Beryl Winston
“Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades.”
A. Explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust
and confidence in government. Give a definition of divided
government in your response.
 Divided government: the president is a member of one political party and
at least one chamber of Congress (either the Senate or the House of
Representatives) is controlled by the opposite party.
Because in a divided government one party can check the other's agenda,
it is exceedingly difficult for a party to carry out its policies. Divided party
governments in modern times have affected voter behaviors. The inability
of a party to bring its promises to fruition has contributed to voter
disillusionment in the democratic system, decreasing trust and
confidence in government.
b. Explain how the increase cost of election campaigns has
contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government
- Candidates get the money to finance their campaign from
donors in the form of campaign contributions. The people who
donate may expect something (like a kickback) in return for their
contribution. As candidates require more and more money to
become elected, the likelihood or the appearance of "buying" the
candidate increases dramatically. The appearance of a candidate
being "bought" means that people will question whether this
person has their best interest in mind when they are elected. This
has raised concern that elected representatives might become
more accountable to powerful donors than to their electorates.
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c. Explain 2 specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence
in government for individual political behavior.
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1) Lower voter turnout:
Ex. 1996 presidential election, less than 50% voter turnout.
Much lower than other democracies around world like Australia where
they have more than 90% voter turnout.
Ex. Most recent midterm elections have experienced the
lowest voter turnout (percentage wise) since the ratification of the 19th
Amendment
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2) De-Alignment (a trend or process whereby a large portion of the
electorate abandons its previous partisan affiliation, without developing
a new one to replace it ):
- Decrease in party loyalty
- increase in registration as independents and for third
parties like the Green Party

In late September 1995, questions arose regarding the Democratic
National Committee's fund-raising practices. In February the
following year, the People's Republic of China's alleged role in the
campaign finance controversy first gained public attention after
the Washington Post published a story stating that a U.S.
Department of Justice investigation had discovered evidence that
agents of China sought to direct contributions from foreign
sources to the DNC before the 1996 presidential campaign. The
paper wrote that intelligence information had showed the Chinese
Embassy in Washington, D.C. was used for coordinating
contributions to the DNC in violation of U.S. law forbidding nonAmerican citizens from giving monetary donations to U.S.
politicians and political parties. Seventeen people were eventually
convicted for fraud or for funneling Asian funds into the U.S.
elections.