
Financing and funding
Media and public opinion
Incumbency
2
Q
Campaign finance
A
Spending money on campaigns, advertising, polling
2016 trump campaign brought in around $500 million
3
Q
Media
A
84 million watched the trump and Clinton first debate
May change public opinion
4
Q
Which case gave business unlimited right to financing elections
A
Citizens United VS FEC
5
Q
Super PACS
A
Unlimited money
6
Q
Which act originally limited campaign funding
A
1974 Federal election campaign act
7
Q
Soft money
A
A way of getting around spending limits, by directing the money to the national party rather than the candidate
8
Q
Incumbency
A
Strong chance of re election
Strong name recognition
Large funding
Ronald reagen won 99% of the primary vote after running for re election
9
Q
What is voting behaviour effected by
A
Religion
Race
Gender
Sexuality
10
Q
How many women voted Clinton 2016
A
54%
11
Q
How many African Americans voted for Obama in 2008
A
95%
12
Q
Why do women mostly vote Democrat
A
Pro choice ideology
13
Q
Turnout in 2016 US election
A
55%
14
Q
Turnout in 2019 UK election
A
67%
15
Q
What do US not do that UK does
A
Referendums - would be complicated, time consuming and expensive
16
Q
How does direct democracy take form
A
Initiatives and propositions
17
Q
How many states have provision for initiatives
A
24 - prompted by individuals or organisations, requires signatures to end up on a ballot
Can concern issues that become federal policies
18
Q
Issues with prompts and initiatives
A
Viewed as a threat to representative democracy
Is expensive
HOWEVER - it refreshes the political two party system
19
Q
Electoral college vote system
A
amount of ECV given to each state = congressional delegation (all have minimum of 3)
Mostly winner takes all, most ECV votes given to winner of most vote
Must win 270 ECV to become president
20
Q
What is the issues with EC regarding small states
A
It gives them power to influence the outcome, and may be over represented
A candidate may have highest individual popular votes but lowest ECVs e.g. Clinton
21
Q
What would direct elections cause
A
Prevention of presidents e.g. Trump winning ECV despite losing the popular vote
However it is unlikely to win 50% of popular vote anyway
22
Q
How long is the general election campaign
A
9 weeks
23
Q
Who messed up their TV debate against who?
A
Gore against Bush
24
Q
National party convention importance
A
Enthuse the parties and electorate
Chooses the presidential candidates
Decided the party platform
25
What was controversial about the republicans in 2016 during the NPC
They wanted to overturn obergefell v hodges 2015 which allowed for same sex marriage
26
What do electoral votes equal
2 senators and the number of HORs (determined by population size)
27
Voter turnout during obamas re election in 2012
14.5%
28
Primaries
An election to appoint delegates to a party or candidate
29
Caucuses
Meetings held within states where public debate on election
30
Three types of primaries
Open
Semi closed
Closed
31
Constitutional requirements for presidency
35 years or older
Loved in the US for 14 years
Not served 2 terms
Major party endorsement
Able to raise large sums of money
Experience and popular policy/ ideology
32
national nomination convention
held every 4 years
state delegates from primaries/caucuses are selected to endorse their favourites and the presidential candidates are announced at the end
33
split ticket voting
a practice whereby individual voters spread their votes across multiple parties during an election
34
split ticket vote example
in 2016 PE all voters casted votes forntheor presidential candidate and for a candidate of the HoR in their district
additionally 34 senate positions were contested
therefor could vote Republican Trump and Democrat HoR/Senate
35
popular vote defintion
the choice expressed through the votes cast by the electorate
36
abstention examples
2016 - only 55% of VAP
2018 - slight rise only due to "Blue Wave" seen as referendum on Trumps administration
37
3 reasons for low voter turnout
alienation - may feel like their vote is wasted e.g a liberal in the south
democracy overload - too many elections
gerrymandering- designing of districts to favour particular voting blocks leading to some feeling like their vote had no value (many in HoR)
38
Other presidential candidate requirements (non-constitutional)
political experience
major party endorsements
fund raising potential(Clinton raised $700,000,000
39
7 stage process of PE
