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