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Elections and Voting

12. Elections and Voting. Justin Hayworth/AP Images. Types of Elections. 12.1. Primary Elections Closed primaries – open to voters registered for a particular political party Open primaries – open to voters from any political party General Election

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Elections and Voting

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  1. 12 Elections and Voting Justin Hayworth/AP Images

  2. Types of Elections 12.1 • Primary Elections • Closed primaries – open to voters registered for a particular political party • Open primaries – open to voters from any political party • General Election • The election that decides who will represent the single-member district – open to voters regardless of voter registration

  3. Types of Direct Democracy Elections 12.1 • Initiative and Referendum • Initiative placed on ballot by citizens & voted on by citizens • Referendum placed on ballot by legislature and voted on by citizens • Recall • An election designed to remove someone from office • Not every state, county or municipality has a vehicle for recall

  4. Primaries and Caucuses 12.2 • These are the “playoffs” to the general election. • Methods to select delegates • Winner-take-all primary – all-or-nothing • Proportional representation primary – you get a proportional number of delegates to your popular vote (over 15% and used by Democrats). • Caucus – Town meetings designed to inform party members who they’re voting on followed by a formal vote

  5. Presidential Elections 12.2 • The Electoral College • Compromise at the Constitutional Convention • VA and NJ Plans both proposed an executive selected by Congress • Article II, sec 1, clause 2 – Electors • Article I, sec 2, clause 3 – Census • Article II, sec 1, clause 3 – Process • Amendment XII – amends Article II, sec 1, clause 3 to include seperate ballots for pres and vp.

  6. Selecting a President: The Electoral College 12.2 • Historical challenges • Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, 1800 this election led to the passage of the XXII Amendment • John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, 1824 also known as the Corrupt Bargain • George W. Bush and Al Gore, 2000 • Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton

  7. Selecting a President: The Electoral College 12.2 • Should the Electoral College be reformed? • Abolish in favor of popular vote • Protecting smaller states from being overly influenced by larger states • Clinton beat Trump by: • 1.695 million votes in Los Angles County • 1.159 million votes in Chicago • 2.854 million vote advantage in those two cities • 2.868 million vote advantage nationally • Margin of victory in those two cities helped Clinton win those states (look at Chicago on the NY Times map), but the Electoral College protects smaller states from being overly influenced by larger states. As such, the Electoral College system favors smaller states.

  8. Patterns in Vote Choice 12.4 • Party Identification • Ideology • Income and Education • Race and Ethnicity • Gender • Religion • Issues

  9. Party Identification and Ideology 12.4 • Party Identity • Most powerful predictor of vote choice • Doesn't fully eliminate ticket splitting • Ideology • Liberals favor government involvement in social programs and larger government. • Conservatives favor ideals of individualism, market-based competition and smaller government.

  10. Income and Education 12.4 • Lower-income voters • Tend to vote Democratic • Higher-income voters • Tend to vote Republican • Education • Most educated and least educated tend to vote Democratic. • Voters in the middle, such as those with a bachelor's degree, tend to vote Republican.

  11. Race and Ethnicity 12.4 • Whites more likely to vote Republican • African Americans and Hispanics more likely to vote Democratic Gender

  12. Religion and Other Issues 12.4 • Religion • Jewish voters strong Democratic Party supporters • Protestants more likely to vote Republican • Catholics divided • Social justice versus abortion • Issues • Economy often key issue • Retrospective judgment versus prospective judgment Issues • Economy often key issue • Retrospective judgment versus prospective judgment

  13. Voter Turnout 12.5 • Income and Education • Race and Ethnicity • Gender • Age • Civic Engagement • Interest in Politics

  14. Income and Education 12.5 • Those with incomes over $65,000 vote more than citizens with incomes under $35,000. • College graduates are more likely to vote than those with less education.

  15. Race and Ethnicity 12.5 • Whites tend to vote more than African Americans, Hispanics, and other minorities. • Long-term consequences of voting barriers

  16. Gender 12.5 • Women vote more than men, and account for a majority of the electorate. Age • Older citizens vote more than younger citizens Civic Engagement • Members of civic groups more likely to vote • Interest in politics is a reliable predictor in voting

  17. Why Don't Americans Turn Out? 12.6 • Other Commitments • Difficulty of Registration • Difficulty of Voting • Number of Elections • Voter Attitudes • Weakened Influence of Political Parties

  18. Improving Voter Turnout 12.6 • Make Election Day a Holiday • Enable Early Voting • Permit Mail and Online Voting • Make Registration Easier • Modernize the Ballot • Strengthen Parties

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