STUDY GUIDE CH 7 and 8 TEST
Vocab
Conventional participation
Unconventional participation
Political efficacy
Progressivism
Standard socioeconomic model
Political party
Party platform
Multi-party system
Bolter (splinter) party
Structuring the voting choice
1. goals of the militaia movement
2. political institutions and stability
level of govt from which most attention is demanded
class action suit
voting qualifications and expansion of suffrage
Smith v Allwright, 1944
responsibility for voter enfranchisement
women’s suffrage
referendum
initiative
characteristics of non-voters
effect of elections on power and authority of the state
Ross Perot’s main political asset in the ’92 election was his personal wealth
attitude of America’s toward political parties
why did parties develop new methods for nominating candidates?
critical election
election of 1896
most important function of third parties
Congressional Campaign Committees
effect of primary elections on party strength
relationship between national party committees and state and local affiliates
Party loyalty in Congress since the ‘70’s
Functions of elections
Political organization, conventional or unconventional
Programs and policies of the two major parties, and the coalitions that support them
Principles of responsible party government
Organization and structure of the major political parties and internal changes in the last 30-35 years
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Saturday, December 2, 2006
ch 9 objectives/synopsis
Chapter 9 – Nominations, Elections, and Campaigns
Learning Objectives:
• Define key terms at end of chapter
• Differentiate among the various types of primaries and tell what impact, if any, they have upon the role of political parties
• Outline ways in which Congress has regulated campaign finance
• Describe a typical campaign strategy that might be used by a professional campaign manager
• Explain how the president is indirectly elected through the electoral college and tell the advantages and disadvantages of that system
• Compare the effects of key long-and-short term forces on voters choice
• Decide whether the American party system is more pluralist or more majoritarian in its operation
Chapter Synopsis
The American electoral process has undergone considerable change. Increasingly, election campaigns have evolved from being party centered to being candidate centered. Most candidates for major office are nominated through a primary election. To nominate a presidential candidate, parties employ a mix of presidential primaries, local caucuses, and party conventions. In seeking election, an incumbent usually
Enjoys an advantage over a challenger, especially in elections to Congress, where challengers get far less money from organized groups.
Campaign funds are perhaps the most vital campaign resource. Campaign financing is now heavily regulated by national and state governments. At the national level, the Federal Election Commission enforces limits on financial contributions and requires full disclosure of campaign spending. It also administers the public financing of presidential campaigns. Such financing has effected campaigns by placing limits on campaign costs, by helping to equalize the amounts spent by major candidates in the general election, and by increasing the candidate-centered orientation of elections. Public funds are given to the candidate rather than the political party represented by the individual. Access to such funds has generally further isolated the presidential campaign from congressional campaigns. Candidates usually turn to pollsters or political consultants to develop a strategy that mixes party, issues, and images. The campaign message is then disseminated via the mass media through news coverage and advertising.
All seats in the House of Representatives, one-third of the seats in the Senate, and numerous state and local offices are filled in general elections, which are held in November in even numbered years. The president is elected indirectly through the electoral college, in which each state has a number of electors equal to the total of its senators and representatives. Voters may vote either a straight ticket, in which they choose only one party’s candidates for all offices, or a split ticket, in which they choose candidates from different parties.
Individual voting choices can be explained as products of long-term forces, which operate over a series of elections, and short-term forces, which are associated with particular elections. Party identification is the most important long-term force. The most important short-term forces are candidates attributes and policy positions. Most studies of presidential elections show that issues are less important than either party identification or the candidate’s image when people cast their ballots.
Although the party affiliation of the candidates and the party identification of the voters explain a good deal of electoral behavior, party organizations are not central to elections in the United States. Both major parties fail to meet two of the four principles of responsible government noted in chapter 8. First, they do not choose candidates according to party programs. Second, the governing party cannot be held responsible at the next election for executing its program because there is no governing party when the president is of one party and the Congress is controlled by the other. Even though parties do not satisfy all elements of the majoritarian model, in the United States parties do fit well into the pluralist model. They function as giant interest groups themselves, and their decentralized organization provides many opportunities for other organized groups to back candidates that favor their interests.
Learning Objectives:
• Define key terms at end of chapter
• Differentiate among the various types of primaries and tell what impact, if any, they have upon the role of political parties
• Outline ways in which Congress has regulated campaign finance
• Describe a typical campaign strategy that might be used by a professional campaign manager
• Explain how the president is indirectly elected through the electoral college and tell the advantages and disadvantages of that system
• Compare the effects of key long-and-short term forces on voters choice
• Decide whether the American party system is more pluralist or more majoritarian in its operation
Chapter Synopsis
The American electoral process has undergone considerable change. Increasingly, election campaigns have evolved from being party centered to being candidate centered. Most candidates for major office are nominated through a primary election. To nominate a presidential candidate, parties employ a mix of presidential primaries, local caucuses, and party conventions. In seeking election, an incumbent usually
Enjoys an advantage over a challenger, especially in elections to Congress, where challengers get far less money from organized groups.
