Chapter 8: Elections and Voting Behavior (Pp 236-265)

8/14/2019 Chapter 8: Elections and Voting Behavior (Pp 236-265)

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Chapter 8: Elections and Voting Behavior (pp 236-265)Case Name: C a l i f o r n i a D e m o c r a t i c P a r t y v . J o n e s , 530 U.S. 567 (2000)Issue: Civil Rights, Ballot AccessCategories: Elections, First Amendment, Freedom of Association, Political Questions, Political

Speech, State Action, Voting

Facts of the Case: In California, candidates for public office can gain access to the general ballot by

winning a qualified political party's primary. In 1996, voter approved Proposition

198 changed California's partisan primary from a closed primary, in which only a

political party's members can vote on its nominees, to a blanket primary, in which

each voter's ballot lists every candidate regardless of party affiliation and allows the

voter to choose freely among them. The candidate of each party who wins the most

votes is that party's nominee for the general election. The California Democratic

Party, the California Republican Party, the Libertarian Party of California, and the

Peace and Freedom Party have historically prohibited nonmembers from voting in

their party's primary. Each political party filed suit against Bill Jones, the

California Secretary of State, alleging that the blanket primary violated their First

Amendment right of association. Jones countered that a blanket primary will

intensify the election and allow for better representation in elected office. Siding

with Jones, the District Court held that the primary's burden on the parties'

associational rights was not severe and was justified by substantial state interests.

The Court of Appeals affirmed.

Question: Does California's voter approved Proposition 198, which changes its partisan

primary from a closed primary to a blanket primary, violate political parties' FirstAmendment right of association?

Finding: Yes. In a 7-2 opinion delivered by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court held that

California's blanket primary violates a political party's First Amendment right of

association. "Proposition 198 forces political parties to associate with -- to have

their nominees, and hence their positions, determined by -- those who, at best,

have refused to affiliate with the party, and, at worst, have expressly affiliated with

a rival," wrote Justice Antonin Scalia for the majority. "A single election in which

the party nominee is selected by nonparty members could be enough to destroy the

party." Justice Scalia went on to state for the Court that Proposition 198 takes

away a party's "basic function" to choose its own leaders and is functionally "bothsevere and unnecessary." Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg

dissented. "This Court's willingness to invalidate the primary schemes of 3 States

and cast serious constitutional doubt on the schemes of 29 others at the parties'

behest is," Justice Stevens wrote, "an extraordinary intrusion into the complex and

changing election laws of the States."


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Chapter 8Page 2 of 13

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I. Introduction (pg. 238)A. Party Competition is the battle between Democrats and Republicans for control of

public office.

Democrats Republicans a/ka/ G.O.P.Left Right

Mascot: Donkey Mascot: Elephant

Ideology: Liberal Ideology: Conservative

Cut defense spending, but maintain a

strong military

Favor government spending on defense

versus social welfare programs

Freedom of Choice Right to Life

Oppose school prayer of any kind Favor moments of silent prayer

Government is a means of dealing with

the problems facing society.

Laissez-faire position regarding

government involvement.

Sympathetic to the rights of the

accused.

Critical of many of the Warrant Court

decisions.

B. Without this competition there would be no choice, and without choice there would beno democracy. [At least this is the justification for the political parties today; unlike the

founding fathers that were against factions.]

II. The Meaning of Party (pp. 238-241)A. Political Parties a group of persons seeking to control the governing apparatus by

gaining office in a duly constituted election.1. They will endorse candidates for public office and try to win elections.2. Party leaders often disagree about policy, and between elections the parties are nearly

invisible.

B. Parties are three-headed political giants1. The party-in-the-electorate are individuals who perceive themselves as party

members; many voters have a party identif ication (the self-proclaimedpreference for one or the other party) that guides and influences their votes.

Unlike many European political parties, American parties DO NOT require duesor membership cards to distinguish members from nonmembers. To be a

member of a party, one needs only to claim to be a member.

2. The party as an organization has a national office, a full-time staff, rulesand bylaws, and budgets.

a) Each party maintains state and local headquarters.


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b) Organization includes precinct leaders, county chairpersons, statechairpersons, state delegates to the national committee, and officials in

the partys Washington office.

