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US Elections Flashcards

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1
Q

4 types of election in the US

A
  • Presidential elections
  • Congressional elections
  • Primaries
  • Direct democracy
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2
Q

What happens if a president resigns before finishing their term?

A

The vice president completes the remaining term for them

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3
Q

How often to congressional elections take place?

A

Every 2 years: the whole of the House is up for re-election and 1/3 of the Senate

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4
Q

What is gerrymandering?

A

The deliberate manipulation of districts for party advantage at elections

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5
Q

What states have been accused of gerrymandering significantly?

A

North Carolina, Maryland

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6
Q

How can states control elections?

A
  • Gerrymandering
  • Voter ID laws
  • Electoral system used
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7
Q

What is a write-in candidate?

A

Some states leave a blank space on ballot papers so voters can write the name of another candidate who does not appear on the paper

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8
Q

What is the voter registration system in North Dakota?

A
  • Do not have a formal voter registration system
  • Voters must show ID when voting
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9
Q

Why was the 2020 candidate for the Green Party, Howie Hawkins, limited in his election chances?

A

He was a write-in candidate in 17 states and didn’t even appear on the ballot in 4

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10
Q

Example of a non-majoritarian electoral system used in the US

A

Georgia’s election law requires that if no candidate gets 50% of the votes in the Senate election, the top two candidates have a run-off

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11
Q

Which state uses a ranked-choice voting system?

A

Maine

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12
Q

How often are the number of Electoral College votes a state gets recalculated?

A

Every 10 years following the census

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13
Q

How many Electoral College votes did Texas go up by in 2010

A

4

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14
Q

Strengths of the US electoral system

A
  • Huge number of elections, many participation opportunities
  • Majoritarian system ensures clear results and single-party control
  • Primaries and caucuses allow voters to choose their candidates
  • The Electoral College amplifies states’ rights
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15
Q

Weaknesses of the US electoral system

A
  • US electors suffer ‘voter fatigue’ (due to many elections, but little change)
  • Electoral system enforces two-party system
  • Deadlock is common
  • Plenty of scope for voter manipulation (gerrymandering)
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16
Q

Characteristics of election campaigns

A
  • Regular, consistent campaigning
  • Emphasis on candidates over party
  • Huge focus on ‘swing states’
  • Big expense
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17
Q

When are the invisible primaries said to start?

A

Straight after the midterms

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18
Q

What are some examples of swing states?

A
  • Florida
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
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19
Q

How much did Trump and Clinton spend campaigning in Florida in 2016?

A

$94m - Clinton
$35m - Trump
(Trump ended up winning)

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20
Q

What state had the most number of visits on the 2020 campaign trail?

A

Pennsylvania with 45 in 2 months

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21
Q

Why do Iowa and New Hampshire get lots of attention on the campaign trail?

A

They are the first two states to hold primaries/caucuses

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22
Q

What was the total price tag for the 2020 election?

A

$14bn

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23
Q

How much money did Sanders receive in donations in 2020?

A

$46m in Feb 2020 alone - from 2.2m donors

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24
Q

Why are midterms important?

A

They are indicators of public confidence in the president’s performance

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25
Q

When did Obama lose control of the House and Senate?

A

House - 2008
Senate - 2014

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26
Q

When did Trump lose control of the House?

A

2018

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27
Q

How did the Democrats fare in the 2018 midterms in the House?

A

They gained 40 districts from the Republicans

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28
Q

How did the Democrats fare in the 2018 midterms in the Senate?

A

They lost two seats

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29
Q

Why was it important that the Democrats won the House in 2018?

A

It enabled them to launch impeachment proceedings soon afterward

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30
Q

Example of how incumbency affects Congressional elections

A

In 2016, West Virginia was the most pro-Trump state. However, voters re-elected Democrat Joe Manchin in 2018 for the Senate.

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31
Q

Midterm turnout in 2018 compared to 2014

A

Up from 37% to 49% - called the ‘Trump effect’ as many wanted to send a message to the White House

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32
Q

Which three states still used caucuses in 2020?

A

Iowa, Nevada and Wyoming (mostly rural, sparsely populated states)

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33
Q

What is the purpose of primaries and caususes?

