Electoral Process & Direct Democracy Flashcards
What are the three functions of elections
1) sort public opinion
2) establish and produce a strong stable government
3) give voters a voice over who makes decisions of their behalf
What’s the function of a primary
When do they occur
Shows popularity of candidates
Here they choose delegated for conventions
January- June
What is the function of a national party convention
When do they occur
Chooses president and Vice
Decide on party platform (manifesto)
July/ August- early sept
When does campaigning occur in a general election
September, October, first week of November
How are sears allocated in the House of Representatives
Seats allocated to each stage based on size of population
When does reapportionment in the house of reps occur
Following a census taken every 10yrs
How long is the term in HoR
2 years
What is the term length for seats in the senate
6 years
What type of elections are there in the senate
Staggered elections: 1/3 voted on every 2yrs
How long are the terms for the president
4 years
How many electoral college votes are there
538 votes
How are states allocated votes
Based on the population size
3 ways how congressional elections are different to presidential elections
2 ways they are similar
Presidential elections are more competitive
Lower turnout
Mid term elections happen at a different time
————-
Very expensive
2 parties dominate - 3rd parties and independent candidates struggle
Give two examples of strong democratic states
Oregon
New York
Give two examples of strong republican states
Alabama
Oklahoma
What are some of the constitutional requirements to be a member of Congress
- Must be at least 25yrs old
- must been a citizen of USA for last 7 yrs
- be living in the state they represent
Define locality rule
Refers to a principle that candidates must live in the representative state
Define coattails effect
the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election.
To what extent do national or local issues decide mid term congressional elections
Very influential- in Kansas farm susidies decide votes whereas in Texas and New Mexico issues of illegal immigration are key issues
What usually happens to a presidents party in mid- term congressional elections
What did the democrats do during campaigning in 2006 mid term elections
Presidents party usually loses seats in both houses
Voters usually release disappointment in president at this time
——————-
2006 mid term election: democrat party focus on 1) republican incompetence 2) republican scandals 3) events like Iraq war
What is a proposition
A statement or expression that expresses a judgment or opinion, a political idea proposed by a citizen
Give an example of a proposition passed
Proposition 83- requires sex offenders to wear a GPS device after being released from prison
Give an example of a proposition that failed
Proposition 82- tax increase on higher income individuals
Evaluate propositions
✅increase state legislatures accountability
✅increase citizen interest in state issues
❌propositions lack flexibility
How does a referendum work in the states
Voters can veto a bill passed by state legislatures
Citizens take initiative
What is a recall election, give a recent example
Where voters can remove an elected official from office before the term expires, eg removal of democrat governor gray Davis in 2003
One advantage and one disadvantage of recall elections
✅increases democrat accountability
❌demeaning of democratic process ‘buyers regret’
Give an example of a republican and Democrat senator
🔴Ron Johnson
🔵Elizabeth Warren
Give an example of a republican and Democrat house of representative
🔴Steve Scalise
🔵Barbara lee
3 reasons why congressional elections are important
- popularity test. Popularity of president can he gauged by how his party do
- offers a guide as to how a president may do if they stand for re-election
- cause a president to reverse his policies, eg. Reagan forced to soften his economic policies after the ‘86 mid term defeats
How do u run in a congressional election
1) secure the nomination after a congressional primary
2) run a campaign in your district or state
3) defeat the candidate from the other party
Why do some people split ticket vote
People vote for candidates from different political parties for different voters offices
Some people do it deliberately as a form of checks and balances
What are the statistics that show that number of competitive seats have fallen
1992= 111 races decided by a margin of less than 10 percent
2004= 31 seats decided by a margin of less than 10 percent
What mainly influences voting in congressional elections
Voters cast their ballots upon local issues
Eg Kansas farm subsidies
New Mexico- illegal immigration
Define invisible primary
A stage which runs up to the first formal primary in the USA, candidates position themselves to run for the presidency with the purpose to gain media coverage and secure funding
When did Obama announce candidacy
Almost a year before the first primary
Define front loading
When states have their primaries as early as possible
Why are early primaries important
To signal to the nation which candidates are popular, this is known as the bandwagon effect
Evaluate front loading
Pros= endorsement from party leaders have a stronger effect
- high pressure so are a good test of who would make a good president
Cons= early momentum must be generated going into supper Tuesday
-candidates are not able to build on thief success due to little time
What did bill brock say in relation to front-loading
‘Over before they begun’
Define primary
An election to choose a candidate for elective office
What is a caucus
A meeting for the selection of a party’s candidate for elective office
What is the function of a caucus
Local party members meet to discuss a candidate
Debate issues, choose delegates for the national party convention
Compare turnouts at a caucus
Iowa 2012 6.5% of eligible voters turned out
What is the function of a primary
Show popularity of presidential candidates
-choose delegates to go to national party convention
3 advantages of primaries
- there is a significant choice of candidates to choose from so all members of the broad political parties are represented
- gruelling race is a fitting test for the demanding job of presidency
- weighting the votes of elected politicians at national party conventions would allow for ‘peer review’
3 disadvantages of primaries
- primary and caucus voters are unrepresentative of the voting age population
- very expensive, need to raise a lot of money (front loading)
- widespread voter apathy and boredom
what happens at a national party convention
1) choose the partys presidential candidate
2) party platform
3) choose a vice president
give an example of a republican convention
2016- cleveland:
- trump and pence
- 2,500 delegates attended
give an example of a democrat convention
2008- colorado
-nominated obama and biden
what are some of the formal and informal functions of the national party convention
formal: -choosing president and vp -party platform informal: -promoting party unity -enthusing the party faithful -inroduce the future rising stars of the party
why do we have an electoral college rather than a national vote
written in the us constitution by the founding fathers
-due to tradition from when the state would have to go and declare how they voted (ride in on a horse)
how many electoral college votes in california
55
how many electoral college votes in vermont, north alaska
3
what are college votes based on
population size
how many votes must candidates aquire to win
270 of the 538 available
what is the role of electors
formally make the decision on the person to become presidential candidate
send votes to VP to e counted early jan
what happens if no candidate wins a majority
president would be elected by the house of representatives who would choose from top 3
if no majority here, they would go to the senate
should the electoral college system be replaced
YES:
-suppresses the popular will, allows a candidate to win presidency despite winning a minority of votes across the country as a whole
-some votes count more than others
-small states are overrepresented
NO_
-importance of federalism
-cohesiveness- president has to win votes from a variety of states
-two party system voters have a clear cut choice
compare population and ecv in california and wyoming
california has 55 ECV and 38 million people
wyoming has 3 ECV and half a million people
UNPROPORTIONAL