3. The party-in-government consists of elected officials who call themselvesmembers of the party (such as President and Congress).

a) These leaders do not always agree on policy; but they are the mainspokespersons of the party.

b) Their words and actions personify the party to millions of Americans.C. Tasks of the Parties (pg. 239)

1. In a large democracy l inkage institutions (institutions such as (1) parties, (2)elections, (3) interest groups, and the (4) media translate inputs from the public

into outputs from policymakers) translate inputs from the public into outputs

from the policymakers.

2. Tasks performed by parties as linkage institutions:a) Pick Candidates Almost no one gets elected to a public office

without winning a partys endorsement.

(1) A nomination is the partys endorsement of a candidate.(2) Exception is Lieberman who ran as an Independent after not getting

the Democratic nomination.

b) Run Campaigns Through their national, state, and localorganizations, parties coordinate political campaigns; however, recent

technology has made it easier for candidates to campaign on their own.c) Give Cues to Voters - Even though party ties have weakened, most

voters have a party image (what the voters know or think they knowabout what each party stands for) of each party; and many voters still

rely on a party to give them cues for voting.

d) Articulate Policies - Within the electorate and in the government,each political party advocates specific policy alternatives.

e) Coordinate Policymaking Parties are essential for coordinationamong the branches of government. When they need support to get

something done, the first place they look is to their fellow partisans (members of the same group; i.e., Republicans or Democrats).

D. Rational-Choice Theory (a/k/a Anthony Downs Model) assumes that partiesand political actors have goals (such as winning elections) that are more important to the

party than ideology.


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1. Voters want to maximize the chance government will adopt policies they favor.2. In order to win an office, the wise party pursues policies that have broad public

appeal.

3. The majority of the American electorate are in the middle, and successful partiesin the U.S. rarely stray far from the midpoint of public opinion.

4. Parties differentiate themselves to some extent to forge different identifies inorder to build voter loyalty: Republicans favor lower taxes and less domestic

spending, whereas Democrats favor more government programs to help the

middle-class and less-advantaged Americans.

III. The Party-In-The-Electorate (pp. 241-242)A. The party in the electorate consists largely of symbolic images.

1.

There is no formal membership in American parties.2. For most people, the party is a psychological label.

B. Party images help shape peoples party identif ication the self-proclaimedpreference for one of the parties.

1. The clearest trend in party identification over the last four decades has been thedecline of both parties and the resultant upsurge of Independents (mostly at the

expense of the Democrats). Note: In 2000, 41% identified themselves as

Independents; however, that number dropped to 36% in 2002.2. Virtually every major social group (except African-American voters) has movedtoward a position of increased independence.3. By contrast, African-Americans have moved even more solidly into the

Democratic party (currently only five percent of African-Americans identify

themselves as Republicans).

C. Party identification remains strongly linked to the voters choice, but ticket-splitting (voting with one party for one office and another for other offices) is near an all-time

high.

1. Not only are there more Independents now, but those who still identify with aparty are no longer as loyal in the voting booth as they once were.

2. Divided government has frequently been the result (often with Republicancontrol of the White House and Democratic control of Congress)

IV. The Party Organizations: From the Grass Roots to Washington (pp. 242-246)


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A. American political parties are decentralized and fragmented.1. Unlike many Europeans parties, formal party organizations in America have little

power to enforce their decisions by offering rewards (like campaign funds and

appointments) to officeholders who follow the party line and punishing those

who do not.

2. Candidates in the United States can get elected on their own, and the partyorganization is relegated to a relatively limited role.

3. Because the government is decentralized (federal in design) so is the politicalparty system; we have a national party and 50 state parties (per political party;

i.e., Democrats and Republicans).

B. Local Parties: The Dying Urban Machines (pp. 243-244)1. At one time, the urban political party was the basis of political party

organization in America.2. From the late nineteenth century through the New Deal of the 1930s, scores of

cities were dominated by party machines (a party organization that dependson material inducements such as patronage, in which jobs were awarded forpolitical reasons rather than for merit or competence).

3. The Daley machine in Chicago, at its height, dispensed 40,000 patronage jobs,the recipients of which were expected to deliver at least 10 votes each on election

day and to kick back 5 percent of their salary in the form of a donation to the

local Democratic Party.

