Transcript Lecture_9-3_8-3_.ppt

Lecture 9-3
John T. Moneybags, one of the wealthiest people in America, is a strong
supporter of Senator Phineas J. Fogbottom, who is running for president.
Mr. Moneybags would like to spend a million dollars helping Senator
Fogbottom win office. Is there any way Mr. Moneybags can spend that
much money legally?
A) Yes. Mr. Moneybags can spend as much money as he likes helping
Senator Fogbottom as long as he acts independently and his spending is
uncoordinated with the Fogbottom campaign.
B) No. Although the law allows presidential candidates to accept campaign
contributions from individuals, it limits those contributions to amounts far
smaller than a million dollars.
C) Yes. Mr. Moneybags can create a PAC to contribute a million dollars to
Senator Fogbottom. Although the law limits individual campaign
contributions, it does not limit PAC contributions.
D) No. The law provides that candidates for president may not accept
contributions from individuals. Instead, they receive all of their campaign
money from the federal government.
In State X, legislative districts are drawn in such a way that African
American and Hispanic voting strength is spread among several
districts, thus reducing the likelihood of minority candidates
winning office. Is this redistricting plan legal?
A) Probably NOT. This plan would violate the Supreme Court's
one-person, one-vote rulings.
B)Probably. The Supreme Court allows states discretion in
drawing legislative districts as long as the districts are nearly equal
in population.
C)Probably. The districts are legal as long as each district has the
same number of African American and Hispanic residents.
D)Probably NOT. The Voting Rights Act prohibits actions that
diminish African Americans' and Hispanics' voting power.
A primary in which only a party's
registered voters are eligible to
participate is called
A) closed.
B) open.
C) blanket.
D) all of the above.
Delegates to both of the national party
conventions are
A)wealthier and ideologically more pure than
most Americans.
B)younger than the average American.
C)demographically representative of the
population in terms of race, class, and gender.
D)generally representative of average
Americans.
The Nineteenth Amendments gave the
vote to:
A) Residents of the District of Columbia
B) Native Americans
C) Women
D) People 18 years of age or older
E) Blacks
Which of these would be most likely to vote?
A) a young southern high school teacher
B) a young southerner without a high school
diploma
C) a middle-aged professor at a private university
D) a well-educated senior citizen who used to
work for a big corporation
E) a well-educated, middle-aged government
worker
The best predictor of how a person
will vote is his or her
A) age.
B) income.
C) party identification.
D) social class.
Nomination Process
• “Super Tuesday”
• Front Loading
• Reforms
In recent years, states have tended to "frontload" their primaries so that:
A) Voters will be able to more clearly distinguish
between primary and general elections
B) They can save money by having their
primaries all together
C) The delegates chosen in the primaries will
have more time to make their decision on whom
to support
D) Their primaries are held before one
candidate has his party's nomination completely
sown up
Choosing a Running Mate
• Selection of a vice-presidential running
mate is one of the most important
decisions the newly nominated
presidential candidate must make at the
convention
• The practice is to attempt to balance the
ticket to give the party wider appeal.
Getting Elected.
• The Electoral College chooses the president
– States get electoral votes equal to senators plus
representatives
– “Winner Take All” except in Maine and Nebraska
– Winner Take All system advantages “swing” states
• A majority of electoral votes (270) is needed
in order to win.
• Image
• Issues
• Debates
• Campaign strategy and events
Electoral College – Original
Intentions
• Allow small states to select a winner
from the big states
• Required candidates to have national
appeal
• VP originally was the runner-up
– Modified by the 12th Amendment
Effects of Electoral College
Population
Electoral votes
Residents/Elector
Weight
California
33,871,648
54
627,253
0.83
North Carolina
8,049,313
14
574,951
0.91
Oklahoma
3,523,553
7
503,365
0.96
Alaska
626,932
3
208,977
2.50
United States
281,421,906
538
523,089
1.00
Assume that three presidential candidates all
carry several states, winning electoral votes.
Candidate A wins 220 electoral votes;
Candidate B wins 178 electoral votes;
Candidate C wins 140. What is the outcome of
the election?
A) The House would choose the president from
among the top three finishers.
B) Candidate A is elected president.
C) The House and Senate would select either
Candidate A or Candidate B as president.
D) Candidates A and B are in a runoff.
Assume that Candidates A and B are the
Democratic and Republican nominees for
president, while Candidate C is an independent
candidate. On election day in the state of
Louisiana, Candidate A wins 40 percent of the
vote, Candidate B wins 35 percent, and
Candidate C wins 25 percent. How many of
Louisiana's nine electoral votes would you
anticipate going to Candidate A?
A) None
B) Four
C) Six
D) Nine
The End of the Campaign Trail
• On the national level, American vote
only for a president and a vice
president.
• Indirectly they pick an entire
government: the hundreds of noncivil
service employees the president will
appoint who will oversee the operations
of the national government
Reforming Presidential
Campaigns
• Some believe certain regulations should
be put on the media, given the media’s
importance in presidential elections.
• Campaign financing should exclude
contributions from political action
committees.
Reforming Presidential
Campaigns
• Electoral reforms suggested include a
shorter campaign cycle and fewer
primaries and caucuses
• The electoral college worries many
people who favor direct popular election
or some other major change.
The Candidate’s Perspective:
Running for Congress
Campaign finance
• Running for congress requires large
sums of money
• PACs are important sources of such
funds
Importance of PAC Money
Running for Congress
• Both House and Senate are less competitive
than the Presidency more competitive that
most other races
• Senate slightly more competitive than the
House
• Incumbency is an enormous advantage for
congressional candidates.
• Party identification strongly influences some
how people vote
• Presidential “coattails” gives only a small
advantage at best.
• Midterm (bye year, off year) election – the
president’s party takes a hit
Effects of Mid Term Elections
Reforming Congressional
Elections
• Limits on PAC contributions
• Shorter campaigns
• Longer terms for House members –
eliminates the constant campaign
Races for the U.S. Senate are more competitive
than House races, with a larger percentage of
incumbents defeated for reelection. Which of the
following reasons help(s) account for this fact?
A) PACs don't contribute money in Senate
races.
B) Voters perceive Senate races as local
contests whereas they see House races as
national elections.
C) Challengers for Senate seats are often better
able to raise money and generate free publicity
than are challengers for House seats.
D) All of the above