A

To select delegates who are pledged to vote for a particular candidate at their national nominating convention

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34
Q

What is an open primary?

A

All registered voters are allowed to vote in any party’s primary, but they are only allowed to vote in one party’s primary

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35
Q

Example of a state that has open primaries

A

Georgia

36
Q

What is a closed primary?

A

Only voters pre-registered to a particular party are allowed to participate in that party’s primary

37
Q

Example of states that use closed primaries

A

Oregon, New York

38
Q

What is a semi-closed primary?

A

Voters pre-registered with a party can vote in that party’s primary, but independent voters can choose which primary they want to vote in

39
Q

What is ‘frontloading’?

A

When states move their primary/caucuses closer to the start in order to gain more influence over the outcome

40
Q

Example of a state frontloading

A

California moved their primary date from June to March in 2020

41
Q

What is Super Tuesday?

A

A day where many states hold their primaries - in 2020, 14 states held theirs

42
Q

When was Super Tuesday in 2020?

A

3 March

43
Q

How many candidates originally stood in the 2020 Democratic primary?

A

29

44
Q

How did Biden start off his presidential campaign (in terms of results)?

A

Poorly - he came 4th in Iowa and 5th in New Hampshire

45
Q

Advantages of the primary/caucus system

A
  • More opportunities for political participation
  • Allows outsiders to run for office (Trump)
  • More democratic
46
Q

Disadvantages of the party/caucus system

A
  • Focus on individual over policies
  • Shows party divisions
  • Professional politicians close to Washington make a better choice?
  • Early states have too much influence
47
Q

Suggested alternatives to the party/caucus system

A
  1. Single, national primary
  2. Divide US into four regions. Each region takes it in terms to go first with each election cycle.
  3. The Delaware Plan: small states go first, followed by larger states
48
Q

What are national nominating conventions?

A

The formal coronation of the primary winner for each party

49
Q

Purpose of the national nominating conventions

A
  • Unite party as former rivals endorse the winner
  • Chosen candidate gains publicity as they outline their main goals for the country, usually resulting in a poll boost
  • Formal beginning of the presidential campaign
50
Q

Why was the Electoral College chosen by the Founding Fathers?

A
  • In a time before mass media, general people likely wouldn’t have known the presidential candidates, therefore they elected people to decide on their behalf
  • No other country at the time had a direct popular vote
51
Q

What is the congressional district method for electing the Electoral College?

A
  • Used by Maine and Nebraska
  • The winner of each district wins one electoral vote
  • The two remaining electors vote for the winner in the state
52
Q

How did the congressional district method benefit Biden in 2020?

A

Biden won Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district in a usually red state

53
Q

Who are the electors in the Electoral College?

A

Real people, chosen from among the local party faithful

54
Q

What are ‘faithless electors’?

A

Electors who vote for someone other than their state’s winner in the Electoral College

55
Q

Example of faithless electors in 2016

A

Three Democrats in Washington state voted for Colin Powell instead of Clinton

56
Q

What years did the winner of the popular vote lose in the Electoral College system?

A

2000 and 2016

57
Q

How many more votes would Trump have needed to win the Electoral College in 2020?

A

112,000
He would’ve lost the popular vote by over 5.5m

58
Q

What happens in a case where no candidate wins an overall majority in the Electoral College?

A

The House would choose the President, and the Senate would choose the VP

59
Q

When was the last time a third-party candidate won votes in the Electoral College

A

George Wallace won 5 states in 1968

60
Q

Arguments for abolishing the Electoral College

A
  • Winner of popular vote can lose
  • Votes worth different amounts in different states
  • Swing states have too much power
  • Third parties have a very limited chance of getting any ECVs
61
Q

Arguments for retaining the Electoral College

A
  • Reflects the federal nature of the USA
  • Encourages candidates to not just focus on big urban areas
  • Reform instead of removal
  • Produces a clear winner
62
Q

How does the worth of a vote differ between California and Wyoming?

A

California - one ECV for every 712,000 people
Wyoming - one ECV for every 195,000 people

63
Q

What percentage of Americans want to abolish the Electoral College?