Campaign funds are perhaps the most vital campaign resource. Campaign financing is now heavily regulated by national and state governments. At the national level, the Federal Election Commission enforces limits on financial contributions and requires full disclosure of campaign spending. It also administers the public financing of presidential campaigns. Such financing has effected campaigns by placing limits on campaign costs, by helping to equalize the amounts spent by major candidates in the general election, and by increasing the candidate-centered orientation of elections. Public funds are given to the candidate rather than the political party represented by the individual. Access to such funds has generally further isolated the presidential campaign from congressional campaigns. Candidates usually turn to pollsters or political consultants to develop a strategy that mixes party, issues, and images. The campaign message is then disseminated via the mass media through news coverage and advertising.
All seats in the House of Representatives, one-third of the seats in the Senate, and numerous state and local offices are filled in general elections, which are held in November in even numbered years. The president is elected indirectly through the electoral college, in which each state has a number of electors equal to the total of its senators and representatives. Voters may vote either a straight ticket, in which they choose only one party’s candidates for all offices, or a split ticket, in which they choose candidates from different parties.
Individual voting choices can be explained as products of long-term forces, which operate over a series of elections, and short-term forces, which are associated with particular elections. Party identification is the most important long-term force. The most important short-term forces are candidates attributes and policy positions. Most studies of presidential elections show that issues are less important than either party identification or the candidate’s image when people cast their ballots.
Although the party affiliation of the candidates and the party identification of the voters explain a good deal of electoral behavior, party organizations are not central to elections in the United States. Both major parties fail to meet two of the four principles of responsible government noted in chapter 8. First, they do not choose candidates according to party programs. Second, the governing party cannot be held responsible at the next election for executing its program because there is no governing party when the president is of one party and the Congress is controlled by the other. Even though parties do not satisfy all elements of the majoritarian model, in the United States parties do fit well into the pluralist model. They function as giant interest groups themselves, and their decentralized organization provides many opportunities for other organized groups to back candidates that favor their interests.
ch 9 notes
Chapter 9 Notes
• Of all the institutions that deal with government, the political party has lost the most influence over the past 40 years
• Political party organizations were the primary way in which presidential campaigns were conducted in the 19th and early 20th centuries
• Today, presidential campaign tactics are controlled by a candidate’s personal campaign organization
• Ordinary party voters in the U.S. have far more control over the nomination process than do voters in other democratic countries
• Compared with most West European countries, the U.S. method of holding primary elections to nominate candidates for public office is uncommon; in most west European countries candidates are interviewed and selected by party activists
• Most party candidates for major office in the US are nominated through primary elections
• A closed primary is one in which voters must declare their party affiliation before voting and is the most frequently used
• It has traditionally been thought that democratic and republican primary voters are more liberal and conservative, respectively, than average party members. This thinking has recently been called into question.
• The blanket primary allows voters to select candidates for both parties simultaneously
• Political parties prefer closed primaries because it helps ensure that candidates are chosen by people who share the goals and values of the party
• Presidential candidates are officially nominated at the party convention
• A difference between a caucus and a primary is that the caucus allows voters to debate and exchange views before casting their ballots
• In all Democratic presidential primaries candidates that win at least 15% of the vote divide delegates proportionately
• A meeting of party supporters to choose delegates to attend a subsequent meeting at which party decisions are made is a local caucus
• Since the 1960’s, campaigns have become longer and more media focused, and fund raising is more complex
• The New Hampshire presidential primary gets significant political and media attention because it is the first one to occur each election year
• One consequence of the presidential nominating process in the US is that candidates have their own personal campaign organizations and those who win the nomination do so mainly on their own and owe little or nothing to the national party organization
• A mid-term or off-year election is one in which there is no presidential race
• The 23rd amendment to the Constitution awarded 3 electoral votes to Washington DC
• A state’s votes in the electoral college are equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress. This is recalculated every 10 years after the census
• The number of electoral votes needed to win the presidency is 270.