C. The 50 State Party System (pp. 244-245)1. There are fifty state party systems, no two exactly alike. Parties in some states

(such as Pennsylvania) are well organized, have sizable staffs, and spend a lot of

money, while parties in other states (such as California) are very weak.

2. The states are allowed great discretion in the regulation of party activities, andhow they choose to organize elections influences the strength of the parties

profoundly.

3. States determine how easy it is to participate in nomination contests by theiradoption of varying types of primaries:

a) Closed Primaries nomination contest where only people who haveregistered in advance with the party can vote.

b) Open Primaries nomination contest where voters can decide onelection day whether they want to participate in the democratic or

Republican contest. (Washingtons current primary system)


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c) Blanket Primaries nomination contest where voters are presentedwith a list of the candidates from all the parties and allows them to pick

candidates from all parties. (Washington once had this primary system)d) Nonpartisan Primaries Voters can choose any candidate from any

political party in the opening round of voting. If one candidate wins amajority of votes cast, that candidate is declared the winner. If no

candidate wins a majority, the top two vote-getters regardless of party

affiliation move on to the general election.

D. The National Party Organizations (pg 246)1. The national convention of each party meets every four years to write the

partys platform and nominate its candidates for president and vice president.

2. The national committee is composed of representatives from the states andterritories to keep the party operating between conventions.

3. National Chairperson is responsible for taking care of the day-to-dayactivities and daily duties of the party. They hire staff, raise money, pay bills, and

attends to the daily duties of the party. The President normally selects the

chairperson for their party.

V. The Party In Government : Promises and Policy (pp. 246-247)A. Party control DOES matter because each party and the elected officials who represent it

generally try to turn campaign promises into action.

B. The party that has control over the most government offices will have the most influencein determining who gets what, where, when, and how.

C. Voters and coalitions (set of individuals with a common interest) of voters are attracted todifferent parties largely (though not entirely) by their performance and policies.

D. The parties winning the presidency have done a fairly good job over the years oftranslating their platform promises into public policy nearly 75% of all promises

resulted in policy actions while only 10% were ignored altogether.

VI. Party Eras In American History the Two Party System (pp. 247-256)A. In contrast to the United States, most democratic nations have more than two parties

represented in their national legislature.


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B. Throughout American history, one party has been the dominant majority party for longperiods of time (referred to as party eras).1. Critical Elections are an electoral earthquake where new issues emerge,

new coalitions (a set of individuals or groups supporting the party) replace oldones, and the minority party often displaces the majority party.

2. A party real ignment (a rare event) is typically associated with a major crisisor trauma in the nations history (such as the Civil War and the great

Depression, both of which led to realignments).

C. 1796-1824: The First Party System Federalist and Democratic-Republicans (pg 249)1. Alexander Hamilton needed congressional support for policies he favored

(particularly a national bank), and the foundation of the Federal ist party camefrom his politicking and coalition building.

a) The Federalists were Americas shortest-lived major party.b) They were poorly organizedc) They faded after John Adams was defeated in his reelection bid of 1800d) They no longer even had a candidate for president after 1820.

2. The Democratic-Republicans (also known as Jeffersonians)a) First known as the Anti-Federalists the name of the party opposed to the

ratification of the Constitution.

b) Eventually called Democratic-Republicans hoping to convince the electoratethat they believed in a more democratic approach to the governing of the

Republic.c) The coalition was derived from agrarian interests which made the party

popular in the rural South.

d) The coalition was torn apart by factionalism.D. 1828-1856: Jackson and the Democrats versus the Whigs (pp. 249-252)

1. General Andrew Jackson was originally a Democratic-Republican, but soon afterhis election (1828) his party became known simply as the Democratic party(which continues to this day).

2. Opposition was provided by the Whigs, but the Whig party was only able towin the presidency when it nominated popular military heroes such as William

Henry Harrison (1840) and Zachary Taylor (1848). The Whigs had two distinct

wings northern industrialists and southern planters who were brought

together more by the Democratic policies they opposed than by issues on which

they agreed.


