GOVERNMENT CHAPTER 5 and 6

POLITICAL PARTIES, VOTERS AND VOTING BEHAVIOR

C. 5-- WHAT ARE PARTIES AND WHAT DO THEY DO?

• POLITICAL PARTIES ARE NOT IN THE CONSTITUTION.– VIEWED AS DANGEROUS FACTIONS.– WHY PARTIES ORIGINATED

• POLITICAL PARTY– GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO SHARE SIMILAR IDEAS ABOUT

GOVERNMENT AND SEEK TO CONTROL THE GOVERNMENT BY WINNING ELECTIONS.

– THERE ARE 2 MAJOR PARTIES: • THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY (Andrew Jackson)• THE GRAND OLD PARTY (REPUBLICAN PARTY-- Lewis Cass

and Frederick Douglass). – THE GOP HAS A CONSERVATIVE WING CALLED THE “TEA

PARTY”.– THERE ARE ALSO SMALLER 3RD PARTIES:– GREEN PARTY, LIBERTARIAN PARTY, AMERICAN SOCIALIST

PARTY, CONSTITUTIONAL PARTY, AMERICAN COMMUNIST PARTY.

• WHAT DO PARTIES DO?– 1. PRESENT POLITICAL LEADERSHIP OPTIONS TO THE PEOPLE.– 2. PRINCIPAL MEANS BY WHICH THE PEOPLE’S “WILL” IS MADE

KNOWN.– 3. COMPROMISERS.

PURPOSES OF PARTIES:

• 1. Nominate candidates– Filling forms and fees– Straw Polls– Primaries or caucuses– Debates

• 2. Informing and Activating • the base.

– Spinning information– Criticize the opposition

• 3. Guarantee that candidates of high character.• 4. Governing

– Govern according to party beliefs (partisanship) – serve as channel of information between Congress and

the President.

• 5. Act as a “watchdog”– Serve as the “loyal opposition”.

THE RIGHT TO VOTE• The success of a democracy is based on political

efficacy.• THE HISTORY OF VOTING RIGHTS

• Originally the Constitution left voting rights to the States. (Suffrage)

• Most states in 1789 restricted voting rights to white, land-owning males.

• EXTENDING SUFFRAGE: THE 5 STAGES• 1. Elimination of religious requirements. By 1810 all

religious tests had been eliminated. By 1840 universal, white, male suffrage had been reached. Voting “birthright”.

• 2. 1870 15th Amendment Voting rights could not be denied based on race, color or previous condition of servitude. Voting rights were becoming Federalized.

• Literacy tests, Poll Taxes and Grandfather Clauses denied black voting rights. (8 Box Rule)

• 3. 19th Amendment ended voting restrictions based on gender. 1920 was the first year women could vote for president. Granting women the right vote began with the western states.

• 4. Federal legislation passed to guarantee voting rights for African-Americans. Civil Rights Act of 1965, 23rd Amendment, 24th Amendment.

• 5. 26th Amendment reduced the voting age to 18.• CONSTITUTIONAL VOTING QUALIFICATIONS:

• The Constitution places 5 restrictions on the States:– 1. People who vote for the most numerous branch of the state

legislature must be able to vote for members of Congress.– 2. 15th Amendment.--- race– 3. 19th Amendment--- gender– 4. 24th Amendment—no poll taxes– 5. 26th Amendment--- age

• Hill v. Stone, 1975..Texas case about city bond issues being limited to property tax payers..

• Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional– violated the14 th Amendment

VOTING BEHAVIOR• NONVOTERS– Ancient Greeks referred to them as idiotes.• 2008 56.8% of all eligible voters voted in the presidential election.• 2006 37% voted in the Congressional elections• 2002 37% voted in the Congressional elections • REASONS FOR CHRONIC NOT VOTING:• 1. “Ballot Fatigue” • (too many people to vote for)• President>Governor>Statewide offices>Mayor>Sheriff, etc.• 2. “Cannot Vote”• Resident aliens (10 million)• Illness, or in Mental Facilities (5-6 million)• Traveling (2-3 million)• Prisoners (2 million)• Religious reasons (100,000)• 3. “Do Not Vote” (80 million)• Voting doesn’t make a difference. (My vote doesn’t count)• Political world is ok, elections make no difference.• Distrust politicians (low political efficacy)• Government controlled by special interest groups or media.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE VOTER TURN-OUT

• THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE INTENTION TO VOTE, THEN DON’T

• 1. Long voter lines• 2. “Flat Tire” Theory (Rainy Day Theory)• 3. Time-Zone Fallout• 4. Uninformed voters, apathy

• COMPARING VOTERS AND NONVOTERS• Most Likely to vote: Not Likely to Vote:• 1. High income 1. younger than 35• 2. High level of education 2. unmarried• 3. Job with high status. 3. unskilled laborers• 4. Up-standing and long- 4. Live in the rural • standing members of the community. 5. Male• 5. Strong sense of party identification.• 6. Tend to live in politically• competitive areas.

HOW PEOPLE VOTE (VOTING BEHAVIOR BY PARTY)

SOCIOLOGICAL FACTORS• G.O.P. DEMOCRATS

• 1. College grad HS or less 2. >50 18-35

• 3. >$100,000/yr <$15,000 3-2 margin

• <29,000 4-3

• <50,000 even• 4. Professionals (lawyers, doctors, Manual laborers• Accountants, Engineers, etc)• 5. Men Women (10% more)• 6. South, Mtn. West North, Big Cities• Suburbs• 7. White Immigrants, African-• Americans and

Hispanics

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS• Strong Party Identification---more likely to vote straight

ticket. They vote for their party regardless of who the candidates are.

