Electoral Process, Mass Media, Interest Groups Flashcards
2 Steps of United States Election
Nomination
General electionq
Ways in which candidates are nominated
- Self Announcement (Write-In on Ballot)
- The Caucus
- The Convention
- The Petition
Petition
Candidates must get a required number of signatures to get on the ballot
Often used on local level
The Caucus
Series of meetings held within a state
Grass-roots approach to democracy
Town hall style meetings
Which Caucus is first?
Iowa
When is primary season?
January
When is the general election?
Tuesday after first Monday of November
Primaries
Vote on machine
open and closed primaries
Open primaries
Do not have to be in the party to vote
Closed primaries
Have to be in the party to vote
When are the conventions held?
July (used to be August)
Purpose of the convention
Party candidates are officially announced
The party’s platform is announced
Selection of a running mate, vice president
Super Tuesday
Significant number of states hold their primaries
usually in Februrary or early March
Blanket primaries
Idea to allow voters to vote in different primaries depending the office (party does not matter as much)
Office by office basis
How are electors granted?
Based on the number of representatives in the house
Plus one for each senator
Electors cannot be…
people who already hold an office in the government
How many electors does the District of Columbia have?
3 electors
Total number of electors
538
Who chooses electors?
Political party committees
How many votes are required to win a presidential election?
270
Precinct
Voting district
Smallest geographic units to carry out elections
Polling place
Where the voters who live in a precinct go to vote
First campaign regulations
Tillman Act
1907
The Federal Election Campaign Act
Full disclosure on campaign contributions and spending
Limited spending on media
Limits on campaign contributions
No overseeing agency
Federal Election Comission
Created by Congress in 1975 to oversee and regulate the FECA
Reform Law/FEC
Sets limitations on individual donations
Who can not give to federal elections?
Foreign nationals
Charitable organizations (churches, Salvation Army)
How much can individuals give to candidates and national party committee?
2,700 to candidate
33,900 to national party committee (33,400 on notes)
PAC Requirements
At least 50 voluntary members
Give to at least 5 federal candidates
Limited to giving $5,000 per election per candidate or more than 15,00 to another party
Can spend as much on advertising as they want as long as they don’t coordinate with a candidate
Connected PACs
Connected to corporations or labor unions
Does not need to report fundraising
Contributions from employees or members
Unconnected PACs
Financially independent
Pay membership
Open to anyone in the public
Needs to report fundraising
Example of unconnected PAC
NRA
McCain-Feingold Bill
Bipartisan
Use of soft money restricted
direct contributions from PACs forbidden
(Don’t think this worked out)
Super PACS
2010 created
Can raise as much money possible to support a candidate
can spend as much as they want
report to FEC monthly
How are Super PACs not like PACs
They cannot give money directly to candidates
Soft money
Money given to state and local party organizations for “party building” but actually goes to campaigns
Independent Campaign spending
A person unrelated and unconnected to a candidate or party can spend as much as they want to benefit or work against candidates
Issue ads
take a stance on certain issues in order to criticize or support candidates without actually mentioning the person’s name
Who owns the media?
Corporate conglomerates
Journalist influence on public policy
- create the reality in which government leaders act
- playing the role of public opinion reps
- give attention to particular issues
- act as a link between governmental bureaucracies
- some admit they are active members in the political process itself
Public policy
principles on which social laws are often based on
not set in stone
more of doing what is right type deal
Muckracking
Journalistic investigation
Interest Group
Private organization that tries to persuade public officials to respond to the shared attitudes of its members
Want to influence policy
Functions of Interest Groups
Help to stimulate interest in public affairs
represent groups of people with similar attitudes
provide information to government
check the government
Criticism of interest groups
influence far of of their importance and size
many do not represent the people they claim to represent
some tactics used to make changes in governmental policy is bad
Economic Issues Interest Groups
Buisness Groups
Labor Unions
Agricultural groups
Professional Groups (medicine, law)
Agricultural Groups
Interest group
withold produce to adjust food prices
farmers unions
Interest Groups that Promote a cause
American Civil Liberties Union
National Wildlife Federation
Planned Parenthood
NRA
Interest Groups that Promote Welfare
American Legion
NAACP
Japanese Americans League
Misc. Interest Groups
Religious Organizations
Public Interest Groups (League of Women Voters)
How do interest groups alter public opinion?
Use propaganda
Lobbying
Interest groups present expert testimony
Shape the interpretation of legislation
Direct contact made by a lobbyist in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors.
Link between Interest Groups, PACs, and Lobbyists
Interest groups can have both lobbyists and PACs within it
What are the majority of intererest groups based on?
Economy
Why are public opinion polls important
they tell us what portion of a population has a specific view
campaigns can be built around it
