AP government unit 3- Elections and the media
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What is an open primary
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any voter in the distract can participate
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What is a closed primary?
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only voters who have registered as a member of a political party may attend that party's convention
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Why have a closed primary?
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To prevent \"strategic voting\" by the opposition- voting for a candidate who you think will be easy for your candidate to defeat.
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What are delegates?
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Delegates- those from each state who will cast votes for their party and the national convention for president.
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Who are pledged delegates?
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Delegates chosen by the voters in the primaries/caucuses
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Who are unpledged delegates?
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Party insiders (members or congress, governors, party leaders ect.) who automatically get to cast a vote at the convention
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Another name for unpledged delegates..
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Super delegates
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What are the two types of delegate allocation?
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Proportional allocation Winner take all
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What is proportional allocation?
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If a candidate won 50% of the vote, they got 50% of the pledged delegates
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What is a \" winner take all\" allocation system?
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Whoever won the most votes got 100% of that states pledged delegates
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In 2012 what GOP allocation system do we use?
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proportional allocation system
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What effect to \"winner take all\" and proportional allocation systems have on the length of the primary contest?
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Proportional allocation systems make the nomination process longer.
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what are caucuses?
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All day affairs that involve voters to take turns in giving speeches that try to convince other voters to support the candidate that they prefer.
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Who tends to vote in primaries/caucuses?
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Activists at the extreme left or extreme right
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what does this say/explain about our political leaders?
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our political leaders are so much more further to left or to the right then most of the americans that they represent who are closer to the center
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When do the primaries typically begin?
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early january and end in early june
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What is \"Super-Tuesday\"?
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A tuesday in february or march with more primary elections than any other day
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What is front- loading?
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Trying to move your election date earlier
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By tradition which state gets the first caucuses?
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Iowa
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By tradition which state gets the first Primary?
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New Hampshire
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What is the electoral college?
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The group of individuals, called electors, who cast actual votes for the president, called electoral votes, after the first general election
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Each state has the same number of electors as it does...
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total number of congress (reps+senators)
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Who/what do the voters vote for?
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the electors from our state that get to vote for the president
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Originally, electors could vote any way they wished, regardless or who they claimed they would vote for. What has changed?
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Today, many states require them to vote as they claimed they would.
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What happens when a candidate wins the popular vote( the vote of the people) in a state?
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They win all of the states electoral votes( the votes of the electors of that state).
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There are 2 states in which they divide the votes up proportionally. What are the 2 states?
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Maine and Nebraska
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How many electoral votes throughout the whole nation does the presidential candidate need to become president?
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270 out of 538
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What happens if nobody wins 270 votes?
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The house of representatives chooses the president
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As a result of this system, the presidential candidates focus their campaigns on who/what?
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Competitive \"swing states\" that could vote either way States with many electoral votes (i.e- Florida, Ohio)
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What are plurality elections?
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whoever wins the MOST votes, not a majority of votes (50%+1), wins that state or district or that state's electoral votes.
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What does a \" single member winner takes all congressional district\" mean?
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There is only one winner. Second place gets nothing
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What are the results of plurality elections and \"single member winner takes all congressional districts\"?
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1) Third party candidates must beat both major party candidates at the same time to win, which is difficult 2) Winning a significant percentage of the vote gets everyone except the one winner nothing 3) Voters know this, so they dont \"waste their vote\" on long-shot third party candidates.
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Single member, Winner- take all, Plurality elections like we have tend to result in what?
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a two party system
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What are the 2 alternatives?
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A run off election Proportional representation
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What is a Run-off election?
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(instead of a plurality election) if no one wins a majority of the votes, another election is held between only the top two vote getters
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What is the result of a run off election?
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A third party candidate would not have to beat both major parties at the same time. He could come in second in the first election and first in the second election- still difficult, but not all but impossible
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What is proportional representation?
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(instead of a single-member winner take all system) If a political party gets 20% of the national vote, they get 20% of the seats in the legislature
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What is the result of Proportional representation?