invisible primary
primary+caucus
choosing VP canidate
NPC
GE campaign
Election Day
ECV
40
closed primary
only democrats vote in democrat primary and vice versa
New York has this system
41
open primary
any registered voter can vote in the primary of ether party
cross over voting
alabama
42
advantages of the primary system
allows the ordinary voter to choose
shows ability of a candidate to fundraise, organise and utilise the media to their benefit
shows any policy issues have any
credibility with the electorate
involves all states including the smaller ones to be noticed
43
disadvantages of primaries
costly and lengthy
focus on candidate more than policy - significant in 2020 democratic debates
raiding - rival party vote for weakest candidate to make it easier for their own in open primaries
44
opinions on primaries in 1950s
deemed as undemocratic, elitist non parcipiatory and corrupt
used State Party Conventions decisions made by party bosses
45
when was the primary system reformed
following events at Dem NPC where convention chose VP Humphrey despite not entering a primary
following Humphrey loss to Nixon, democrats establish McGovern-Fraser Commission to recommend reforms]
commission led to increase in states holding primaries from 1972
46
purpose of national nomination convention
strong political importance
more of a coronation
if no clear winner, may lead to brokered convention which delegates are asked to decide on
energise the base of the party
lead to a boost in the polls = political momentum
47
key charecteristics of EC
only used for PEs
indirect form of election
'winner takes all'
a simple majority is needed to win - 270
if there is a tie HoR chooses P Senate chooses VP
48
disadvantages of the EC
fails to take into account the PV
-> Clinton won PV but lost ECV by 58 votes
creates a wasted vote syndrome
depresses voter turnout in safe states with winner takes all
ECV based on different US (no mass media, no female vote, no racial diversity)
faithless voters could fail to allow what the state voters wanted the EC voters to do
49
advantages of the EC
does allow a clear winner
any change would require difficult ammendment
favours smaller states as a % of the population appear to have more worth
faithless electors never affected the result
50
factors impacting the election
money e.g Obama spent 70% of campaign budget on ads and media
Tv debates - 1960 between Nixon and Kennedy (showed Kennedys youth and charisma)
partisan media - increasingly in. the 21st century
trumps reference to fake news
51
Trump focus in 2016
immigration
end to globalisation
working class vote in rust belt
52
Reagan focus
winning the Cold War
foreign policy
53
trump v Clinton spending
Clinton $768m
trump $380m
54
power of incumbency
greater name recognition
ability to raise money through strong donor base
perceived successful record
since 1945 only 3 have failed to get a second term of office
55
should campaign be reformed - yes
election spending is out of control
frequency and cost of elections = too much spend time raising funds
idea of matched funding has died
in 2000 $240m was given by FEC yet only $1m in 2016 as candidates opted out and fundraised without limits
typically limited by the SC
PACs have big influence
56
campaign finance should not be reformed
2016 saw a large reduction in funding
SC holds up first amendment - donations are a form of free speech
funding distraction is not the issue - it is hyperpartisanship
wealthy will always find loopholes
57
what are propositions
a mechanism by which citizens can place proposed laws and they promote the notion of legislative laboratories
58
2 types of propositions
direct -> goes straight to the ballet
indirect
59
what are recall elections
a procedure which enables voters in a state to remove elected officials from office before their term has expired
60
recall election example
2003 democratic governor Gary Davis of California lost a recall vote was replaced by republican Arnold Schwarzenegger
61
benefits of recall election
increases democratic accountability
makes officials work harder and not become lazy
62
disadvantages of recall elections
it can demean the democratic process because of buyers regret
if used to often it would destabilise the governing process
63
referendums
laws drawn up by the legislatures and put to the people
a means of vetoing state laws
some states have popular referendum for controversial laws to be put to a PV