• The greatest danger posed by the electoral college is that the candidate winning the popular vote might not receive a majority of the electoral vote
• Over the last hundred years, the electoral college has magnified the margin of victory that the winner received in the popular vote
• For the last 40 years Democrats have tended to do better in Congressional elections and Republicans in presidential elections
• Incumbent candidates tend to have an advantage over a challenger (money, name recognition, party support)
• The term political context refers to the incumbency status of the candidates, party registrations, and the socioeconomic qualities of the electorate
• The first effective law to regulate campaign was the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
• Candidates running for president can qualify for federal funding by raising $5000 in each of 20 states
• The Federal Election Commission is a regulatory agency whose purpose is to enforce limits on campaign contributions and administer public funding of campaigns
• Public financing of presidential campaigns began in 1974, primarily to discourage illegal fund raising
• In a general election campaign, presidential nominees may receive twice the primary election limit in public funds if no private funds are used
• One practical effect of public financing of presidential campaigns has been an equalization in the amounts spent by the major candidates in the general election
• A party-centered strategy is appropriate when voters have little political information. It is not appropriate in most primary elections because voters are of the same party
• A basic assumption among campaign managers and political media is that the American people have little interest in politics and a short attention span
• Polling is used to get feedback about the success or failure of various campaign tactics and to discover voters’ perceptions of candidates and voters’ opinions about certain issues
• The first objective of campaign advertising is to produce a high level of candidate name recognition among voters
• The largest amount of spending goes for television and radio spots
• When producing video spots for a candidate, the emphasis is on creation of images and mood
• Party identification is the most important long-term force affecting US elections
• Since the 1950’s party voting has decreased
• The primary importance of the Contract with America was in setting the agenda for the 104th Congres
• Candidates running for president often diverge from the party platform on many issues
• Of all the institutions that deal with government, the political party has lost the most influence over the past 40 years
• Political party organizations were the primary way in which presidential campaigns were conducted in the 19th and early 20th centuries
• Today, presidential campaign tactics are controlled by a candidate’s personal campaign organization
• Ordinary party voters in the U.S. have far more control over the nomination process than do voters in other democratic countries
• Compared with most West European countries, the U.S. method of holding primary elections to nominate candidates for public office is uncommon; in most west European countries candidates are interviewed and selected by party activists
• Most party candidates for major office in the US are nominated through primary elections
• A closed primary is one in which voters must declare their party affiliation before voting and is the most frequently used
• It has traditionally been thought that democratic and republican primary voters are more liberal and conservative, respectively, than average party members. This thinking has recently been called into question.
• The blanket primary allows voters to select candidates for both parties simultaneously
• Political parties prefer closed primaries because it helps ensure that candidates are chosen by people who share the goals and values of the party
• Presidential candidates are officially nominated at the party convention
• A difference between a caucus and a primary is that the caucus allows voters to debate and exchange views before casting their ballots
• In all Democratic presidential primaries candidates that win at least 15% of the vote divide delegates proportionately
• A meeting of party supporters to choose delegates to attend a subsequent meeting at which party decisions are made is a local caucus
• Since the 1960’s, campaigns have become longer and more media focused, and fund raising is more complex
• The New Hampshire presidential primary gets significant political and media attention because it is the first one to occur each election year
• One consequence of the presidential nominating process in the US is that candidates have their own personal campaign organizations and those who win the nomination do so mainly on their own and owe little or nothing to the national party organization
• A mid-term or off-year election is one in which there is no presidential race
• The 23rd amendment to the Constitution awarded 3 electoral votes to Washington DC
• A state’s votes in the electoral college are equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress. This is recalculated every 10 years after the census
• The number of electoral votes needed to win the presidency is 270.
• The greatest danger posed by the electoral college is that the candidate winning the popular vote might not receive a majority of the electoral vote
• Over the last hundred years, the electoral college has magnified the margin of victory that the winner received in the popular vote
• For the last 40 years Democrats have tended to do better in Congressional elections and Republicans in presidential elections
• Incumbent candidates tend to have an advantage over a challenger (money, name recognition, party support)
• The term political context refers to the incumbency status of the candidates, party registrations, and the socioeconomic qualities of the electorate
• The first effective law to regulate campaign was the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
• Candidates running for president can qualify for federal funding by raising $5000 in each of 20 states
• The Federal Election Commission is a regulatory agency whose purpose is to enforce limits on campaign contributions and administer public funding of campaigns
• Public financing of presidential campaigns began in 1974, primarily to discourage illegal fund raising
• In a general election campaign, presidential nominees may receive twice the primary election limit in public funds if no private funds are used
• One practical effect of public financing of presidential campaigns has been an equalization in the amounts spent by the major candidates in the general election
• A party-centered strategy is appropriate when voters have little political information. It is not appropriate in most primary elections because voters are of the same party
• A basic assumption among campaign managers and political media is that the American people have little interest in politics and a short attention span
• Polling is used to get feedback about the success or failure of various campaign tactics and to discover voters’ perceptions of candidates and voters’ opinions about certain issues
• The first objective of campaign advertising is to produce a high level of candidate name recognition among voters
• The largest amount of spending goes for television and radio spots
• When producing video spots for a candidate, the emphasis is on creation of images and mood
• Party identification is the most important long-term force affecting US elections
• Since the 1950’s party voting has decreased
• The primary importance of the Contract with America was in setting the agenda for the 104th Congres
• Candidates running for president often diverge from the party platform on many issues
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