Exam 3 - Elections Flashcards
what is an election?
a political mechanism used to select officials that ensures that the majority rule
an election is a manner of
conferring power (gaining power)
What do we believe about elections?
that they confer legitimacy on government based in the notion that political power comes from the people
why do we believe elections confer legitimacy on the government?
because political power comes from the consent of the governed (the people)
what are the 2 stages of the election process?
- primary elections
- general elections
There is 2 stages of elections no matter what level of office the candidate is running for (T/F)
TRUE
what is the function of a primary election?
selects candidates within a party to represent it in the general election
NOT all parties participate in the primary elections (T/F)
FALSE
ALL parties participate
what is the function of a general election?
selects candidate who will actually fill elected office
besides primary and general elections, what other elections occur in states?
policy proposals
recall (removal of office)
what is a recall
when you vote someone out of office before their term ends
what are policy proposals
initiative or referendum contest
when citizens vote on a policy that may become a law
the rules of who votes in the primary election varies (T/F)
TRUE
who can vote in an open primary election?
any registered voter
allows crossover voting
does an open primary election allow cross voting?
yes it does
who can vote in an semi-closed primary election?
party members and independents only
who can vote in a closed election/
party members only
what is a runoff primary
when 2 candidates have the same amount of votes and another election needs to be held
what is a top-two primary
when all candidates, regardless of party, compete in the same primary election
what is the end results of a top-two primary election?
two candidates are chosen and those top-two compete in the general election
why is a top-two election done?
to get more moderate candidates
what states participate in a top-two candidate election
California
Louisiana
Washington
what is a king caucus?
Factions in congress get together and decided who they thought should be nominated
(elites choose candidates)
states make decision
in nonbinding primaries ____
presidential preference shows
name an example of nonbinding primaries
in a democratic national convention, Humphrey wins nomination without winning a single primary
what are presidential primaries?
voters in a series of state contests select delegates to attend the national conventions
how does a candidate secure nomination for convention nomination?
needs 15% or more of the vote
Parties have the same strategies for allocating state delegates (T/F)
FALSE
How does the democratic party choose their candidates from the national convention
must receive 15% or more to earn any delegates
vote share
how do republicans choose their candidates in the national convention
varies by state
- can be winner take all
proportional representation
district elections
or hybrid
what is caucus?
meeting of party activists to select presidential candidate
- when a group of people get together at one location and decide how their representative should vote
historically we had a lot of __(1)__
caucus
what are the 3 benefits of a primary election, compared to caucus
- more democratic
- accessible to most registered voters
- nominates more moderate candidates
what is a benefit of caucus?
people who caucus have the highest level of knowledge
what is a brokered convention?
when no one has the needed votes to win
how does the electoral college work?
representatives (electors) from each state cast their final ballot to elect a president
the electoral college serves as a
buffer between the people and selection of president
bc the founding fathers believed that the American people could not select a president
how does one determine how many electoral votes a states get?
the states number of voters equals the number of house and senate members
3-55
the fluidity of the electoral votes are due to
reapportionment
what two states does not do winner take all
Maine and Nebraska
you can win the popular vote and NOT win the presidency (T/F)
TRUE
what is the magic number to win the presidency?
270
Not everyone votes for the president
FALSE everyone votes for the president
the presidential election is just one election (T/F)
FALSE it is 51 + DC (52) elections
the president election is weighed the same throughout all states
FALSE each vote weighs differently
what are 3 critisms of the electoral college?
- undemocratic
- elitist
- complicated nature may decrease voting
what would need to be done to abolish the electoral college and use popular vote?
- requires constitutional amendment
- requires super majority of states and congress
why is the banning of the electoral college unlikely to be passed?
because small states benefit from the electoral college
what is the national popular vote compact?
an agreement among states to award their electoral college votes to winner of the popular vote
when will the national popular vote compact be into affect?
only when states with a majority of electoral college votes sign the compact
10 states have signed
non-presidential candidates win with
First Past the Post
the presidential vote is the only vote that has to win 50 + 1 % of votes (T/F)
TRUE
how does the first past the post work?
whoever has the most votes is to be declared the winner
congressional elections has MORE media coverage (T/F)
FALSE
the presidential election does
what is an incumbent
person already holding an office
in relation to incumbents, how is the system set up?
the system is set up to strongly enhance advantages of incumbency
what are the 4 reasons why incumbents have an advantage when it comes to elections?
- staff support
- visibility
- District composition
- scare off effect
DVSS
How does staff support, visibility, district composition & the scare-off effect contribute to why many incumbents win?
- staff support - can engage directly or indirectly to promote legislator
- visibility - easy access to local media and community events; easy to be known
- District composition - districts are drawn to create safe seats
- scare off effect - can fend off challenges from qualifies challengers
what are the 4 reasons why incumbents lose?
- redistricting
- scandals
- presidential coattails
- midterm elections
how does redistricting contribute to an incumbent losing?
districts are redrawn every 10 yrs after the census, which can punish incumbents and push them out
how do presidential coattails contribute to an incumbent losing?
successful presidential candidates can help carry office congressional candidates into office and vice versa
how do midterm elections contribute to an incumbent losing?
when a parties popularity decreases
