| *Home* *POLS-2301* *Prev Page* Page R2_2 |
| Review Test 2, cont. (Chapter 6, cont.) 7. Costs of voting: - time (ppl would rather do something else) - money (time=money for ppl who have hourly wages) - feeling of being uncomfortable/intimidated b/c lack of info - comfort does matter�bad weather Benefits - ppl used to get paid to vote, bribing - ppl working for the govt are voting on their bosses - psychologically, ppl feel they�re doing the citizen duty Low turnout is probably a cause for concern, but not despair Low turnout = a problem: - Reflects a �phony� politics (politicians not addressing relevant issues) - Discourages individual (voting stimulates individual dvlpmt, ppl who participate= better citizens) - voters are unrepresentative (how is this one small group representing all American opinions?) Low turnout = not a problem - Optimistic- sign of healthy political environment, ppl happy w/the way things are - Elitist- uninformed citizens choose not to vote b/c they don�t know enough, it�s better that way - Cynical/Radical- voting doesn�t matter anyway, real decisions made by political elites 8. Americans are more likely to participate in other ways than citizens of other countries. Compositional Effect: a change in the people who compose America�s political electorate, rather than a change in behavior. Chapter 7 1. The wealthy, rural residents, southerners, and white protestants tend to vote republican Gender Gap: women tend to vote democratic about 10% more than men. 2. Psychological Factors: party loyalty= the strongest determinant in an individual�s vote 2/3 have a declared party Prospective voting- looking @ things candidates say they�ll do Retrospective voting- evaluating how the president�s done so far. 3. People seldom base their decisions on policy proposals because they�re too complex, people have limited information, and are often unsure where the candidates stand. 4. What is the most important determinant of how ppl vote? Most decide how to vote before campaign begins (party identification) 5. Incumbency advantage - party loyalty won it before, it will do it again - House members have more contact w/the ppl - Senate members have more media attention - Advertising- free postage, claim credit, helping constituents directly, pork barrel projects - position taking- ppl give them more money b/c they�ll win b/c they get more money (cycle) 6. Primary Campaigns matching funds-funding can be matched by feds up to the spending limit -some forgo it b/c it limits them too much -must raise at least $5000 in 20 different states w/no contribution higher than $250 Presidential Campaign under terms of the 1974 Fed Elections Campaign Act, the FEC gives major party candidates a set amount and they can�t raise/spend anymore 7. Sources of Funding: many many places �Soft� money: campaign funds that are spent on a candidate�s behalf but that the candidate does not receive or coordinate directly. It is unlike hard cash provided to an individual candidate. 8. The Electoral College�s Purpose Principle : everyone should have equal influence over govt. , but must accommodate for other social goals: efficiency, individual autonomy, protection of the minorities, and fidelity to tradition # of votes in Electoral College = # of House of Rep + 2 Senators for each state. 48/50 use winner-take-all system for casting their votes (ME & NE don�t) 9. Electoral votes needed to win the presidency: Majority, Half +1 (270) Faithless Electors- members of the electoral college who don�t vote for who they�re supposed to 10. 11. Complaints of the Electoral College: - we never give everyone equal influence, - individual citizens votes don�t count for as much, - can distort popular preference. Advantages: - it allows candidates to focus their resources on undecided states - it may reduce corruption - keeps politicians from playing to the fears of minorities (must have support in diff regions) 12. Small states have a numerical advantage b/c they each have 2 Senators, no matter what the population. The same #, 2 Senators, must represent a larger # of people in a bigger state 13. Yes, it is possible for a candidate to become president w/out majority of popular vote. Unit rule (?) 14. Re-apportionment- 435 seats in the House of Rep are appointed among the states according to their population Redistricting- the state redraws its district lines to equalize population Gerrymandering- drawing the lines to benefit a certain group 15. SMSP (single-member, single-plurality) system�winner-takes-all process of electing one member per district & granting the seat to person w/most votes Proportional Representation System- a party would receive congressional seats according to its share of the vote 16. Invisible Primary- time for candidates to gauge their support to run in an actual election Closed Primary- voters have to declare in advance which party and vote only in the primary of the party for which they registered Open Primary- allows any registered voter to select one party�s primary and vote in it. 17. Primary Election- a preliminary election that nominates the candidate to run for a party Caucus- a meeting of candidate supporters to choose the candidate to run for a party Strengths of our Nomination Process: - gives you lots of info about candidates - winners have more time to unify their party - allows citizens to choose their leaders Weaknesses: - starts too early (who wants to think about a Nov election in Jan?) - lasts too long � 6 months (before the end, they already know who�ll win) - gives political activists a great deal of power - forces candidates to move away from their natural position (gain more votes on other side) - journalists interpret them, media has too much power 18. The presidential nominee nominates the Vice President, and the conventions accept them. Criteria: different region, needed added characteristics. |