US Elections Flashcards
What is an Open Primary?
Allow all voters in state to participate, but only 1 primary (so only vote for 1 party)
- Means a Democrat could vote in Republican Primary if supported the candidate, but then not Democrat
What is a Closed Primary?
Only voters registered with party can vote (either primary or caucus)
What are the differences in Delegate allocation?
Proportionality - all D prs/cau (some R), delegates in proportion to vote received
Winner-takes-all - Some R prs/cau - candidate biggest vote = all
Proportional unless threshold reached - distributed proportionality unless threshold = given all
What are the advantages of the Primary/Caucus System?
(+ Examples)
(Essay Arguments)
4 points
- participation
- outsiders
- demanding job
- key issues
^ Participation - before reform only 11%, 2016 - 61 million (almost 30%) voted
Open to outsiders - ^ choice, those like Obama (2008) & Trump (2016) able to compete despite little coverage or experience - 1968 only 5 candidates, 2016 = 22
Gruelling Race - demanding test for demanding job e.g. 2008 stated that Obama = stronger candidate after gruelling battle with Clinton
Raises Key Issues - due to choice, far more ideas - more opportunities to support candidate you agree than lesser of evils e.g. Andrew Yang 2020, policy of universal basic income $1000 a month for all or Trump’s ‘wall’ policy towards illegal immigration
What are the disadvantages of the Primary/Caucus System?
(+Examples)
(Essay Arguments)
4 points
- apathy
- expensive
- unrepresentative
- super-delegates
Widespread voter apathy - turnout in primaries varies immensely, especially when it has an incumbent e.g. Bush 2004 - 17.2%, even no incumbent in 2000 - 19%
Process very expensive - must start campaigns early to raise large amounts - campaigns therefore result in being longer + more expensive e.g. by end of June 2016, Clinton raised $275mn, Sanders $235mn while R Trump + Cruz raised over $90mn at this time
Voters unrepresentative of voting age pop. - primary voters tend to be older, better educated, wealthier & more ideological than voting pop. E.g. 2012, Ron Paul - libertarian Rep. (ideological) won 10% vote in 40 pr/cau, with average in cau of 21%, Pr average 12% - showed unrepresentative nature is magnified in cau states
Super-delegates (appointed as uncommitted to DNP convention) - significant in role nomination of Obama, when neither him nor Clinton had majority, so Obama won Super to gain candidacy
+ controversy 2016, despite Sanders win Primary, delegates casted votes for Clinton - radical D claim it was rigged against the radical sanders
Give 4 Areas of Importance in Elections.
Essay Arguments
Invisible Primary
Selection of a VP
Incumbancy in Elections
Debates
What is the Invisible Primary and why is it important?
(Definition)
(Essay Arguments)
Unofficial beginning, mainly competition between candidates (intraparty) - significant part of election e.g. 2016, with 5/17 candidates for R withdrawing within Invisible due to lack of public support in polls e.g. Lindsay Graham
What are candidates looking for during the Invisible Primary?
(Essay Arguments)
3 points
1) Public attention (‘name recognition’) - when voters recognise the name of a candidate such as Trump or Obama, more likely to succeed - success of name recognition reflects in polls, e.g. Andrew Yang who did not have such in 2020 forced to withdraw. + raise profile via drawing media attention, as Trump benefited from around $2 billion worth of ‘free’ media attention both during and after the Invisible.
2) TV debates provide platform to gain recognition - e.g. Trump’s controversial views on wall policy for immigration - also difficult to have debates, while they are common e.g. R held 20 debates in 2012, cannot always have all candidates e.g. 1st R debate Aug 2016 had 10 candidates
3) Attract finance e.g. donations or voters = ‘grass roots’ + PACs & Super-PACs - allow direct donation up to $5,000 to candidate, Super = unlimited (cannot coordinate with candidate) - to survive a long campaign, the invisible important to gain finance e.g. R Candidate Rick Perry withdrew due to lacking financial support 2016
What are the constitutional requirements to be President?
1) Natural-born US citizen
2) At least 35 yrs old
3) Residency Qualification of 14 yrs
What extra-constitutional requirements (i.e. qualities) should a candidate possess if they wish to become President?
(Essay Arguments)
5 points
Political Experience (conventional wisdom) - e.g. 11/22 declared candidates for R & P 2016 = state governors, 8/22 in Senate - Trump 1st elected Pres without experience in either military or politics + 19 nominated as Pres. candidates 1968-2016, 10 served Senate, 6 been state governors, 6 VPs, 2020 Joe Biden = VP for Obama
Major Party Endorsement - need nomination, as shown by failure of third party candidates/independents like Gary Johnson 2016 to succeed
Oratorical Skills + Telegenic - media age, ability to speak well + look good on TV e.g. Obama mastered such which = 2 terms
Ability to raise large sums - crucial due to expensive campaigns, only billionaire candidates e.g. Ross Perot (1992) can finance own campaign, others must raise it before Pri/Cau - according to Open Secrets site, Clinton raised $700mn in her unsuccessful White House bid 2016
Sound + Relevant Policies - voters still aware of whose policies are best for them - for example Trump, while practicality and detail of policies = thin, idea of anti-immigration + law and order, with emphasis on ‘make America great again’ = relevant to many groups
What Strategies do Presidential candidates use for selecting a VP?
