Political Parties, Elections
and Campaigns
California Government
Chapter 9
Connecting Citizens to
Government
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In a representative democracy, political
institutions link citizens to politics:
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Elections
Political Parties
Through elections, people hold their
representative accountable by rewarding
representatives they approve of with re-election
and punishing representatives they disapprove
of by electing their opponents
Through parties, group conflicts are managed;
diverse interests are aggregated; candidates
can be identified with a political agenda & also
held accountable for their views and actions
Californians are skeptical of
linkage institutions
• Skeptical of Elections
• Majorities believe they make better decisions than
government officials
• But, only 44% trust their fellow citizens to make good
public policy decisions at the ballot box*
• Skeptical of Parties
• More and more voters are not affiliating with a major
political party; more than 20% today “decline to state”
a party when registering to vote
• 75% believe that state government is run by a few big
interests*
* Source: Mark Baldassare, et al “Californians and Their Government,” Public Policy Institute of California, Dec. 2010.
California: A Weak Party State
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Democrats dominate the legislature and more
people are registered as Democrats than any
other party
However:
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Less than a majority are registered Democrats
20% are Independent, and that category is growing
7 of 10 would prefer not be registered with a party*
Historically, Progressive “anti-party” elections laws
sought to loosen political party control over elections:
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Direct Democracy
Secret Ballots
Cross-filing from 1910s – 1950s
Direct Primaries
Nonpartisan local elections
Still, parties organize government
* Source: Mark Baldassare, “California’s Post-Partisan Future,” Public Policy Institute of California, January 2008, 2.
California Registration February 10, 2013
Party
Voters
Democratic
Republican
Americans Elect
American Independent
Green
Libertarian
Peace and Freedom
Other
Decline to state
total
Eligible to register
Registered
43.9%
28.9%
0.0%
2.6%
0.6%
0.6%
0.3%
2.0%
20.9%
100.0%
7,932,373
5,225,675
3,417
476,157
112,973
109,636
61,612
367,483
3,766,457
18,055,783
75.7%
23,857,732
18,055,783
Who can register to vote?
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Qualifications
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U.S. Citizen
California Resident
At least 18 years old on Election Day
Not found by a court to be mentally incompetent
Not in State Prison or on Parole for a State Felony
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People may register and vote if they are in county jail
or on probation for a county conviction
Use this link to register to vote:
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm
Three Parts of a Party
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How does one define a political party?
Parties have different functions, and 3 different
dimensions of a party can be identified.
1. Party in the Electorate (PIE):
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Refers to members who share similar beliefs about
the role that government should play in their lives
Refers to the generalized sentiment a party’s
members share about what it means to be a
Republican, Democrat, or member of any other party
1. Party in the Electorate (PIE)
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
Tend to be:
ethnically diverse (54% White)
low-to-middle income bracket
Younger
Female: Women outnumber men
Tend to be:
Most lean liberal or hold liberal views:
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Tolerate higher taxes for more
government services
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Want government to promote
equality
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Favor greater access to healthcare
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Favor same-sex marriage
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More responsive to labor unions
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Favor looser immigration laws
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Favor steps to curb global warming
3 out of 4 are “conservative”*:
White (82%)
Higher income bracket
Older
Male: Men slightly outnumber women
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Against taxes
Favor strictly limited government
Want government to stay out of health
care
More responsive to business
Oppose same-sex marriage
Oppose abortion
Favor strong anti-immigration laws
Oppose steps to curb global warming
* Source: Mark Baldassare, “California’s Post-Partisan Future,” Public Policy Institute of California, January 2008.
