Electoral Systems Flashcards
What are the constitutional requirements to be POTUS?
Natural born American citizen, at least 35 years old, residency qualification of 14 years.
What are the extra requirements to be president?
Political experience, major party endorsement, personal characteristics, ability to raise large sums of money, effective organisation, oratorical skills, relevant policies.
How long had Biden served in politics before becoming president?
30 years in the senate, 8 years as vice president.
Who did Kamala Harris have the support of when taking her party’s nomination?
The Obamas, Clintons, Bidens, Cheneys.
Which personal characteristics do you need to be president?
Vision and integrity - Biden was able to work with congress when there were slim democratic majorities.
How much did Kamala Harris raise in the first 24 hours of her campaign?
$81 Million.
How did Trump use oratorical skills to be president?
He tapped into how people felt about the economy and immigration.
What is an invisible primary?
Prospective candidates start laying the groundwork to run for president, by trying to gain attention in the media.
What were the levels of donations to Republican candidates in 2016?
Ben Carson - $57.9 Million. Ted Cruz - $54.7 Million. Marco Rubio - $33.7 Million. Jeb Bush - $33.5 Million. Donald Trump - $25.5 Million.
What were the levels of donations to democratic candidates in 2019?
Sanders - $95.9 Million. Buttigieg - $76.2 Million. Warren - $71.1 Million. Biden - $60.8 Million. Yang - $31.6 Million. Klobuchar - $25.3
What happens during candidate announcements, and televised party debates?
Opinion polls give the best indication of the level of support each candidate has. Televised debates take place between candidates.
What happens during caucuses?
They tend to favour more ideological candidates, such as Bernie Sanders, who won 68% of caucuses in Kansas, 82% in Alaska.
What is a presidential primary?
A state based election to choose a party’s candidate for candidates with ordinary voters.
What are presidential caucuses?
A state based series of meetings to choose a party’s candidate for the presidency.
What is super tuesday?
A Tuesday in February or early march when a number of states coincide their presidential primaries and caucuses try to gain influence.
What is the difference between closed and open primaries?
Any registered voter can vote in a primary, some states can have party affiliation. In closed primaries, registered voters vote in their parties.
What is the difference between proportional and winner take all primaries?
Proportional primaries mean candidates are awarded delegates in comparison to votes they get. Winner take all - whoever gets the most votes.
What happened in the Iowa Republican primary in 2016?
Iowa is seen as the most important state. Trump, Cruz and Rubio made serious pitches, allowed them to position themselves. No candidate has ever won the nomination without winning Iowa.
Why is the New Hampshire primary important?
As NH primary voters challenge the frontrunner for primary winner. They can claim they have votes, bringing in media coverage.
What is an example of incumbency advantage in primaries?
Reagan - 99% of vote. Bush - 98% of vote. Obama - 92% of vote. Clinton - 89% of vote.
What happened to primaries in the 1976 and 1980 election?
1976 - Ford faced a primary challenge from Reagan. 1980 - Carter faced primary opposition from Kennedy. Both went on to lose their elections.
Which factors affect turnout in primaries?
Demography, Type of primary, Competitiveness of the race, if the nomination has already been decided.
How does demography affect turnout in primaries?
Better educates, higher turnout, older members are more likely to vote in primaries. 3/4 of voters were 45 or over in NC republican primary.
How does the type of primary affect turnout?
Open primaries are more likely to have higher turnout, as any self registered voter can vote, rather than party supporters.
How does competitiveness of the race affect turnout?
2008, 2016 - Both parties had competitive races, turnout was significantly higher than 2004 or 2012.
How does the nomination already being decided affect primary turnout?
There is higher turnout in earlier states in the nomination calendar.
What is the Mcgovern-Fraser commission?
Established by the Democratic party following 1968 election, to recommend reforms to presidential nomination process.
What are the strengths of the new nomination process?
Increased participation, increased choice, open to outsiders, a gruelling race.
What was participation of primaries in 1968 vs 1988?
1968 - 11.7 Million. 1988 - 35 Million. 2016 - 61 Million.
What are some examples of the process being open to outsiders?
Obama, Trump.
What are the weaknesses of the new nomination process?
Widespread apathy, voters are unrepresentative of voting body, process is long, can develop into personal battles.
What is the usual level of turnout when a president is running for re-election?
Below 17%.
How are primary voters unrepresentative of the voting body?
They tend to be older, better educated, and wealthier.
How can the system ensure the process is more democratic?
Ensure all voters can vote in primaries, so different types of people can vote.
What is the criteria to choose a vice presidential candidate?
Balancing the ticket, political experience, party unity, area in the country, gender/race.
Why does party unity matter when choosing a vice president?
Choosing someone from a different wing of the party as you, to appeal to more people.
Why does area in the country matter?
Harris is from California, Walz is from the midwest, and she has to win this area.
Why does Gender/race matter when choosing a vice presidential candidate?
Biden chose Kamala Harris, to try and shore up votes from these groups.
What are national party conventions?
Held between July and September every 4 years, 3-4 days long, attended by delegates, positively allows nominees to set the stage, and create a narrative.
What are the formal functions of a party convention?
Choose presidential and vice presidential candidate.
What are the informal functions of a party convention?
Enthuse party faithful, enthuse ordinary voters, post convention bounce.
What is the evidence of these functions?
JD Vance was announced at the 2024 RNC, all former leadership candidates endorsed Trump at the 2024 RNC, can give way to rising stars such as Barack Obama.
When is the election held?
The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
How much did the 2016 and 2020 elections cost?
2016 - $6.5 Billion. 2020 - $14 Billion.
Why do American elections cost so much?
Due to length of the campaign, and primary elections, advertising in swing states.
What do campaign finance rules now include?
Limits on contributions, system of disclosure, voluntary public financing.
What are matching funds?
Asking for one or more organisations to pledge an amount of money on the basis of giving financial support.
What is the national spending limit for matching funds?
$61.79 Million - could be beneficial for a candidate not to use matching funds, because funds are limited.
What did Trump and Obama do on matching funds?
They didn’t use matching funds, Trump didn’t use public funds.
What was the impact of the campaign reform act 2002?
Banned raising and spending soft money by national campaigns, prohibition of union or corporate money to broadcast candidate adverts within 60 days of an election, increased individual limits on contributions to individual candidates to $2300, contributions from foreign nationals were banned.
What is a PAC?
Political Action Committee.
What are PAC’s used for?
Used to collect contributions from members or donors, then use funds to support or oppose political candidates, legislation or initiatives.