2016 - a measure in alabama to altere the procedures for the impeachment of state officials
64
advantages of direct democracy in the US
gives people a direct say in what influences them 'purer' form
additional check on govt
maintains a high interest in politics/participation
promotes variation in legislation
pressure group involvemnt
-NRA backed a 2014 measure in alabama to strengthen second amendment rights
65
disdavnatges of direct democracy in the US
many ballots are held by special interest group which hold extra influence through their members
may restrict govt functioning properly
->prop 13 in cali stopped state legislator raising property tax - now in financial crisis
disadvantages minorities- truly majoritarian form of democracy
tyranny of the majority
stalemate and stalling. limits ability to govern
wealthy pressure groups gives disproportionate influence
66
advantages of propositions
higher voter turnout
reforms controversial matters
increases responsiveness of state legislators
67
disadvantages of propositions
lack flexibility - can't be amended after drafting unless adopted
lacks benefits of typical legislative process (debate hearings etc)
vulnerable to the manipulation of special interest groups
68
what are primacy factors
long term influences on voting behaviour e.g age,race, political alignment
69
primacy facots examples and 2016 examples
race - hispanics, african americans and asians typically vote democrat (88% african americans in 2016)
religion - republican : white evangelical Christians (81% trump)
democrat ; non religious voters (68% clinton)
age - young democrat (55% under 30s)
old = republican (52% over 65s)
70
recency factors
short term influences e.g issues and campaigns
71
recency - issues and policies 2016
immigration, trade, foreign policy
trump emphasised restricting immigration and imposing tariffs (protectionism)
72
recency - personality/back ground 2016 eg
clinton emphasised experiences, trump emphasised his business record and anti-establishment background
73
recency- mood of the nation
stong populist sentiment, many worries about future and america place in worl
74
republican core voting coalition
white evanglicals, older, social conservatives, gun owners, sububrs/rural, fearful of immigration
75
dem core voting coalition
ethnic minorities, young, LGBTQ, blue colla runionised workers
76
re-aligning elections
key turning points in voting behaviour, long term shifts in political allegiances
77
Example -1968 Nixon V Humphrey
-increasing polarisation and division in US
-the new right increasingly concerned with standing up to USSE in midst of cold war
-democrats moved to more progressive stance on issues e.g. civil rights
-Nixon ran as champion of silent majority (rejected radicalism and liberalism of the time)
--first example of republicans souther strategy to appeal to disaffected whites by passage of civil rights leg
-permanently disrupted democrats New Deal coalition established by FDR in 1930s
-democrats lost the southern supporters
-ushered in republican dominance, party winning 7/10 elections from 1968-2004
78
Example - 2016 Trump v Clinton
-viewed as a victory for populism over experience and mainstream politicians
-many previous rust belt e.g. ohio, michigan swung behind trump attracted by his promises ab jobs and trade
-revelaed growing gap between urban and multi-ethnic america and the white rural america
-voter blocs remained the same
-some suggested whites in upper Midwest/rust belt may vote more like southern whites : by the decline of organised labour (TUs) which traditionally helped the democrat gain the blue collar vote
79
political efficacy
the sense that ones vote actually makes a difference
80
reasons for low turnout in USA
democratic overload
lack of choice from two party dominance
lack of political efficacy
81
hyper-partisanship
political parties in fierce disagreement with eachother and largely voting the same way in congress
82
diferential abstention
explaining why turnout is traditionally lower among certain groups (e.g. the youth compared to others)
83
electoral system
majoritarian (two party dominance)
HoR and senate elected every 2 years
84
how many ECV does california have
55
85
constant campaigning
sheer number and high frequency of elections
national elections every 2 years involving congressional and state government, governer and judges
86
total cost of 2016 election
$6.5 billion
87
propositions example
in 2016 71 were voted on
nine states in 2016 held votes on legalising marijuana