• Many Americans today identify themselves as “Independents”. They are more likely to “split their ticket”.

• Most Americans adopt the party of their mother.• CANDIDATES AND ISSUES:

• Some people vote for charismatic leaders or for one particular issue.

• Some voters vote their pocketbook.. .. Jobs• War in Iraq, Afghanistan• Social Issues (Gay Rights, Women’s Rights, Prayer in

School, Abortion, Gun Rights, Health Care, etc)—one issue voters.

• Education “No Child left Behind”, vouchers

THE ELECTORAL PROCESS• NOMINATION:• “The naming of a candidate”• Party responsibility. Especially in governor’s races

(Gubernatorial) and national races (Senate, President)

• 5 Ways in which nominations are done:• 1. Self-announcement• 2. Caucus• 3. Convention• 4. Direct Primary• 5. Petition

Nader

PerotWallace

Colbert

Wisconsin

ELECTIONS• THE ADMINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS

– Must be fair, honest, and accurate.– Most elections are run by the states– But must abide by Federal Fair Election laws.

• CONSTITUTION:– Congress sets date for federal elections.. Tuesday after 1st Monday

of November in every even numbered year. – Congress has also stated that ballots must electronic, secret, and

permit absentee voting.

• VOTING:– People vote in their precincts (divided up by population)– The Ballot: Historically, ballots have ranged from:– Paper ballots, viva voce, party printed ballots, Australian Ballot,– Mechanical, today Computerized.

• Paid for by the taxpayers• Lists all the candidates, regardless of party in alphabetical order.• Vote in secret

CAMPAIGN FINANCING• MONEY AND ELECTIONS• Cost of a presidential campaign: $7-10 billion• Radio and TV ads• Campaign managers and strategists• Pamphlets, bumper stickers, buttons, billboard, campaign signs• Web sites, polling services• Sources of Funding: 1. Private donors:

– Donate over the Internet• “small contributors”--$5-$50• “Fat Cats”--$1,000s 2. PACs (Political Action Committees)—special interest groups• Candidates themselves• Temporary political groups (Viet Nam Attack Boat Veterans) 3. Public Funds-- $ given to candidates by the Government

Attempts to limit campaign donations: 2002 Congress-- Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act) to limit PACs, but Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional because it violated the 1st Amendment.

FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION RULES• Disclosure requirements state that most campaign donations have to

be disclosed for public review.

Kerry-EdwardsBush-Cheney

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION1. THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE The President is elected by the Electoral College.

The people indirectly vote for the President.--The people vote for a slate of presidential electors.

--In most states they are required by law to vote the way people voted. “Rubber stamp”.

2. THE ELECTION:A. In 49/51 of the states (plus DC) the winner of the popular vote wins all of that state’s electoral vote– “winner-take-all”-The 2 states that do not go by “winner-take-all” -- Nebraska and Maine. B. Electors cast their votes in the state capital on the Monday after the 2nd Wednesday of December.

- The votes are sent by registered mail to the vice-president (pres. Of the Senate) January 6th the ballots are counted in front of a joint session of Congress.C. The candidate with a majority of the electoral votes wins. (270 of the 538).

**If no one wins a majority the election is then decided by the House of Representatives. 1800, 1824.

he House chooses from the top 3 candidates. If no one is elected by Jan. 20th then the newly elected

VP rules until the President is elected. **If there is a tie for VP it is decided by the Senate.

ELECTORAL MAP OF THE USA 2008

PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM

• DEFECT #1• The winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed to be the

President due to the winner-take-all system, especially when there is a strong third party candidate.

• Example: 2000 election Al Gore won the popular vote but did not win the electoral vote. George Bush won the election.

• There have been 4 times the winner of the popular vote did not win the election.

• 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000

• DEFECT #2• There is no federal or Constitutional law that requires an

elector to vote for the popular vote winner.• Most of the States have laws requiring it.

• DEFECT #3• It is possible that no candidate will receive a majority of the

electoral votes.• The election is then decided by the House of Representatives.

– In the House each state gets 1 vote. (small states and big states are equal)

– A state may be evenly divided and lose its vote.– A simple majority of 26 states is needed to elect a president. If

there is a strong 3rd party a new president may not be elected by Inauguration Day.

• 1800 and 1824

• FOUR POSSIBLE REFORMS• 1. THE DISTRICT PLAN—electoral votes decided by

Congressional District and the extra 2 decided by the statewide vote.

• It would eliminate winner-take-all. • Keep the electoral college, therefore no Constitutional

Amendment needed.• **Increases possibility of an election going to the House.

• THE PROPORTIONAL PLAN• Each candidate would receive electoral votes equal to his/her % of

popular votes.• Keep electoral college, eliminate winner-take-all. • No amendment needed• **It would increase the likelihood of an election of being decided

by the House.

• DIRECT POPULAR ELECTION• Eliminate the electoral college.• The president would the winner of the popular vote.• **Would the winner have to win a majority or a plurality??• **It would require a Constitutional Amendment.• **It would increase campaign spending, because the candidates

would be forced to campaign equally in all states.

• NATIONAL BONUS PLAN• Keep electoral college as is, but award an additional 102 electoral

votes to the winner of the nation-wide popular vote.• 321 would be the numbered needed to win.• No amendment needed.• Eliminate the possibility of the election going to the House.• Winner of the popular vote wins the presidency