(Essay Argument)
3 points
1) Balancing the ticket - balancing aspects of the president e.g. region, political experience, age, ideology, race, religion
E.g. Obama 2008 select Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, he was 65 to Obama’s 47 - served senate for 36 yrs to Obama’s 4 = brought expertise such as foreign policy, having served as chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee
2) Potential in Government - how they can serve govt well e.g. Bush 2000 selected Dick Cheney, seeing Bush had no Washington experience in comparison - so useful to have someone with federal govt experience (served Sec. of Defence to Bush’s father) + Trump’s selection of Governor of Indiana + former congressman Mike Pence 2016 for experience
3) Unifying the Party (Rare) - Reagan united supporters of him + his rival George H.W. Bush 1980 despite being rivals on Principle - unlikely in modern day, with those like Trump and Cruz doing so would be problematic due to common practice of personal insults = divide govt
What are the To-Do’s of Presidential Debates?
Essay Arguments
Be charismatic - body language (style over substance)
Good sound bites (most Americans see only sound bites, not full debate) e.g. 2012 Obama accused Romney in final debate of favouring the ‘foreign policy of the 1980s, social policy of the 1950s, and the economic policy of the 1920s’
Address the people directly
Able to take and inflict personal attacks and exposures of lies
What are the Don’ts of Presidential Debates?
Essay Arguments
Verbal gaffes - e.g. 1976 Pres. Ford stated Poland was not under USSR control, 2020 - mention gaffe of Trump or Biden in debates depending on who loses - however 2016 Trump’s ‘not respecting result’ not = failure
Not appear disengaged
Not be cold, or lack empathy
Do not focus on controversies, not allow it to be a constant defence of ones own actions
What are the Formal Roles of the Party Convention?
Selecting Party candidates for presidency: formally acknowledges party’s nominee for Pres. VP - though delegates mostly bound by party rule as to whom they must vote
- simply need majority of delegate votes to approve
Adopting Party Platform & Policies: theoretically - convention allow amendments to the party platform (US party manifesto) - however simply rubber stamp for platform, as the policies mostly created by ‘platform committees’ days before convention, in collaboration with presumptive nominee (e.g. 2020 Biden by August)
The platform then simply agreed at convention in a vote.
E.g. 2020 D platform July Draft stated in line 38 that the Democrats support improving healthcare through a public option
What are the Informal Roles of the Party Convention?
Selling the Candidate: due to being multi-million-dollar event with significant media coverage - allow candidate to gain significant coverage, especially of their acceptance speech
E.g. Obama’s 2007 speech = 39mn TV views + 2004, allowed him to make his mark for future campaigns
Party Unity:
While invisible pri + pri = where candidates tear into one another which exposes division within party, convention allows repair of such.
E.g. 2020, despite Kamala Harris criticising Biden for supporting racist policies such as busing, allowed an amendment of issues + unity through the convention. Or Clinton in 2008 whose speech stated she was now ‘a proud supporter of Barack Obama’
What are the Strengths of the Electoral College?
Essay Arguments
Preserves voice of small-pop states:
Would have less say (states like Wyoming & Alaska who in 2016 had 3 ECVs) as candidates focus primarily on large states like California (Who currently have 55 ECVs).
Promotes two-horse race:
As president is head of state + chief executive – need to be symbol of national unity – winner tends to receive over 50% popular vote – however only 3/7 last elections, president won with more than 50% popular vote.
Guards against tyranny of the majority:
Founding Fathers – not convinced of wisdom of popular sovereignty, therefore disperses power away from public.
No consensus on what to replace it with:
Slight reforms suggested, e.g. Proportional allocation of ECVs right up to abolition & replacing with national popular vote. Problematic due to difficulty of passing constitutional amendment generally.
Produces a clear winner:
Given use of FPTP for US elections, resulting 2-party system means winner has clear ECVs majority & therefore strong mandate to govern.
What are the Weaknesses of the Electoral College?
Essay Arguments
Small states over-represented:
2016, California had 55 ECVs representing 39.2 million, Wyoming had 3 ECVs representing just over ½ million = California receive 1 ECV for every 713,000, Wyoming for every 195,000. - lack of rep = ^ apathy
Winner-take-all system distorts result:
1996, Clinton won with 49% pop. Vote but 70% ECVs – 2000 & 2016, candidate who won popular lost ECV e.g. 2016 Clinton beat Trump 48.2% to 46.1%. But Trump won ECVs, (Almost 3 million vote difference = scandalous?) – 70 ECVs behind Trump.
Unfair to national 3rd parties:
2000, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader – 3 million votes but not ECVs – 1968, American Independent Party candidate George Wallace – 13.5% of pop. – only as support concentrated in Deep South, 5 states with 45 ECVs – unlikely to have nationwide support.