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3rd party voters would not feel that they are wasting their vote. Even if they add up to only 10% of the overall national vote, they still get 10% of the seats in the legislature
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Both of these systems decrease the chance of what?
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a two party system
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What is a ballot initiative?
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Citizens can petition to have \"propositions\" placed on the ballot to be voted on. Citizen law making Ex- Michigan had 6 proposals on the ballot in 2012 dealing with taxes, collective bargaining, sustainable energy, and a new bridge to Canada
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What is Referendum?
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Allowing citizens to directly vote to nullify a law passed on by their state legislature Ex- 2012's Proposal 1
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What is recall?
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A vote to remove an elected official from office before his term has expired. Ex-Arnold Schwarzenegger defeated Gray Davis in a California Recall election before Davis's term was up
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What are the 4 types of state variations on elections?
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Ballot Initiative Referendum Recall Runoff
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What is \"horse race coverage\"?
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TV and print media talk mostly about who is winning or losing, up or down in the polls, rather than about the candidates views
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What is \"sound bite coverage\"?
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Broadcasting short quotes from the candidates rather than longer move detailed speeches. Ex- \" We are better off without Saddam Hussein\" or \" if it was foolish to go to Iraq, it is foolish to stay there\"
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Average sound bites have shrunk from about 42 seconds in the late 60s to less than what?
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8 seconds
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Horse race, and sound bite coverage make it more difficult for candidates to do what?
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Make detailed messages to voters
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What is the most important function of the media?
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During elections and year-round, the media \" sets the agenda\" that is, it greatly influences what we the voters, think is... an important issue
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How can a candidate win more votes but still not become president?
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Say a Obama has 62 Popular votes and 20 electoral votes. And Romney has 88 popular votes and 15 electoral votes. Obama would win because he has more electoral votes.
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What are the arguments for changing the electoral college?
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1) the electoral college is undemocratic. It is possible for one candidate to win a majority of the popular vote but still lose the presidency 2) the reasons for creating the electoral college no longer apply 3) Letting congress decide, in the event that no candidate receives 270 votes, is unfair. 4) Electors do not have to cast their votes for the candidate receiving the most popular votes
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What are the arguments against change to the electoral college?
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1) Why tamper with a system that works? 2) A popular election system would cause new problems 3) A popular election system would weaken the two-party system 4) The problem of uncontrollable electors is a minor one
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What is sampling error?
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the difference between the results of ransom samples taken at the same time
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What sort of things are considered to be part of the media?
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-new broadcasts -newspapers - magazines -Political talk radio - Websites, blogs, ect. - magazine broadcast programs - newsmaker interview programs
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What role does the media play regarding the people and the gov't?
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Provides americans with their extensive exposure to politicians and the government ( linkage institution between the US people and the gov't)
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What is the most important role that media plays dealing with public agenda?
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Deciding which stories to cover and which to cut
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What kind of media coverage alters public opinion?
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extensive coverage that is consistently positive or negative over a long time period
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The media can also change public opinion by positively or negatively covering something that is volatile(unstable). Give an example from the text?
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The presidential approval rate
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what choice to most americans make that limits the medias ability to change public opinion?
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they choose news media that reinforces their own political beliefs
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Regarding the question of weather or not news reporting has a liberal or conservative bias, what have studies shown or not shown?
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No study has conclusively demonstrated consistent ideological bias in news reporting, either in the stories news organizations choose to report or in the way they report them.
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What economic motive do news agencies have to avoid biased reporting?
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Biased reporting may appel strongly
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What aspect of political campaigns so the media tend to report frequently, and what aspect do the media tend to not report frequently?
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They frequently report daily campaign info. They dont frequently report candidates positions
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What kind of campaign advertisements are (unfortunately) effective, especially when the public knows little about a candidate?
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Negative advertising
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What are basic aspects of and differences between the Senate and the House of Reps?
