OB- US ELECTIONS

Question 1

how often are presidential elections

Answer 1

-every 4 years in nov with formal inauguration taking place in January so that electors and presidents can get there

Question 2

how often are congressional elections

Answer 2

-every 2 years
-those taken place between president elections are known as midterms

Question 3

what do primaries do

Answer 3

-select candidates for each party
-most importantly for presidential elections but also congressional

Question 4

where did primaries emerge from

Answer 4

-primary elections came from the progressive era
-breaking away from the ‘smoke filled rooms’ which were undemocratic and elitist’

Question 5

what are caucuses

Answer 5

-meetings to select candidate
-but these have become increasingly rare
-stand in a particular corner if you want that person to win

Question 6

timings of primaries and caususes

Answer 6

-iwoa (caucus) and New Hampshire (primary) guard their ‘first in the nation status’
-as it holds more influence to the final election

Question 7

voter turnout in primaries

Answer 7

-secret ballot
-higher turnout
-personality is a driving factor + ethnicity and gender

Question 8

what is a national nominating convention/ party convention

Answer 8

• when the successful candidate is formally endorsed as their party candidate
  -jsut act as a seal of approval
  -held in major statuims

Question 9

electoral systems

Answer 9

-nearly all us elections employ a majoritarian system eg fptp
-the arrangement of elections are state based and are no federal requirements

Question 10

swing state fact

Answer 10

-in 2016 2/3 of campaigning events were held in just 6 states

Question 11

financial stats about 2020 us election

Answer 11

-total price for election was 14 billion
-bidens campaign became the first to raise over 1 bill from donors helping him pepper swing states with ads

Question 12

strength of new nomination process

Answer 12

-increased participation (12 mill in ‘68 to 35 in ‘88)
-increased choice (5 candidates in 68 to 22 in 2016)
-open to outsiders (people who don’t have a background in politics eg Obama)

Question 13

weakness of new nomination process

Answer 13

-voters are unrepresentative of the voting age population (most voters are old rich and educated)
-primaries can easily develop into personal battles (trump and rondesantos)

Question 14

what are super delegates

Answer 14

-they can influence the public on who to vote for
-in an effort to bring back some peer review into the selection process

Question 15

formal functions of national party convention

Answer 15

-choosing the party’s presidential candidate ( to win have to receive absolute majority of delegate votes)
- choosing the vp candidate
- deciding the party mandate ( manifesto)

Question 16

informal functions of national party covnetion

Answer 16

-promoting party unity
-publicity/media
-enthusing the ordinary voters

Question 17

what did the federal election campaign act of 1974 do

Answer 17

-limited contributions that individuals or unions could give
-reduing candidates reliance on very few wealthy donors

Question 18

what are matching funds

Answer 18

-from 1976-2008 presidential campaigns were mainly funded by matching funds
-federal money administered by the newly formed federal election commission (FEC)
-paying out 240 mill in 2000

Question 19

bipartisan campaign reform act 2002

Answer 19

-national party conventions were banned from raising or spending soft money
-foreign contributions were banned

Question 20

PACS and super PACS

Answer 20

-new organisations came to be formed that made indepedant expenditures of there own due to restrictions
-most pacs represent business or ideological groups

Question 21

landmark Supreme Court decision citizens united V federal election commission (FEC)

Answer 21

-granted corporate organisations the same rights of political free speech has individuals
-spending money to support a party is guaranteed under the 1st amendment

Question 22

how pacs work

Answer 22

-the money doesn’t go directly to the candidate
-money gets spent on adverts in crucial swing states EG elon giving trump 75 mill 2024)

Question 23

when was the first presidential debate

Answer 23

• 1960 between Jfk and Nixon

Question 24

importance of debates example

Answer 24

-getting airtime +media coverage ( trump vs Harris Harris seamingly won trump saying eating cats and dogs , causing trump to say he would never do another debate with her again which is devastating for her since she desperately needs airtime to show face and popularise herself)

Question 25

lack of importance of debates

Answer 25

-trump vs biden in summer 2024 held before the national party convention showing the lack of importance

Question 26

importance of debates

Answer 26

• they are the time when many Americans will give the candidates their closest attention
  -give candidates one of their rare opportunities to talk unfiltered to the electorate

Question 27

format of debates can vary

Answer 27

• some have podiums and notes, open and closed mics, audience
  -sat on bar stalls

Question 28

debates rule of thumb

Answer 28

-what you say is not as important as how you say it and how you present yourself

Question 29

October surprise

Answer 29

-an event that happens in October to either candidate that is significant due to the candidate not being able to come back from it as its too close to. the election date
- EG 2008 Katrina George bush didn’t deal with it effectively

Question 30

drawback of October surprise

Answer 30

• because us society Is increasingly polarised October surprises have less importance since they have a tribal affiliation towards their party so it doesn’t mater what happens as they will still vote for them

Question 31

how does the electoral college work

Answer 31

-each state is awarded a certain number of votes
-this number is equal to that states representation in congress
-ie the number of senators (2 per state) plus the number of representatives
-there are 538 college votes, to win need 270
-which ever candidate wins the most popular votes receives all the electoral college votes of that state

Question 32

strengths of electoral college

Answer 32

-benefits republicans as it gives smaller rural states who normally vote Republican a voice
- preserves voice of smal population states
-tends to produce a two horse race ( definite aid to unifying the country + legitimacy)

Question 33

weakness of electoral college

Answer 33

-small states are overrepresented
-indirect democracy