American Federal Government
Chapter 8:
Campaigns & Elections
Uniqueness of the American System
• Many offices to fill
• Low voter turnout
o 2004, 60% of eligible
• Weak political parties
• Parliament
o Few offices
o Elected form government
o High voter turnout
Getting Involved
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Voting is not the only way
Donating
Volunteering
Working in a campaign
Interest group
organizations
• High income/education
Why Vote?
• Imposes burden
• One vote doesn't affect
outcome
• Civic duty
Who Participates?
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High education vs. low
Older more than young
Men more than women
Overall, whites more than
blacks
• Rates of participation
(outside voting) up
o Writing a letter
o Making a demand
o Demonstrating
o Activists tend to get
message across better
The Right To Vote
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Early: Taxpayer/landowner
Jackson: most white males
All races: 15th Amendment & Voting Rights Act
Women: 19th Amendment
18 year olds: 26th Amendment
Direct election of Senators: 17th Amendment
Blacks' Suffrage
http://www.bing.com/videos/wat
ch/video/voting-rights-actsigned/6x5aj92
http://videos.howstuffworks.com
/hsw/5962-civil-rights-marchingin-alabamavideo.htm?page=20&sort=date
Women's Suffrage
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/h
sw/10330-the-progressive-erasuffrage-video.htm
Giving The Vote To 18 Year Olds
• Debate began WWII, continued through Vietnam
• Oregon v. Mitchell - Congress can regulate voting age
in federal elections
• 1971
Voting Publicly
• Before 20th century, voted publicly without pre-registering
Australian Ballot
• Printed ballot
• Distributed by govt
• Cast in private booth
Who Is Eligible?
• Voting-Age Population (VAP)
o From census
o Everyone over 18/21
• Voting-Eligible Population (VEP)
o Excludes prisoners, felons, aliens
How Bad Is American Turnout?
• 53% of voting age population
• 87% of registered voters
• Registration is an issue
o Burden on citizen
o Re-register when move
o "Get out the vote" probably ineffective
Types of Elections
• General Election
• Primary Election
o Open (choose one party)
o Blanket (mixed)
o Closed (your affiliation)
o Runoff (some states, if no
majority)
• Presidential Primary
o Delegate selection
o Delegate selection with
advisory presidential
preference
o Delegate selection with
binding preference
The Personal Campaign
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Temporary staff
Individual campaigns
Reward followers with jobs
Media - build personal
image
• Slate doesn't make sense
• Candidates often don't
identify with a party openly
• Can win a primary without
party support
o Michele Bachmann
Earlier and Earlier...
• Presidential elections
• Primaries move earlier
• Begin campaign 2 years
ahead
• Money, endurance
Molding the Message
• Primaries - get activist
supporters mobilized
• General election - move to
the center
• Positive or negative?
• Running on a record
o How successful?
o Economy
Getting Airtime
• Getting on TV is a major
goal
o Debates
o Paid ads (spots)
o Interviews or news
(visuals)
 More credible
 Something new
 Scheduling
Attack Ads
http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/arti
cle/outrageous-campaignads/932564/Sep-17-2010_11-24am/
Tuning Out
• People often tune out media
or see what they want
(selective attention)
• Reinforce existing beliefs
• May not change beliefs
• Spots - more information
Do Campaigns Work?
• Decision usually made after
primary
• Campaigns aimed at
undecided voters
• Based on polls
• Make most difference when:
o Low-visibility office
o Primaries with many
candidates
o Ignored by media
Voting on Issues
• Would you vote for or against someone based on
their stance on a single issue?
• Happens most in primaries
How To Get Elected President
• Count on your party
• Be magnetic, take charge
and dignified
• Campaign against a great
economy (incumbent) or
terrible (upstart)
• Retrospective voting
Barack Obama's DNC
Speech Highlights
RNC Highlights
What Doesn't Matter So Much?
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The VP
Media
Candidate Issues
Religion
Party affiliation is strong the brand speaks for the
candidate
Getting Elected To Congress
• Districts usually have strong affiliation
• Redistricting
• Personal appearances
o Incumbent
Realignment
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Big shift in party support based on changing issues
Party could dissolve
Voters shift support
Red vs. Blue States (Counties)
Party decay (Split ticket)
Party Loyalty
• Most loyal Democrats:
o 1. Black
o 2. Jewish
o 3. Some Hispanics
• Most loyal Republicans:
o 1. Business/
professionals
o 2. Sometimes farmers
Group Discussion
Group 1: Discuss the American voting system and participation
in political parties and voting.
Group 2: What is the difference between a primary and an
election? How does the system work in the case of a
Presidential election?
Group 3: Discuss how politicians are elected in America. How
well does the system work? What do politicians need to be
able to do well?
Group 4: What creates party loyalty? What do you see in your
own life?