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Elections and Voting
Section 1: Election Campaigns
• A. Functions of Elections• 1. Symbolic Reassurance: Consent is given
through elections• 2. Allows us to pick gov’t.• 3. Allows retrospective/negative voting: get
rid of poor leaders/issues.• 4. Protect against Official Abuse: Forces
politicians to have contact w/ people.
• B. Financing Election Campaigns• 1. Before 1970’s relied on contributions from
wealthy individuals/groups (dependency): Federal Election Campaign Acts (1971, 74, 76) changed this:
• a. Ceiling on campaign contributions– 1) Business organizations and labor unions prohibited
from making direct contributions (led to PACs)– 2) Individuals limited to $2500/candidate/election
($45600 total)– 3) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission: Ended
Indirect Limits
• b. Political Action Committees• 1. Individuals may contribution $5000 to PACs• 2.PACs limited to no more than $5000 to
candidate/election• c. Ceiling on Campaign Spending• 1.Funding for (subsidies) of Pres. Candidates:
In 2008=$84.1million• 2.3rd party qualifies if receives 5% of vote from
last or current election.
• 3. Delete• 4. No limit on personal spending by
groups/individuals (Perot)• 5. No limit on indirect, independent spending
by groups/individuals (soft $)• d. Disclosure• 1. Candidates, PACs, parties must keep
records of contributions and report to the FEC all contributions over $100.
Sec.2: Factors that influence voting
• A. Long-term sociological and psychological factors influence the way people vote:
• 1. Parents• 2. Place of Residence• 3. Regions of country they reside in• 4. Religion• 5. Race• 6. Age• 7. Income• 8. Education• 9. Occupation• 10. Gender
• Bloc-voting tendencies: people who posses similar characteristics tend to vote the same way.• Cross Pressured voter: person caught in
conflicting elements in their life.
• B. Long-term factors, ppl i.d. w/ one party over the other in election after election. Party ID is #1 long-term factor that influences Am. Voting.
• 1.Traditional Democratic Voting groups• a) Non-whites• b) Lower income• c) Lower education• d) Blue Collar• e) Jews/Catholics• f) NE, MW, W.Coast• g) Unions, teachers, environmentalists
• 2. Traditional Republican Voting Groups• a) Whites• b) College educated• c) Protestants• d) Higher income• e) South, West (non-coast)• f) Big Business, Professionals• C. Voting Patterns
• Normal Vote: if all voted by party ID, each election would be 55%D and 45%R
• Strong Dem: Always vote, Always Dem.• Weak Dem, Independents:–Unsteady as to how and when vote, swayed
by short-term, more likely to switch to other party, influenced by cand. Personality than deep seated love of party.
• Weak Rep: Always Vote, Always Rep.• Strong Rep: Always vote, Always Rep.
• Pres. Elections generate more short-term than other, thus more defection by weak dem.
• Off-year elec.: less short-term forces, lower voter turnout, weak dems and indep. Stay home.
• Off Year: three most imp. Party ID, incumbency, Name recogn.
• Straight-Ticket: All same party.• Split-Ticket: Vote for some of each party,
Wk. Dem. And Indep. More likely.
Bush and Dukakis
1992: Clinton (D) v. Bush (R) v. Perot (Ind)
• 1) Clinton’s image – youth, charisma, appeal to female vote.• 2) Quayle hurt REP.• 3) ECONOMY• 4) Perot got 19% of popular vote, hurt
both parties.
Clinton and Perot
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