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E. 1860-1928: The Republican (GOP=Grand Old Party) Era (pg. 252)1. The issue of slavery dominated American politics and split both the Whigs and

the Democrats in the 1850s

2. The Republican party rose in the late 1850s as the antislavery party.a) The Republicans forged a coalition out of the remnants of several minor

parties (antislavery Democrats and the Know-Nothings) and elected

Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860.

b) The Civil War brought a party real ignment , and the Republican partywas in ascendancy for more than sixty years (though the Democrats

controlled the South)

c) The election of 1896 was a watershed during this era a period when partycoalitions shifted and the Republicans were entrenched for another

generation.

d) The Republicans continued as the nations majority party until the stockmarket crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression.

F. 1932-1964: The New Deal Coalition = Democrats Rule (pp. 253-254)1. President Herbert Hoovers handling of the Great Depression was disastrous for

the Republicans. He took the position that economic depression cannot be cured

by legislative action.

2. Franklin D. Roosevelt promised a New Deal easily defeating Hoover in 1932.a) Congress passed scores of Roosevelts anti-Depression measures during his

first hundred days in office.

b) Party real ignment began in earnest after the Roosevelt administrationgot the country moving again, and Roosevelt forged the New DealCoalition from such diverse groups as union members, southerners,intellectuals, liberals, the poor, and African-Americans.

G. 1968-Present: The Era ofDivided Government (pp. 254-256)1. Although the Democrats have been the majority party ever since Roosevelts

time, the coalition has steadily weakened since the mid-1960s.

2. An unprecedented period of divided government (when the executive andlegislative branches are controlled by different parties) has existed since 1968.

3. The House of Representatives had been consistently controlled by the Democratsfrom 1968 to 1994.


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4. After the 2000 election, political scientists began referring to the nation asdivided into the blue states won by Democrats and the red states won by the

Republicans.

H. Possibility of a Party Realignment? (pp. 255)1. Republicans have won six of eight presidential elections but were unable to

control Congress until 1994.

2. In 1980, Ronald Reagan began attracting a traditional Democratic base ofmiddle-class workers to his candidacy (Reagan Democrats).

3. In 1992, however, Bill Clinton introduced the New Democrat aiming toentice those liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats.

4. In 2002, under Republican President George W. Bush, the Republicans wereable to take control of the Senate, and become stronger in the House.

5.

In 2004, George W. Bush was reelected solidifying Republican control of theexecutive and legislative branches.

6. Republican gains in the once Democratic South suggest a major partyreal ignment in that area of the country; the Democrats Solid South no longerexists in national elections.

I. Party Dealignment - People are gradually moving away from both political parties.1. Many political scientists believe that the recent pattern of divided government

means that the party system has dealigned rather than realigned.

2. Many scholars fear that the parties are becoming useless and ineffective throughthe pattern of divided government and dealignment.

3. Conversely, there are also some signs of party renewal, such as the increase in theregular Washington staff of the national party organizations.

4. The recent dealignment has been characterized by a growing party neutral ity (when voters have an indifferent attitude toward both of the parties) to some

this would be an independent.5. Those who do identify with a party are more likely to belong to the party that

matches their ideology the parties have become ideologically differentiated,

and people who call themselves conservatives are more likely to be in the

Republican party while liberals are concentrated in the Democratic party.

6. Even though party loyalty has lagged, party organizations have become moreenergetic and effective the parties learned the secrets of high-tech fund-raising;

the parties national, congressional, and senatorial campaign committees are now

wealthier, more stable, better organized, and better staffed.


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VII. Third Parties: Their Impact On American Politics (pp. 256-258)A. There are three basic varieties of third parties (minor parties which either promote

narrow ideological issues or are splinter groups from the major parties).

1. Promote Certain Causes either a controversial single issue such as prohibition ofalcoholic beverages or an extreme ideological position such as socialism orlibertarianism

2. Splinter Parties - offshoots of a major party and can often play a spoilerrole in an election where the two major parties are evenly matched.a) Teddy Roosevelts Progressives a/k/a Bull Moose (1912) split from the

Republicans. In the election of 1912, Woodrow Wilson (Democrat) received

41.8%, Teddy Roosevelt (Progressive) received 27.4%, William Taft

(Republican) received 23.2%. If Teddy had not split the Republican party,

Taft most likely would have won the election of 1912.

b) Senator Strom Thurmonds States Righters a/k/a Dixiecrats (1948) splitfrom the Democrats. Senator Thurmond later became a Republican.

c) George Wallaces American Independents (1968) split the Democrats.3. An Extension of Individual Presidential Aspirations including John Anderson

(1980) and Ross Perot (1992 and 1996).

