Elections and Voting
12
Learning Objectives
12.1
12.2
12
Trace the roots of American elections,
and distinguish among the four
different types of elections
Outline the electoral procedures for
presidential and general elections
Learning Objectives
12.3
12.4
12
Compare and contrast congressional
and presidential elections, and
explain the incumbency advantage
Identify seven factors that influence
voter choice
Learning Objectives
12
12.5
Identify six factors that affect voter
turnout
12.6
Explain why voter turnout is low,
and evaluate methods for improving
voter turnout
Roots of American Elections
 Purposes of Elections
 Types of Elections
12.1
Purposes of Elections
12.1
 Popular election
 Provides unique legitimacy to government
 Proof of popular sovereignty, or consent of the governed
 Electorate, or citizens eligible to vote, judge those in power
 Fill public offices
 Elections provide voters a choice in policy
 Winners claim a mandate, or command from the voters to
enact their policy platform
Types of Elections
 Primary Elections
 Closed primaries
 Open primaries – crossover voting
 Runoff primary
 General Election
12.1
Types of Elections
 Initiative and Referendum


Initiative placed on ballot by citizens
Referendum placed on ballot by legislature
 Recall
12.1
How are ballot measures used?
12.1
12.1 When state lawmakers place
a proposal on the ballot for voter
approval, it is called a:
a. Open primary
b. Initiative
c. Referendum
d. Recall
12.1
12.1 When state lawmakers place
a proposal on the ballot for voter
approval, it is called a:
a. Open primary
b. Initiative
c. Referendum
d. Recall
12.1
Presidential Elections
12.2
 Primaries and Caucuses
 Electing a President: The Electoral College
Primaries and Caucuses
 Methods to select delegates
 Winner-take-all primary
 Proportional representation primary
 Caucus
 Selecting a system
 Frontloading
12.2
FIGURE 12.1: When do states choose their
nominee for president?
12.2
Electing a President: The
Electoral College
 Historical challenges
 Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, 1800
 John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, 1824
 George W. Bush and Al Gore, 2000
12.2
Electing a President: The
Electoral College
12.2
 Should the Electoral College be reformed?
 Abolish in favor of popular vote
 Congressional district plan
FIGURE 12.2: How is voting power
apportioned in the electoral college?
12.2
12.2 The numbers of electors from
12.2
each state to the Electoral College
is:
a. Equivalent to the number of representatives
b. Equivalent to the number of representatives
and senators
c. Equivalent to the number of congressional
districts a candidate wins, plus two bonus
electors for the overall popular vote winner
d. None of the above
12.2 The numbers of electors from
12.2
each state to the Electoral College
is:
a. Equivalent to the number of representatives
b. Equivalent to the number of representatives
and senators
c. Equivalent to the number of congressional
districts a candidate wins, plus two bonus
electors for the overall popular vote winner
d. None of the above
Congressional Elections
 The Incumbency Advantage
 Why Incumbents Lose
12.3
The Incumbency Advantage
 Staff Support
 Visibility
 Scare-off effect
12.3
What are some of the advantages of
incumbency?
12.3
Why Incumbents Lose




Redistricting
Scandals
Presidential Coattails
Mid-Term Elections
12.3
TABLE 12.1: How does the president affect
congressional elections?
12.3
12.3 Which of the following is not
typically a reason for an incumbent
to lose an election?
a. Redistricting
b. Presidential Coattails
c. “Scare-Off” Effect
d. Mid-Term Elections
12.3
12.3 Which of the following is not
typically a reason for an incumbent
to lose an election?
a. Redistricting
b. Presidential Coattails
c. “Scare-Off” Effect
d. Mid-Term Elections
12.3
Patterns in Vote Choice







Party Identification
Ideology
Income and Education
Race and Ethnicity
Gender
Religion
Issues
12.4
Party Identification and
Ideology
 Party Identity
 Most powerful predictor of vote choice
 Doesn’t fully eliminate ticket splitting
 Ideology
 Liberals favor government involvement in social
programs
 Conservatives favor ideals of individualism and
market-based competition
12.4
FIGURE 12.3: How do demographic
characteristics affect voters’ choices?
12.4
Income and Education
 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
12.4
Race, Ethnicity and Gender
 Race
 Whites more likely to vote Republican
 African Americans and Hispanics more likely to vote
Democratic
 Gender
 Women more likely to vote Democratic
 Men more likely to vote Republican
12.4
How does gender influence electoral
outcomes?
12.4
Religion and other Issues
 Religion
 Jewish voters strong Democratic Party supporters
 Protestants more likely to vote Republican
 Catholics divided – social justice versus abortion
 Other Issues
 Economy often key issue
 Retrospective judgment versus prospective judgment
12.4
12.4 When voters reward or punish a
12.4
political party at the polls based on
paast achievements or failures, they are
using what?
a. Ticket-splitting
b. Retrospective judgment
c. Prospective judgment
d. None of the above
12.4 When voters reward or punish a
political party at the polls based on past
achievements or failures, they are
using what?
a. Ticket-splitting
b. Retrospective judgment
c. Prospective judgment
d. None of the above
12.4
Voter Turnout






Income and Education
Race and Ethnicity
Gender
Age
Civic Engagement
Interest in Politics
12.5
TABLE 12.2: How do states regulate voter
eligibility?
12.5
Income and Education,
Race and Ethnicity
 Income and Education
 Race and Ethnicity
12.5
FIGURE 12.4: How has the racial and ethnic
composition of voters changed?
12.5
Gender, Age, Civic
Engagement and Interest in
Politics




Gender
Age
Civic Engagement
Interest in Politics
12.5
12.5 All of these are a factor in
voter turnout except:
a. Age and race
b. Income end education
c. Geographic location
d. All of the above
12.5
12.5 All of these are a factor in
voter turnout except:
a. Age and race
b. Income end education
c. Geographic location
d. All of the above
12.5
Toward Reform: Problems
with Voter Turnout
 Why Don’t Americans Turn Out?
 Ways to Improve Voter Turnout
12.6
FIGURE 12.5: Why don’t people vote?
12.6
How do citizens vote by absentee ballot?
12.6
Ways to Improve Voter
Turnout
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




Make Election Day a Holiday
Enable Early Voting
Permit Mail and Online Voting
Make Registration Easier
Modernize the Ballot
Strengthen Parties
12.6
12.6 The most frequently cited
reason Americans give for failing to
vote is:
a. Distrust in government and voter
cynicism
b. Overwhelming number of elections
c. Difficulty with voter registration
d. Conflicts with work or family
12.6
12.6 The most frequently cited
reason Americans give for failing to
vote is:
a. Distrust in government and voter
cynicism
b. Overwhelming number of elections
c. Difficulty with voter registration
d. Conflicts with work or family
12.6
Discussion Question
Why don’t more Americans vote? What
changes to election procedures might
increase voter turnout? What factors
influence how Americans make their
voting choices?
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