Elections and Voting Behavior

Chapter 10

Functions of Elections

• Institutionalize Political Activity– Versus Demonstrations, Riots,

Revolutions

• Provide Regular Access to Political Power– Legitimate Transfer of Power

• Guides the Policy Direction of the Government– Or Does It?

Types of Elections

• Primary

• General Elections

• Policy Elections– Initiative- 24 States – Referendum

Evolution of Elections

• 1800– Jefferson- Democratic Republican vs. John

Adams- Federalist– Nominated by the Parties Elected

Representatives in Congress– State and Local Organizations, Partisan

Newspapers Campaigned, Not Candidates– Jefferson Ends Up Tied with Burr– House of Representatives Chooses Jefferson– First Peaceful Transition

Evolution of Elections• 1896

– Republicans-McKinley, Democrats- Bryan– National Nominating Conventions– Front Porch Campaign vs. Cross of Gold

Orator– Republicans

• Industrial Northeast, Midwest

– Democrats• White Southerners, Westerners

– 80 % Voter Turnout

Evolution of Elections• 2000• Bush, Gore and Nader• Campaign Strategy (TV,

Technology and Debates)– Gore- His own Man– Bush- Restore Dignity to the

White House

• Florida Vote• Supreme Court Decision• The Spoiler for Gore

Generalizations About Voting Groups

• Gender• Race• Age• Income• Education Level• Party• Ideology• Religion• Marital Status• Region• Military

Evolution of Voting Rights

1787

Only property owners and taxpayers

allowed to vote

1820

Property restriction removed, except in New

Jersey and North Carolina

1840

All white males over 25

allowed to vote

1870

15th amendment gives suffrage regardless of

race, color, or previous condition of servitude

White primary, literacy test, poll

tax, and grandfather

clause prevent blacks from

voting

1870’s

Xenophobia prevents foreigners from voting

in 19th century

1900

Women are allowed to vote

1920

1924

Native Americans allowed to

vote

1915

Grandfather clause declared

unconstitutional

1944

White primary falls

1800

Voting Rights Act passed suspending

literacy tests and permitted federal

examiners

1965

1968

Poll tax eliminated

1972

18 year olds begin to

vote (Voting Rights Act

of 1970)

Modern Standards

Must be 18 or older,

registered, can’t be in a mental

institution, can’t be a convicted

felon

1961, residents of the District of Columbia allowed to vote by 23 amendment

1800’s

Voting- Why Bother?

• Cost of Voting

• Does My Vote Make A Difference?– Winner Take All, Electoral College

• Is There Really a Choice?– Question of Whether the Parties and

Candidates are Different

VERSUS

• Political Efficacy

• Civic Duty

Declining Voter Turnout

Comparative Low Voter Turnout

• Registration Procedure– None, Election Day, 30 Days…– Onus on the Individual, It is not Automatic– Impact of Motor Voter Act of 1993

• Vote More Often

• Offer Less of a Choice

USATODAY Snapshot Poll

Demographic Voting Factors

• Education

• Age

• Race

• Gender

• Marital Status

• Mobility

• Union Membership

How Americans Decide• Mandate Theory of Elections• Party Identification

– Democrats• African Americans, Jews, Hispanic

Americans

– Republicans• Conservative Christians, Upper

Income

– Party Voting Has Declined But Recently Stabilized

• Technology, Split Ticket Voting, Floating Voters

• Candidate Evaluation– Integrity, Competence, Reliability– Superficial or a Predictor?

• Policy Voting1. Know Thine Own Policy Self

2. Know the Candidate’s Stand on Issues

3. See Differences Between Candidates on Issues

4. Cast Vote for Like Minded Candidate

– Obstacles to Policy Voting

How Americans Decide

Do Elections Affect Public Policy?

Answer: Depends

Ability to Discern Policy Differences of Candidates

But:• The Art of

Ambiguity• The Horserace

Media and Infotainment• The Broad Based

Appeal of Parties

Does Public Policy Impact Elections?

• Retrospective Voting

• “It’s the Economy Stupid”

• Electoral Reward or Punishment

The Electoral College

• The Numbers-– 435– 100– 3– 538– 270

Electoral College Timeline• Today, all States choose their Electors by

direct statewide election, the winner of the popular vote winning all the

electoral votes, except for …

• Maine (in 1969) and Nebraska (in 1991) - which changed to selecting two of its Electors by a statewide popular vote and the remainder by the popular vote in each Congressional district.

• On the ballot, you will see ….

The Names of the Candidates

But Read The Fine Print

Current Workings of the Electoral College

• Names of nominated candidates from each party are submitted to each State’s chief election official so they will appear on the official ballot.

• Third parties and independent candidates follow different procedures according to the individual State laws

• On the Tuesday following the first Monday of November in years divisible by four, the general election occurs - to select electors

Current Workings of the Electoral College

• The candidate receiving the most popular vote in each State wins all the electors of that State (except for Maine and Nebraska where the winner gets two electoral votes (Senators) and the remainder by the popular vote within each Congressional district (Representative)

• On the Monday following the second Wednesday of December (per federal law), each State’s Electors meet in their respective State capitols and cast their electoral votes, one for President and one for Vice-President

Current Workings of the Electoral College

• The electoral votes are then sealed and transmitted from each State to the President of the Senate who, on the following January 6, opens and reads the vote before both house of the Congress

• The candidate for President with the majority of electoral votes (270) is declared the President

• Similarly, the Vice-Presidential candidate with the absolute majority of electoral votes is declared the winner

Current Workings of the Electoral College

• In the event no one obtains an absolute majority of electoral votes for president, the U.S. House of Representatives selects the President from the top three contenders with each State casting only one vote and an absolute majority of the States is required to elect

• In the event no one obtains an absolute majority of electoral votes for vice-president, the U.S.Senate makes the selection from among the top two contenders

Current Workings of the Electoral College

At noon on January 20, the duly elected president and vice president

are sworn into office