‘Rogue’ Electors:
Not all states require Electors to cast ballots for state-wide popular vote winner – 2016, multiple of these, 5 Clinton electors & 2 Trump electors not vote for designated candidate – votes going to other candidates, which led to the ECV 304-227 instead of 306-232.
President & Vice-Pres of different parties:
Originally, such issues over party did not cause issue – however it is now problematic. In 2000, was certainly possible the House of Reps could have chosen Rep. George W. Bush as president & Senate chosen Democrat Joseph Lieberman as vice (not happen).
How are ECVs allocated to states?
Num. of Senators (Always 2) + Num. of Representatives currently in the house e.g. California has 2 Sen + 53 Reps = 55 ECVs
This is why population (census) is so important
What are the Strengths/Weaknesses of Reforming the EC with Direct Election?
(Essay Arguments)
Direct Election: Result of 2/5 elections seeing candidate with no pop. vote – calls for direct, The Washington Post commissioned national poll in 2007, 72% supported popular vote election, 23% opposed
However – with a multiplicity of candidates, a winning candidate unlikely to have over 50% of vote, more likely less than 40% + would require amendment to constitution – with equally represented small & large states, unlikely to pass as smaller states would not support = difficult to gain 2/3 supermajority
What are the Strengths/Weaknesses of a proportional system reform to the EC?
(Essay Argument)
Proportional System:
Proportional to popular vote in that state – render Electors unnecessary – fairer to national 3rd parties
However – encourage electorate to vote for 3rd parties = unlikely to have candidate with majority of the popular vote – would have to be brought to Congress or separate elections to be held between top candidates = inconvenient, expensive, and likely disengage electorate after a while
What are the strengths/weaknesses of the Congressional District System reform for EC?
(Essay Argument)
Most widely advocated reform - 48 states to follow system used in Maine + Nebraska - 1 ECV for each Congressional district (where House Reps are elected) - 2016 Maine splits its 4 ECVs, Clinton got 3 for winning state wide vote (48%), Trump gained 1 via presidential vote in 2nd Congressional district 52%
However - still disproportionate, e.g. if use 2012, Mitt Romney would win election despite losing to Obama by 5m votes - Obama won fewer districts with huge margins, Romney won with small margins e.g. Pennsylvania - Obama won state wide 52% to 46%, Romney won 13 districts to Obama’s 5
What are the advantages of Incumbents when running for re-election?
Overall - success, 5/7 elections = success of incumbent
1) Less likely to have stronger candidates get involved when there is an incumbent president
2) Not face primary challenge – creates a stronger party as not disunited fighting each other, many states do not even hold primaries due to such regard – 2012 Virginia, South Carolina, Florida & NY among states that dispensed with a Democratic presidential primary – usually re-nominated without much opposition (Reagan 1984, Clinton 1996, Bush 2004 & Obama 2012) – 92% primary vote
3) Dominates media, as their policies still affect what happens – can be used to their benefit, e.g. 2012 in final weeks, Hurricane Sandy hit east coast – he acted ‘presidentially’, touring the areas & talking to those affected, yet Mitt Romney instead came after scrutiny as one of his policies as to close FEMA
What are the limits/problems associated with being a sitting President?
(Essay Arguments)
3 points
1) Judged by their failures – e.g. Obama with failing to pass significant healthcare legislation despite not being his fault, or Carter when in the final year of his presidency, 52 Americans were held hostage in Iran = foreign policy debacle – weakness of Economy under Bush Snr. during 1992 election (+ emphasised by extensive media coverage)
2) If faced with strong opposition within party, shows less united party and therefore lacking govt, e.g. Obama was embarrassed when initially failing to gain 60% vote in states like Oklahoma & West Virginia, as his opponent Keith Judd won more than 40% despite serving a prison sentence for extortion – or in 1992, when Pat Buchanan opposed Bush in Rep. primaries, gaining 37% in New Hampshire = embarrassment
3) Held to a higher standard, this caused issues for Obama during TV debates, when he seemed disengaged compared to his Republican counterpart Romney.
Direct Democracy - What are Propositions/Initiatives?
1) Propositions/Initiatives:
Allow citizens to bypass state legislature by placing proposed laws & even amendments on the ballot e.g. 2016 Marijuana Legalisation – Approved by California, Main, Massachusetts, Nevada. Defeated – Arizona
Only 24/50 states have such, 2 types of proposition:
- Direct – proposals that qualify go onto the ballot directly
- Indirect – given to state legislature to make decision, sometimes straight to ballot even if legislature rejects, or they can add an alternative option onto the ballot
Rules: proposal must be – filed with designated state official
- Reviewed for conformance with state legal requirements
- Given formal title & brief summary for inclusion on ballot
- Circulated to gain required num. of signatures from voters
- Submitted to state officials for verification of signatures
Num. signatures required varies – Alaska = 10% votes cast in last election, California = 5% in last governor election if state law, 10% if seeking to amend constitution – then either sent to ballot or state legislature – need a majority vote – around a ½ of all initiatives approved by voters