1. Party in the Electorate (PIE)
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Individuals often develop attachment to
one of the major parties
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Ethnic support of parties
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Family tradition
School
Work, Marriage
Whites about equally Democratic or Republican
Blacks, Hispanics and Asians more Democratic
Gender and Marriage
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Women more likely than men to support Dems
Married individuals more likely than unmarried
to support Reps
Ethnicity and Voting 2012
Total population 2012
Voted 2012
60%
55%
50%
40%
40%
38%
30%
22%
20%
13%
11%
10%
8%
6%
0%
Whites
Hispanic
Asian
Black
Ethnicity and Voting
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(PIE)
Ethnic voters had a major impact on the 2012
election
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field poll 2435
From 1994 to 2012 the state added about 3.5 million
voters, of those about 3 million have been ethnic voters
(Hispanics, Asians, Blacks)
In 2012 a majority of ethnic voters supported Obama
and Prop 30 and a majority of white voters opposed
Obama and Prop 30
Ethnic voters have been becoming more Democratic,
Democratic positions ethnics support:
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Many Hispanics support path to citizenship
Many ethnics support active government (for example
Obamacare)
Younger ethnic voters tend to be more liberal than older
ethnic voters (e.g. support gay marriage, legal pot)
Three Parts of a Party
2. Party in Government (PIG)
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Elected officials help build their party’s “brand
name” through lawmaking, speeches and
other activities
The purpose of parties: organize government
in order to achieve their policy aims
The party in government is made up of the
Governor and other statewide officials,
California representatives and US
representatives
Three Parts of a Party
2. Party in Government (PIG)
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At the state level the two major parties in
California are strongly ideologically polarized
 Republican elected officials are strongly
conservative, they oppose raising taxes and
government spending
 Democratic elected officials are liberal,
willing to raise taxes and spend money to
support government programs
Three Parts of a Party
2. Party in Government (PIG)
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Elections tend to be uncompetitive (between
the parties), based on:
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Natural “sorting”: people tend to live near others
like themselves, so many areas are dominated by
one party
In the past: “gerrymandering” favored incumbents
and the majority party
Three Parts of a Party
3. Party Organizations (PO)
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A party’s organizational bodies, including
conventions, and its rules:
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State Central Committee
County Central Committee
Regional volunteer clubs
Parties help: nominate candidates for election
and get them elected
Three Parts of a Party
3. Party Organizations (PO)
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Decentralized Structures
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Lack of Patronage
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The state central committees and the county central
committees have no power over elected officials, they
support the elected officials, they do not direct them
The national party has no control over the state party
Parties do not have jobs or work contracts to give out
to supporters
Role in Campaign Finance
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Parties can be influential in coordinating contributions
to party supported candidates
Political Parties in California
Major Political Parties
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The Democratic Party of California
The Republican Party of California
All partisan offices are won by
individuals from these two parties
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Libertarian
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Very left-wing
American Independent
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Environmentalist
Peace and Freedom
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Usually at least some statewide candidates
Green
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Minor Parties
Very right-wing
Americans Elect – probably one-time in 2012
These minor parties never win partisan elections
A very small number of Libertarians and Greens
win non-partisan elections
An important features of
California’s Political Landscape
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East-west divide is prominent
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Coastal regions are heavily liberal to moderate
and trend Democratic, and inland counties are
much more conservative and strongly Republican
Makes drawing competitive districts difficult
Citizens, residents, and voters are not the
same groups of people
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Some of these groups (voters) make decisions for
the others (non-voters, those ineligible to vote)
The Divide:
Coastal-Inland
(West-East)
Elections in California: Recent
Reforms
Rules often change through voter-approved
initiatives
 Recent electoral changes and
consequences:
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Term limits for state officials: turnover for offices
is high; open seats are common; competition is
higher for all types of offices
 Has led to less experienced representatives
 Has resulted in more frequent special
elections to fill seats vacated by ambitious
individuals moving up the political ladder
 Incumbents still elected at high rates
Vote by Mail and Early Voting
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Anyone can request a vote by mail ballot
Anyone can request to have permanent
Absentee Voter Status
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If you are permanent absentee then a vote by
mail ballot will be mailed to you for each
election
Many counties (including Los Angeles) allow
early voting at designated locations
Rise of “vote by mail” (55% in 2012)
Elections in California: Recent
Reforms
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New primary election system started 2011:
