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GOVT 2301

GOVT 2301. Elections. Blog Posts: Campaigns Campaign Finance Candidate Characteristics Elections Elections 2008 Elections 2010 Elections 2012 Initiatives. Blog Posts: Primary Elections Primaries 2008 Primaries 2012 Recall Voting Voting Behavior Voter ID Voting Rights Voter Turnout.

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GOVT 2301

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  1. GOVT 2301 Elections

  2. Blog Posts: CampaignsCampaign FinanceCandidate CharacteristicsElectionsElections 2008Elections 2010Elections 2012Initiatives

  3. Blog Posts: Primary ElectionsPrimaries 2008Primaries 2012 Recall VotingVoting BehaviorVoter IDVoting RightsVoter Turnout

  4. What is an Election?A formal decision-making process by which an electorate (the portion of the population eligible to vote) makes a collective. The choice can be about any number of things.

  5. - Who holds an office- Who will vote for who will hold an office- Who will represent a party in an election- a public policy proposal- a constitutional amendmentetc . . .

  6. In several previous lectures we have discussed the concept of elections

  7. We defined “democracy” in terms of elections. Majority RulesUniversal Adult SuffrageBut pointed out that the concept of (minority) rights requires that majority rules be limited.

  8. Not all decisions are subject to majority rule – individual rights for example.

  9. Federalist #10 argued for the advantage of indirect democracy. Direct democracies were unstable.

  10. Federalist #51 alludes to different electoral systems for each governing institution.

  11. Votes by the PeopleVotes by the State LegislaturesVotes by the Electoral CollegeAppointments

  12. The last point is important, not all offices are staffed with people who win elections. The Framers of the Constitution did not trust the population to make selections for judges for example.

  13. Ex Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has been on a mission against judicial elections since leaving the court.

  14. It also reminds us the elections can be structured in many different ways. There are certain basic requirements we expect of elections.

  15. FreeFairOpenFrequent

  16. Elections are central to any democratic governing system, but simply having elections is not enough. The manner in which elections are held is crucially important.

  17. Totalitarian and authoritarian regimes almost always holds elections also, but the outcomes tend to be controlled in various ways.Often they not allow opposition candidates to run, and the votes people cast are made public.

  18. Examples:Tunisian general election, 2009Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008Iraqi presidential referendum, 2002Elections in Burma

  19. To be legitimate, elections must be: FreeFairOpenFrequent

  20. FreeIndividuals are not charged to vote. Poll taxes at one point were used to limit access by the poor. These were made unconstitutional in the 24th Amendment.

  21. But there are many costs associated with getting on the ballot and running for office successfully. Elections themselves are costly, if nothing else, in terms of time.

  22. FairVarious sides should be able to compete equally in elections. Governing agencies generally oversee elections and provide neutral forums for redressing disputes.

  23. The Texas Secretary of State and the Federal Election Commission are supposed to ensure that elections are fair on the state and national levels.Both sites are great sources of information about elections.

  24. Questions: Are elections in the U.S. and Texas indeed fair? Can minor parties compete successfully? Are all ideas represented in elections?

  25. Areas of Dispute: Participation in debatesGerrymanderingFunding

  26. OpenThe electoral process should be as transparent as possible. We should know where candidates stand on issues and who backs whose campaigns and why. Are there any backrooms deals that we should know about?

  27. The Media should be able to cover elections.People and interest groups should be able to compete in them and support or oppose candidates.

  28. The election process should be as transparent as possible. Controversy: Should people know who is financing which candidates? Is this a private matter or should people know who is bankrolling whom?

  29. FrequentElections should be scheduled on a regular basis so that the electorate has an ongoing ability to be able to influence public policy.

  30. Elections shouldn’t be occasional, with large periods of time between them. They shouldn’t be scheduled strategically to enable those in power to influence outcomes.

  31. But if they are too frequent government can’t accomplish it’s objectives. For some this is a good thing, for others this isn’t.Anti-Federalists wanted yearly elections at least.

  32. American elections are held every two years.Discussion question: Is this too frequent or not frequent enough? Do we allow policymakers enough time to accomplish their objectives?

  33. Since we are always within two years of an election, the election season in a sense never ends. All policy positions – every vote – is cast with at least some consideration of how it will impact a candidate’s competitiveness.

  34. Any vote for a bill that constituents oppose can lead to a primary challenge within the party, or a general election challenger from the other party. Opposition can come from the left or right.

  35. Question: Does this inhibit the ability of representatives to govern effectively? Campaigning is not governing.

  36. The Winner Take All System

  37. A basic, and consequential fact of American elections: They tend to be winner take all elections held in single member districts

  38. Each race is run independently. There is one position up for grabs. The candidate with the most votes, whether that is a plurality or majority, wins. These are sometimes called First Past the Post elections

  39. Comparison: Proportional representation: A system where the electorate votes for parties, and the parties then are assigned seats in proportion to their vote total.

  40. In a winner take all election, each election is separate and only the majority or plurality winner gets the contested seat.

  41. Winner take all elections discourage support for minor party candidates.A minor party candidate might be more appealing than a major party candidate, but can’t win.

  42. Consequence: The growth of two major ”catch-all” political parties. Voters opt to support the more acceptable of the major party candidates.

  43. Recent example: the Tea Party is not really a party. It is a faction within the Republican Party. If they ran as an independent party they would peel votes from the Republicans and give Democrats an electoral advantage.

  44. This explains why elections in the United States are dominated by two parties. It just so happens that they are the Democratic and Republican Parties.We cover this story next week.

  45. What Purposes Do Elections Serve?

  46. Purposes of elections- select party candidates - select office holders - influence course of public policy- legitimate the governmental system

  47. Select party candidatesPrimary ElectionsEvery two years the two major parties use – with some exceptions – primary elections in each state to select the candidates they will present in the general election.

  48. Select office holdersGeneral ElectionsIn the U.S. and Texas Constitutions, and in city charters and local purpose governments, it is stated that at certain times elections will be held for top positions.

  49. Influence Course of Public PolicyBy voting for a sufficient number of candidates pledged to implement a specific policy, the general electorate, acting in unison, can influence the gradual course of public policy.

  50. ExamplesA liberal swing in policy was driven by election results from 1932 – 1968A conservative swing in policy was driven by election results from 1968 - 2004

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