StudySpace: We the People ed. 6

Elections in America

Popular selection of public officials in competitive elections is the essence of democracy. However, in recent decades many Americans have not bothered to vote and some of our electoral practices seem inconsistent with equality. While our current system clearly favors wealthy individuals and groups, promoting equality may require limiting freedom of expression.

I. What functions do elections serve in the political process?

• Elections in democratic nations allow for opposition to compete against and even replace current officeholders.
• Authoritarian regimes use elections to mobilize popular enthusiasm for the government, persuade foreigners that the government is legitimate, and allow for an outlet for discontent.
• Elections also promote leadership accountability, because the threat of defeat at the polls exerts pressure on those in government to conduct themselves in a responsible manner.

 

II. What different types of elections are held in the United States? What rules determine who wins elections?

• Three types of elections are held in the United States: primary elections, general elections, and runoff elections.
• Some states also provide for referendum and recall voting.
• Most European nations employ an electoral system that uses proportional representation.
• American elections are either plurality (general elections) or absolute majority (primaries with runoffs).

 

III. How does the government determine the boundaries of electoral districts?

• The boundaries for congressional and state legislative districts in the United States are redrawn by the states every ten years in response to population changes determined by the decennial census.
• During the process of redistricting, political groups try to gerrymander the boundaries to serve their interests.
• The Republican party has recently pushed for until-now unusual mid-decade redistricting to get more Republicans in the House.
• The use of race to draw congressional district boundaries has been ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

IV. How is the ballot determined?

• Before the 1890s, parties printed their own ballots and voters cast ballots along party lines.
• The neutral ballot allows voters to cast straight-ticket or split-ticket ballots.
• Criticism of the butterfly ballots in Florida prompted a switch to electronic ballots, which have created a new set of problems.
• The president is chosen by the Electoral College, reflecting the framers’ mistrust of the people to choose their leader.
• This was designed to give Congress ultimate authority to choose the President. However, since the rise of two main parties, one candidate has received the majority of the Electoral College votes and no presidential election since 1824 has been decided in the House.

 

Election Campaigns

I. What are the steps in a successful election campaign?

• A campaign is an effort by political candidates and their supporters to win the backing of donors, political activists, and voters in their quest for political office.
• Candidates must first organize groups of supporters who will help them raise funds and bring their name to the attention of the media and potential donors.
• The next step is to recruit advisors and create a formal campaign organization.
• Public opinion polling is now a major part of any campaign.
• Candidates must successfully campaign and win the party’s nomination in the primary.

 

Presidential Elections

I. How is the president elected?

• Presidential candidates must compete in state primaries and caucuses that occur between February and June of an election year to gain the party’s nomination.
• The candidate who successfully gains the majority of convention delegates is named as the party’s candidate in the general election.
• National Conventions technically select the party’s nominee for President; however, modern conventions simply affirm the winner of the primary season.
• The national convention also serves as an opportunity to display party unity and strength, adopt a party platform, and establish party rules.

 

II. What factors have the greatest impact on a general election campaign?

• Modern presidential elections are driven by polling, the media, and public relations and by new technologies such as phone banks, direct mail, and the Internet—going from labor-intensive to capital-intensive politics.
• The increasing importance of money has an impact on political equality, lessening the advantage of a large grass-roots base and giving a huge advantage to wealthier interests.

 

How Voters Decide

I. What are the primary influences on voters’ decisions?

• The types of factors that influence voting decisions include:
• Partisan loyalty
• Issues, especially the economy and consumer confidence
• Candidate characteristics

 

The 2004 Elections

Who were the Winners in 2004?

• The Republican Party made significant gains in 2004, holding the White House and adding seats to both the House and Senate.
• Republicans even defeated Tom Daschle, the Senate Minority Leader in the South Dakota Senate campaign.
• Conservative Republicans maintain control of all aspects of the national government (the Congress, the White House and the Courts).

 

I. What key ingredients did President Bush and the Republican Party use to secure a victory in 2004?

• Tax cuts
• Massive fund-raising
• The War on terror

 

II. What was the Democratic strategy in the 2004 election?

• Initially, the war on Iraq proved a boon to President Bush’s popularity
• However, Americans began to be skeptical of the premise behind the Iraq war and its chances of success, and Democrats tried to take advantage of Bush’s vulnerability on this issue.
• Democrats picked John Kerry in hopes that his status as Vietnam war hero would convince Americans to switch horses in the middle of a war.
• However, since Republicans controlled both houses of Congress, Democrats could not hold hearings or otherwise highlight the problems in Iraq.

 

III. What was the Republican strategy for victory?

• Bush appealed to religious conservatives on issues such as abortion, stem-cell research and “faith-based initiatives.”
• They successfully targeted Kerry’s war record and Bush took a large lead into the final months of campaigning.

 

IV. The End Game

• Bush’s weak debate performances allowed Kerry to get back into the game, and the final push for turnout would decide the election.
• In the end, the GOP’s superior on-the-ground organization prevailed.
• Republicans registered and brought to the polls tens of millions of religious conservatives to give Bush the margin of victory in key states such as Florida, Ohio and Missouri.
• Kerry’s support from union households, Jews, African Americans and women was not large enough to overcome Bush’s success among white men, the wealthy and Southerners.

 

Money and Politics

I. How do candidates raise and spend campaign funds? How does the government regulate campaign spending?

• Modern national political campaigns are fueled by enormous amounts of money.
• Campaign funds come from a variety of sources, including individual donors, political-action committees, the candidates, non-profit independent “527” groups, the parties,  and public funding.
• The 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act was an attempt to limit soft money and may strengthen the power of PACs and “527” groups.
• The federal government attempts to regulate campaign finances through the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

 

II. How does money affect the ways certain social groups achieve electoral success?

• Wealthy groups clearly have more influence in the electoral process.
• However, many doubt the wisdom of limiting freedom to attain the goal of equality.

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