“Top two” primary elections: any voter can vote
for a candidate from any party in the June primary
(also called an “open primary”)
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All candidates from all parties appear on the June
primary ballot
Candidates can choose whether their party is listed on
the ballot or not
Regardless of vote percentage won, the Top Two
candidates in each race advance to the general
election in November
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Goal of the Top Two system is to elect more
moderate, less ideological politicians
Presidential primaries do not use Top Two, they
are closed to voters registered with other parties
Elections in California: Recent
Reforms
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District maps for 2012-2020 created by a new
Citizens Redistricting Commission
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Goal of this reform was to take the job of drawing
maps away from the state legislature so politicians
would no longer draw their own districts
Maps for CA Assembly, CA Senate, CA Board of
Equalization and US Congress
Two reforms aimed at increasing voter
participation
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Initiatives will only be voted on in general elections
(or in special elections)
Online voter registration
Campaigning in California
Incumbents are in “permanent campaign”
mode
 Big donors to candidates believe they are
buying “access” to the politician
 Campaign contributions and expenses must
be reported to the Fair Political Practices
Commission
 Independent spending (spending by outside
groups) is rising, due to US Supreme Court
decision Citizens United v. FEC (2010)
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Campaigning in California
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Huge sums typically needed to reach residents
spread across large areas, or densely
populated (and expensive) media markets
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Elections are competitive and costly; open
seats can cost much more than these
averages:
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Average ASSEMBLY race: $750,000
Average SENATE race: $1,000,000
Campaign Management Firms
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“Air War” Politics in California
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Campaigns depend less on direct person-toperson contact and more on radio, TV and direct
mail advertisements
Credible campaigns in California are run by
campaign consultants
First campaign consultants: Whitaker and
Baxter in the 1930’s
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Husband and wife team that developed the basic
model of campaign management firms; ran very
negative campaign against Upton Sinclair in 1934
governor’s race
Elections: Partisan and Non-Partisan
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A Partisan Election is one in which
candidates can list their party (less than 1%
of California elected offices are partisan, but
they are the most powerful offices):
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Federal Offices
State Legislature
Statewide Executive Offices (except
Superintendent of Public Instruction)
Non-Partisan Elections are those in which a
candidate cannot list a political party (a
progressive reform)
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State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Judges
All Local Offices (county, city, school board)
Statewide Election Calendar:
Even Years
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The Primary (early June)
 Voters choose top-two in Partisan offices
 Some (State and Local) Non-Partisan Elections
The General Election (early November)
 Partisan top-two run-off
 Some (State and Local) Non-Partisan Runoff
Elections
 Some Local Elections
 Ballot Measures
Special elections: Recalls
Special elections: called by the governor
Local Elections
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Local elections are often held on dates
different from statewide elections so they
will not be overshadowed by statewide
elections
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For example the city of Los Angeles has
a non-partisan March primary and May
run-off in odd years
This can result in voters in some areas
voting twice a year every year, which can
result in “voter fatigue”
2010 Elections
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Elections 2010: Governor, other state
executives, State Leg, US Congress, Props
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June 2010 partisan primaries (old style), incumbents
won
Nov 2010 general election
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Gov: Jerry Brown (D), all state-wide executive offices
won by Democrats, state legislature: most incumbents
won, US Congress: incumbents won
Props Passed: Prop 25 end 2/3 requirement to pass
budget and Prop 26 add requirement of 2/3 vote for fees
Props Failed: legalize pot; temporarily eliminate
greenhouse gas law
2012 Elections
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Elections 2012
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Primary June 5th
 First widespread use of “top two” primary system for State
Legislature and U.S. Congress
 New District Boundaries
 Democratic and GOP presidential primaries wrapped up by
Obama and Romney before CA got to vote
General Election November 6th
 Presidential election in CA: Obama (60%), Romney (37%)
 Initiatives passed in November: Prop 30: temporarily raise
taxes to fund education, Prop 36: requires “3rd strike” to be
violent or felony, Prop 39: new way to calculate multi-state
business tax, money collected to go for clean energy
2013 and 2014 Elections
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Elections 2013
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Los Angeles City Election
 Primary Election for Mayor and half of city council
March 5, 2013, top two Eric Garcetti (33%) and
Wendy Gruel (29%), rest 38%
 Run off Election for Mayor of Los Angeles May 21,
2013 won by Eric Garcetti (54%) over Wendy Gruel
(46%)
Elections 2014
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Election for Governor and other statewide officials
State Legislature, US Congress, Initiatives in Nov. only
Local elections including Los Angeles County
Supervisors