A

61%

64
Q

Why has the Electoral College not been abolished?

A
  • Difficult to make a constitutional amendment
  • No widely supported alternative
65
Q

Why would it be difficult to pass a constitutional amendment to abolish the Electoral College?

A

Smaller states’ votes would become less powerful, so they would likely veto any amendment

66
Q

What factors influence the outcome of American elections?

A
  • Incumbency
  • Issues
  • Media
  • Candidates
  • Voter profile
  • Money
67
Q

What percentage of incumbent congressional candidates were re-elected in the 2018 midterms?

A

90.5%

68
Q

Why do incumbent candidates tend to win?

A
  • Higher level of name recognition
  • Can boast of past achievements
  • Established campaign team and donor base
69
Q

What issues helped George W. Bush win re-election in 2004?

A

His reponse to 9/11 led to his approval rating peaking at 90%

70
Q

What is an ‘October surprise’?

A

A news event which occurs just before the polls open in early November which can influence an election outcome

71
Q

Example of October surprises from the 2016 election

A
  • A tape from Trump in 2005 (the ‘Hollywood Access’ tape) was leaked to the press in which Trump made vulgar comments about women
  • It was leaked that Hilary Clinton had used a private email server while serving as secretary of state
72
Q

How many viewers watched the 2016 presidential debate?

A

84m

73
Q

How many followers did Donald Trump have in 2020 on Twitter?

A

42m - the GOP Party twitter only had 2.4m

74
Q

How does race affect US election outcomes?

A

Racial minorities are more likely to vote Democrat

Examples:
- 87% African-Americans voted for Biden
- 65% Hispanics voted for Biden
- 61% Asian-Americans voted for Biden
- 58% whites voted for Trump

75
Q

How does gender affect US election outcomes?

A

Women are slightly more likely to vote Democrat

Examples:
- 57% of women voted for Biden
- 53% of men voted for Trump

76
Q

How does religion affect US election outcomes?

A

Evangelical Christians strongly support Republicans

Examples:
- 76% white Evangelicals voted for Trump
- 65% non-religious people voted for Biden

77
Q

How does age affect US election outcomes?

A

Younger voters are more likely to vote Democrat

Examples:
- 60% under 30s voted for Biden
- 52% over 65s voted for Trump

78
Q

How does geography affect US election outcomes?

A

Urban voters tend to vote Democrat

Examples:
- 60% of people in urban areas (population over 50,000) backed Biden
- 57% in rural areas backed Trump

79
Q

What are realigning elections?

A

When a particular group of voters change to realign with a new political party or candidate

80
Q

Why can the 1932 election be described as a realigning election?

A
  • For the previous 30 years the Republicans had been the dominant party
  • In 1928, the Republicans had won by a margin of over 6m
  • The Great Depression happened under Republican watch in 1929
  • In 1932, FDR’s Democrats won by 7 million votes
81
Q

Why can the 2016 election be described as a realigning election?

A
  • First time since Eisenhower that a political outsider won office
  • Victory for populism over traditional politics
  • Many blue collar workers in states like Ohio voted Republican for the first time (Trump won 62%, compared to 57% for Romney)
82
Q

Why do white evangelical Christians tend to vote Republican?

A
  • Pro-life
  • Pro-Israel
  • Promotion of traditional social values, particularly against LGBTQ+ and transgender rights
83
Q

Why do gun owners tend to vote Republican?

A

Defence of the 2nd amendment and opposition to gun control

84
Q

Why do African-Americans tend to vote Democrat?

A
  • Better and more consistent support for civil rights
  • Opposition to ‘voter suppression’ tactics
  • Tackling poverty
85
Q

Why do public sector workers tend to vote Democrat?

A
  • Increasing minimum wage
  • Greater investment in public services such as education
  • Protection of worker’s rights
86
Q

Why did the Culinary Workers Union oppose Sanders’ “Medicare for All” plan?

A

They believed that it would jeopardise hard-won healthcare packages already negotiated for their members

(This shows union power and how Democrats cannot be too radical)

Gov & Politics (23 decks)

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