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- Senate has 100 total senators. HOR has 435 total reps -Each state gets 2 senators regardless of the population. Each state is \"apportioned\" a certain share of the 435 total reps based on its population -Each senator serves the state as a whole
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What is the census?
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The US census is done every 10 years to determine which state populations have grown or shrunk relative to each other
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What is re- apportion?
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Each state is then \" re- apportioned\" a certain number of reps in accordance with the results od the census Some states gain reps some state lose reps
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how many reps does Michigan have?
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15
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Who is Michigan senior senator and junior senator?
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Senior- Carl Levin Junior- Debbie Ann Stabenaw
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What district do we live in, and who is our rep?
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District 9 - Gary Peters
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Who is up for election every 2 years?
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1/3 of the senate
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What voting trends have we seen in America?
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Losing seats in congress Voters have been decreasing most voters are straight ticket voting split ticket voting is on the rise
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what is public opinion?
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Refers to how people think or feel about particular things
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What are 2 keys to good polling?
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1) Posting comprehensible questions( asking people about things they have some basis for forming an opinion about0 2) Wording questions fairly (not using loaded or emotional words indicating what the right answer is)
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What is a random sample?
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any given voter or adult has an equal chance of being interviewed
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what are exit polls?
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Polls based on interviews conducted on election day randomly selected by voters.
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What are the 8 stages of US national elections?
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1) The announcement- year before, candidates give speeches, and intention to run for pres. 2) Campaigning within the parties-candidates compete with each other to become the nominee for their party. Travel the country/ charity work/speeches/debates. Republicans and Democrats do not debate at this time 3) Primaries/Caucuses- January-June elections to choose 2 nominees. 4)National party conventions- The contest between the 2 parties offically begins 5)Campaigning for national elections- 2 candidates travel/ make speeches/ and debate. 6) The general Election- election day, voting for electors who vote for the pres. candidate. Whoever wins 270 votes win the election 7) the electoral vote-monday after 2nd weds. in december. the electors cast their electoral votes 8) The Inauguration- January 20th, the president is taken into office.
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which is more common, primaries or caucuses?
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Primaries
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what role do delegates play in primary elections?
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they are pledged to vote for candidates and are sent to the national convention to vote. by selecting delegates who are pledged to vote for a specific candidate, the voters largely decide which candidate will be the parties nominee.
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Who has political power in america?
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- Our elected leaders, and since we freely choose these leaders, political power really resides with the american people
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What are Majoritarian politics?
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When our elected leaders do what the majority wants done since the majority of the people elected them This is the \"delegate role\" of leadership. Elected officials seem to behave this way when most people are watching; that is, when deciding issues that have captured the american peoples attention.
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What are elite politics?
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when our elected leaders do what a small but influential group of americans called \"elites\" want done These elites have a disproportionate influence over who gets elected and what these leaders do once they are elected.
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what is Elite theory #1; The Marxist View?
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The marxist view- karl marx's view that all political struggles are really struggles between a rich business owners called \"capitalists\" and the mass of relatively poor workers
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Who are elites?
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Business leaders and labor leaders
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Marxists claim what?
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That business trumps labor
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what is Elite theory #2; The power elite view? who are they?
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C wright mills view that a few top leaders for 3 different groups work together to form a coalition that dominates the gov't The power elites are- Corporate leaders, Top military officials, Certain elected officials - cant control the gov't alone
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what is Elite theory #3; the bureaucratic view? Who are they?
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THey view that the elites are the longtime members of the federal bureaucracy who implement policy. federal bureaucracy- the people who work for the federal gov't. They work for the president and really put the laws into effect.
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what is Elite theory #4; thee pluralist view? Who are they?
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The american people can be thought of as a huge collection of smaller groups Bankers, auto workers, oil tycoons, environmentalists, teachers, farmers, steel workers, franchise owners of every kind, investors, gun owner activists, woman rights activists, minority right activists, animal right activists and so on. - each of these groups have leaders called elites
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what is a primary?
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simply go to their polling location, vote, and leave.
