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Representation and Direct Democracy 7 November 2011

Representation and Direct Democracy

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Representation and Direct Democracy. 7 November 2011. Announcements. Reminder: Essays due next Thursday week at 4pm; You must also upload your paper to Turnitin through ELE: You only need to upload your paper once. January exam will be multiple choice format and short answer. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Representation and Direct Democracy

Representation and Direct Democracy

7 November 2011

Page 2: Representation and Direct Democracy

Announcements

• Reminder: Essays due next Thursday week at 4pm; You must also upload your paper to Turnitin through ELE: You only need to upload your paper once.

• January exam will be multiple choice format and short answer.• Dissatisfied citizens can try to remove incumbents from office during their

terms through:a. initiatives. b. referendums. c. propositions.  d. recall elections. e. All of the above.

• The exam will be comprehensive so to do well you will have to read all of the assigned material and you must also understand it!

Page 3: Representation and Direct Democracy

Incumbency Advantage

• Typically about 90 percent of House incumbents are reelected• In the Senate, 78.6 percent have won reelection in the postwar

period• Even in years very unfavourable to one of the parties, a large

majority win. In 1994, the Democrats worst year since 1946, 84 percent won. In 1974, 77 percent of the Republican incumbents who ran were returned to office.

• In 2006, 94 percent of House incumbents won; in the Senate 79 percent were reelected.

Page 4: Representation and Direct Democracy

Explanations for Incumbency Advantage

• Name Recognition (opposed to party id as a cue)• Redistricting (in the House)• Campaign finance system

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Elbridge Gerry’s Salamander

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Gerrymandering

• Equal populations• Partisan• Incumbency• Racial

Page 7: Representation and Direct Democracy

Racial Gerrmandering

Page 8: Representation and Direct Democracy

Florida 3rd “Gnawed Wishbone

Illinois 4th Pair of Earmuffs

Texas 30th

“Microscopic View of a Disease

Louisiana 4th

Mark of ZorroTexas 29th

Bird with PlumageNew York 12th

Bullwinkle

Page 9: Representation and Direct Democracy

Campaign Money

• A good candidate and a good message are not enough. Without money, the voters do not see the candidate or hear the message.

• In contemporary candidate-centered campaigns, candidates (as opposed to the party organizations) must assemble their own campaign teams, raise their own money, hire consultants and technical specialists, and design and execute their own individual campaign strategies.

• Recent elections reflect the rise in cost.

Page 10: Representation and Direct Democracy

Money Raised in 2008

Source: www opensecrets.org

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Page 12: Representation and Direct Democracy

Ethics and Honesty

Page 13: Representation and Direct Democracy

Attitudes about Campaign Finance

Page 14: Representation and Direct Democracy

The Campaign Finance Regulation System

• Campaign finance operates through two parallel systems: • Money going directly to candidates is subject to limits on the size

of contributions and full disclosure of sources. See Federal Election Commission.

• The Federal Election Campaign Act (FEC) of 1974 imposed limits on both contributions and spending for congressional candidates. However the Supreme Court ruled in Buckley vs. Valeo that the spending limits were unconstitutional because such restrictions limited free speech.

• Presidential candidates who accept public funds (voluntary) also must observe spending limits. But money raised and spent outside of the candidates’ campaigns (soft money, issue advocacy) is lightly regulated and not subject to limits.

• Obama was the first presidential candidate to refuse public funds so he would not have to abide by limits

Page 15: Representation and Direct Democracy

The Role of the Representative

• Trustees—legislators who use their own judgment to decide what is right

• Delegates-legislators who carry out the precise wishes of their constituents back home regardless of what they personally believe is best

• Symbolic-does Congress look like America?

Page 16: Representation and Direct Democracy

African American and Hispanics in Congress

Page 17: Representation and Direct Democracy

Women in Congress

Page 18: Representation and Direct Democracy

Policy Representation

Page 19: Representation and Direct Democracy

Direct Democracy as an Alternative

• Rather than voting for representatives, citizens are able to draft and vote directly on policy

• Direct democracy allows citizens to be their own “legislators” • Direct democracy also allows citizens to set the policy agenda• Circumvent a non-responsive legislature

Page 20: Representation and Direct Democracy

Recall the reasoning for the U.S. Constitutional Framework…

• America is not so much a democracy as it is a republic.

• The whole idea of the Constitution was to limit majority rule, to prevent tyranny of the majority. This is why citizens do not make laws directly, but elect representatives to do so, and supra-majorities or checks and balances are required in every step of legislation and execution.

• Nevertheless, the Constitution reserves power to the states to determine their own laws. Many states allow voters to make laws directly.

Page 21: Representation and Direct Democracy

Devices of Direct Democracy

• The Referendum– Government places a question before the voters

• The Initiative– Allows voters (or some organized group) to define the issue or

question to be voted on• The Recall

– Allows voters to undo elections by recalling elected officials

Page 22: Representation and Direct Democracy

The Referendum

– France and the Netherlands recently voted on the European Constitution (2005)

– Constitution of Iraq (2005)– Australian Republic (1999)– Canada “Charlottetown Accord” (1992)—

• divisions of powers between federal and provinces– Ireland (1995) held a referendum to decide whether divorce

should be legal

Page 23: Representation and Direct Democracy

The Initiative—Some Examples

– Taxes– Prop 13 (California, 1978)• Medicinal marijuana– California’s Prop 315 (1996); Proposition 1 (Michigan 2008); Measure 67 (Oregon,

1998) – New proposals in California would legalise, tax and regulate the drug in what would

be the first such law in the United States. Tax officials estimate that legislation could bring $1.4 billion a year.

• Ban same-sex marriage • 11 states (2004); 3 states (2008)

– Deny illegal immigrants social services, health care, and public education – Prop 187 (California, 1994)

Page 24: Representation and Direct Democracy

The Recall

– Typically used for local offices– Exception-California Governor (October 7, 2003)– Signatures– Results

Page 25: Representation and Direct Democracy

Where Direct Democracy is used

Page 26: Representation and Direct Democracy

Examples of Ballot MeasuresCalifornia (2010)

Page 27: Representation and Direct Democracy

Vote on Legalizing Marijuana (CA)

Source: CNN Exit Polls

Page 28: Representation and Direct Democracy

Advantages

• Allows citizens to circumvent unresponsive legislatures (example of term limits and other reforms)

• Allows citizens to remove unpopular representatives (example of Gray Davis)

• Empowers voters

Page 29: Representation and Direct Democracy

Criticisms of Direct Democracy

• Original intent of the framers was for a republican form of government

• Too much money and “special interest” influence• Voters are incompetent• Concern about minority rights

Page 30: Representation and Direct Democracy

Reasons Californians Support Direct Democracy

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Gives people a voice

Allows direct participation

Allows for policy change

Forces issues onto the agenda

Makes voters aware of issues

Gets attention of politicians

Source: Table 7.1, p. 135 Donovan and Bowler

Page 31: Representation and Direct Democracy

Voter Evaluations of Representative versus Direct Democracy

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Who do you feel generally enacts more coherent andwel-thought-out government policies?

Which do you feel is better suited to decide uponhighly technical or legal policy matters?

Which do you feel gives more thorough review toeach particular aspect of a proposed law?

Which do you feel is better suited to decide uponlarge scale government programs and projects

Which do you feel is more influenced by specialinterest groups?

Which do you feel can be trusted more often to dowhwat is right on important government issues?

Elected Representatives Voting Public Other

Source: Table 7.2, p. 136 Donovan and Bowler