B. Importance of Third Parties1. Third parties have controlled enough votes in one-third of the last 36

presidential elections to have decisively tipped the electoral college vote.

2. They have brought new groups into the electorate and have served as safetyvalves for popular discontent.

3. They have brought new issues to the political agenda.4. Although they have virtually no chance to win, they still was a vocal campaign.

C. Consequences of the two-party system1. The most obvious consequence of two-party governance is the moderation of

political conflict

a) With just two parties, both will cling to a centrist position to maximizetheir appeal to voters.b) The result is often political ambiguity parties will not want to risk

taking a strong stand on a controversial policy if doing so will only

antagonize many voters (as with Goldwater in 1964 and McGovern in

1972).


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2. One of the major reasons the United States has only two parties represented ingovernment is structural America has a winner-take-all system.a) In this system, the party that receives a plurality (more votes than

anyone else, even though it may be less than a majority) is declared the

winner; the other parties get nothing.

b) This system discourages small parties.3. In a system that uses proportional representation (used in most European

countries), legislative seats are allocated according to each partys percentage of

the nationwide vote.

a) A party must achieve a certain percentage of votes to be awarded seats inthe legislature.

b) A small party may use its seats to combine with one of the larger partiesto form a coalition government.

4. A coalition government is created when two or more parties join together toform a majority in a national legislature. This form of government is quitecommon in the multiparty system of Europe.

VIII. Understanding Political Parties (pp. 258-262)A. Political parties are considered essential elements of democratic governmentB. Democracy and Responsible Party Government (pp. 259-260)

1.

Ideally, in a democracy candidates should say what they mean to do if electedand be able to do what they promised once they are elected.

2. Critics of the American party system have called for a more disciplined,responsible party model.a) Parties must present distinct, comprehensive programs for governing the

nation.

b) Each partys candidates must be committed to its program and have theinternal cohesion and discipline to carry out its program.

c) The majority party must implement its programs, and the minorityparty must state what it would do if it were in power.

d) The majority party must accept responsibility for the performance of thegovernment.

3. American parties do not meet the criteria of the responsible party model.a) They are too decentralized to take a single national position and then

enforce it.


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b) Because virtually anyone can vote in party primaries, parties do not havecontrol over those who run under their labels

c) In Americas loosely organized party system, there is no mechanism for aparty to discipline officeholders and ensure cohesion in policymaking.

4. There are supporters of Americas two-party system who criticize theresponsibility party model.a) They argue that the complexity and diversity of American society needs

a different form of representation; local differences need an outlet for

expression.

b) Americas decentralized parties are appropriate for the type of limitedgovernment the founders sought to create and most Americans wish to

maintain.

C. Individualism and Gridlock (page 261)1. The Founding Fathers were very concerned that political parties would trample

on the rights of individuals.

2. They wanted to preserve individual freedom of action by various elected officials.3. When one party controls the executive branch and another party controls the

legislative branch, it becomes easy for each party to pass the buck in regards to

American policymaking. This creates gridlock.D. American Political Parties and the Scope of Government

1. Weak parties limit the scope of government in America because the presidentcannot command party discipline to pass important legislation, such as health

care.

2. Because no single party can ever be said to have firm control over government,the hard choices necessary to cut back on existing government spending are

rarely addressed.

3. Divided government has meant that neither party is really in charge, andeach points the finger at the other.

E. Is the party over? (pp. 262-263)1. Parties are no longer the main source of political information.

a) More and more political communication is not face-to-face but ratherthrough the mass media.

b) The technology of campaigning television, polls, computers, politicalconsultants, media specialists, and the like can be bought by


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candidates for themselves, and they therefore do not need to be

dependent on the party.

c) With the advent of television, voters no longer need the party to find outwhat the candidates are like and what they stand for.

d) The power of interest groups has grown enormously in recent years; theypioneered much of the technology of modern politics, including massmailings and sophisticated fund-raising.

2. There are indications that the parties are beginning to adapt to the high-techage.

a) State and national party organizations have become more visible andactive.

b) Although more people than ever before call themselves Independent andsplit their tickets, the majority still identify with a party (and this

percentage seems to have stabilized).

Documents

Chapter 8: Elections and Voting Behavior (Pp 236-265)