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US Politics (Politics sector) > The Electoral Process and direct democracy > Flashcards

The Electoral Process and direct democracy Flashcards

-Electoral college system -primaries and caucuses -national nominating conventions -direct democracy -voting behaviour -popular vote -split ticket voting -abstention -incumbency

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U.S. Geography flashcards
1
Q

What is the typical president mould ?

A

WASP (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant)

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2
Q

Did Obama break the typical President mould in 2008?

A

Yes

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3
Q

Who was the first president not to be a wasp ?

A

John F Kennedy as he was a catholic

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4
Q

What is the state Governor?

A

President of a state

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5
Q

What is a senator?

A

They sit in the Upper chamber and there are two per state.

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6
Q

What is the order of events before the Presidential election?

A

Invisible Primary –> Primaries and Caucuses –> National Party conventions –> General election Campaign –> Election day

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7
Q

When are the Primaries and caucuses?

A

Feb- June 2024

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8
Q

When are the National Party conventions?

A

July

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9
Q

When is the general election campaign?

A

July-November

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10
Q

When is Election day?

A

The first Tuesday in November (5/11/2024)

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11
Q

What is the Invisible primary?

A

A period of time when a candidate tries to get named recognition.
(Candidates announce their candidacy)

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12
Q

Where are the first two primaries?

A

-Iowa
-New Hampshire

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13
Q

When is the first Primary?

A

January 2024

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14
Q

What happens at caucuses?

A

-People attend many of the precinct caucus meetings held in churches, libraries and other buildings across the state.
-Supporters make a case for their candidate and attempt to convince undecided voters.

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15
Q

What is a caucus?

A
  • A state-based meeting for the selection of a party’s candidate for the presidency.
    -held in a few geographically large but thinly populated states.
    -attract unrepresentative and very low turnouts
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16
Q

What is an example that suggests the first two primaries are very important?

A

-In 2020 the top 10 democrat candidates spent a total of 621 days in Iowa
-This makes Iowa disproportionally influential

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17
Q

What is a Presidential Primary?

A

-state-based elections to choose a party’s candidate for the presidency
-The election is funded by the state and run under state laws
-Voters –> Delegates –> Nominees

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18
Q

Who does the presidential primary show support for?

A

Shows support for a candidate among ordinary voters and chooses delegates.

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19
Q

What is a closed primary?

A

-A primary election where only registered democrats can vote in the democratic primary and only registered republicans can vote in a republican primary.

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20
Q

What is an open primary?

A

any registered voter in the state can vote

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21
Q

Name another two types of primaries…

A

-Proportional primaries
-Winner takes all primaries

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22
Q

Who decides whether a primary election or a caucus is used?

A

The state

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23
Q

What is Super Tuesday?

A

-A Tuesday in early Feb/march when a number of states coincide their presidential primaries to try and gain influence for their region in the selection of major party presidential candidates.

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24
Q

What is Front loading?

A

Where an increasing number of states schedule their presidential primaries or caucuses earlier In the cycle, in an attempt to increase the importance of their state in the process of choosing the major party candidates.

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25
Q

Are the primaries and caucuses significant in all states?

A

No

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26
Q

What are Super Delegates?

A

People who are appointed automatically as uncommitted delegates, to the democratic national party convention by being an elected position or senior party official.

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27
Q

Why were the 1968 democratic parties so controversial?

A

-Senator Eugene McCarthy almost defeated President Lyndon Johnson at the New Hampshire Primary
-Robert Kennedy another anti-war candidate entered the race and Mcarthy and Kennedy won 2/3 of the primary votes

28
Q

How are republican and democratic caucuses different?

A

Republicans > voters cast a secret ballot to select their preferred candidate - results are then reported to the media. Voters can leave or stay after the ballot
Democrats > Vote with their feet - they gather in preference groups in separate parts of the room. Any candidate that wins less than 15% of the support is eliminated - supporters can join other groups. Delegates are proportionally chosen

29
Q

What is party crashing/ crossover voting?

A

Where supporters of one party vote in a rival party’s primary or caucus in order to support a controversial or divisive candidate that is easier to beat.

30
Q

What happens at the National Party nominating conventions?

A

-A presidential candidate is chosen
-They decide the party platform

31
Q

What is a Party platform?

A

-A Statement of a party’s policies for an upcoming presidential election that is used during the campaign to win support from voters
-Contains the policies that the party’s candidate intends to pursue if elected president.

32
Q

What did the Democrat party do in 2008 in order to increase participation at the National party convention?

A

-They held 1600 listening stations for which 20000 people from all walks of life participated

33
Q

What is an acceptance speech?

A

The nationally televised speech delivered by a party’s presidential candidate to accept their position
(e.g Obama in 2008)

34
Q

What does the Nation Party convention do?

A

-Promotes party unity
-Enthuses the party faithful
-Enthuses ordinary voters

35
Q

What did the 1972 McGovern-Fraser reforms do?

A

-Changed the function of the national party nominating convention to ‘crown’ rather than select party nominees because nominees are already known before the conventions
-Vice president is no longer selected

36
Q

What is the Electoral College?

A

An institution established by the founding fathers to uphold representative democracy and elect a President indirectly

37
Q

Where do the EC electors meet?

A

-In their state capitals to cast ballots for President and Vice president

38
Q

What determines the number of states EC votes?

A

-No of Representatives in the house and the 2 senators

39
Q

How many states use the winner takes all system?

A

48

40
Q

How many states use the congressional district method?

A

2

41
Q

What happens when no candidate has an overall majority?

A

-House elects president (more democratic)
-Senate elects Vice president(less democratic)

42
Q

Does the Presidential election use a Popular vote?

A

-No as candidates with the most votes in the popular vote do not always win due to the EC

43
Q

What is the popular vote?

A

-Total no. votes cast by voters across the whole of the USA for a candidate

44
Q

How does the system work ?

A

Citizen —-> Vote ——> EC ——> Vote ——-> President

45
Q

How many votes are in the EC ?

A

538

46
Q

How many votes are needed to win in the EC?

A

270

47
Q

What would happen if just the popular vote was used instead of EC?

A

-could cause a succession movement
-Unrepresentative of whole of USA

48
Q

What are the possible reforms to the EC ?

A

-The Proportional representation reform
-The Automatic plan
-Direct action plan
-Maine system

49
Q

What is The Proportional representation reform for the EC?

A

-EC in each state in proportion to the popular vote
-2000 - result: Bush 260.2, Gore 258.4
-Other reforms needed - Setting of a threshold > 10%

50
Q

What are The Automatic plan as a reform for the EC?

A

-Laws adopted nationwide, would mean getting rid of the electors, allocating EC votes purely automatic

51
Q

What is the Direct action plan for the EC?

A

-Move to directly elected presidents (polls show American support)
-Only a constitutional amendment could bring reform - which would be difficult

52
Q

What is the Maine system for the EC?

A

-1 vote to a candidate for each district that they win
-2 votes to state wide winner
-leads to results only marginally different

53
Q

Why does the $$$ = speech idea not always work?(CF)

A

-Multibillionaire Micheal Bloomberg spent over $ 1 billion of his own money on campaign ads/staffing in 2020 yet did not get far in the primaries

54
Q

How much was spent in 2000 in the Bush Vs Gore election campaign?(CF)

A

$1.4billion dollars

55
Q

What is a Political action Committee? (CF)

A

-Committee that raises money for electing, defeating candidates or supporting campaigns

56
Q

What is hard money? (CF)

A

-Money donated to candidates to fund their campaign

57
Q

How much money are hard money contributions limited to? (CF)

A

$1000 per donation per year

58
Q

What was the cost of the 2020 Trump V Biden election campaign? (CF)

A

$7billion

59
Q

What is soft money? (CF)

A

-Donated money to parties not candidates

60
Q

Does campaign finance matter? (CF)

A

-Highest spending candidate won 4/10 of the most expensive senate races
-Incumbents won 7/10

61
Q

What are the issues with campaign finance?

A

-Failure of reforms
-Rising election costs
-Corruption (Nixon 1968)

62
Q

What are reforms to help remove the issues with Campaign finance?

A

-Bi-Partisan Reform Act 2002
-Federal Election Committee 1974
-Matching funds

63
Q

What did the Bi-Partisan Reform Act 2002 do? (CF)

A

-Banned national party committees from raising ‘soft money’
-Banned labour unions and corporations from funding ‘Everything campaigns’

64
Q

What does the Federal Election Committee 1974 do? (CF)

A

-Enforces and regulates campaign donation laws
-PACS limited -$5000 and Individuals $1000

65
Q

What does

A

US Politics (Politics sector) (1 decks)

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