Chapter 13: Elections and Campaigns�Candidates and Voters in an Era of �Demographic Change

Forms of Political Participation

Ch. 13 Learning� Targets

• 13.1 Describe different forms of political participation.
• 13.2 Explain how individual choice as well as state and federal laws influence voter turnout in elections.
• 13.3 Describe different models of voting behavior.
• 13.4 Describe the purpose and role of the Electoral College in our constitutional system.
• 13.5 Describe the rules governing political campaigns.

Section 13.1�Introduction

• Political participation – the different ways in which individuals take action to shape the laws and policies of a government
• Citizens must make representatives aware of their desires or representative democracy does not work
• Most Americans do not vote
• Think about the numerous factors that contribute to this

Section 13.1 Forms of Political Participation

• Voting is NOT the only form of political participation
• Linkage institutions – channels that connect individuals with government, including elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media
• Social movement – the joining of individuals seeking social or political change with the goal of placing issues on the policy agenda. Protests, attend political meetings, contact elected officials, or reach out to other citizens to educate them.

Section 13.2�The Expansion of Voting Rights

• Suffrage (franchise) – the right to vote
• 5 of 17 amendments since Bill of Rights have expanded franchise.
• Twenty-Sixth Amendment – allows those eighteen years old and older to vote
• Twenty-Fourth Amendment – prohibits Congress and the states from imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting in federal elections
• Poll tax – a payment required by a state or federal government before a citizen is allowed to vote

Section 13.2�Factors that Shape Electoral Participation

• US toward the bottom of voter turnout in democratic states
• the number of eligible voters who participate in an election as a percentage of the total number of eligible voters
• Why vote – or not?
• Institutional factors
• Demographic characteristics: measurable characteristics of a population, such as economic status, education, age, race or ethnicity, and gender.
• Whether it’s a presidential election year

Section 13.2�SES and Educational Attainment

• Socioeconomic status (SES) – a measure of an individual’s wealth, income, occupation, and educational attainment
• Americans with higher levels of SES participate more in elections
• Donate to campaigns
• Join interest groups
• Higher levels of educational attainment are associated with higher incomes
• Have more vested in the system, more likely to vote

Section 13.2 Political Efficacy

• A person’s belief that they can make effective political change
• The lower it is, the less individuals feel they can make a difference; therefore, they do not participate
• Changes in Participation as People Age- Younger Americans vote at a lower rate than members of older generations
• Older Americans are more likely to have higher levels of income

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Section 13.2�Racial and Ethnic �Identities and �Gender

• Turnout rate among Hispanic American citizens is lower than that of Americans with other racial and ethnic identities
• Women vote at a higher rate than men

Section 13.1�Review Question: �Free Response

Section 13.2�Candidate �Characteristics �and Voter �Turnout

• The “Obama effect” – could be a cause for an increase in voter turnout among African Americans
• The “Trump effect”- could be a cause for increased rural voting

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Section 13.2�Partisan Attachment

• Political mobilization – efforts by political parties to encourage their members to vote
• “Get out the vote” or GOTV
• Recruit citizens to support a side
• Individuals are more likely to vote with the party they are registered with

Section 13.2�Legal and Institutional Factors that Influence Voter Turnout

• Registration requirements – the set of rules that govern who can vote and how, when, and where they vote
• Most Americans are eligible, but some don’t register
• May require proof of residency or state ID
• Limits homeless, college students, Native Americans
• Election day: Tuesday after first Monday in November
• This is an obstacle (normal workday)
• Absentee ballot – voting completed and submitted by a voter before the day of an election without going to the polls

Section 13.3�How Citizens Make Voting Decisions

• Rational choice voting – voting based on what a citizen believes is in his or her best interest
• Retrospective voting – voting based on an assessment of an incumbent’s past performance
• Prospective voting – casting a ballot for a candidate who promises to enact policies favored by the voter in the future
• Party-line voting – voting for candidates who belong only to one political party for all of the offices on the ballot

Section 13.4�Introduction

• Requirements to run for president: 35 years old, born in the United States, resided in the country for fourteen years
• Selected through the Electoral College
• Two official campaign phases:
• Nomination campaign
• General election campaign
• Hopefuls lay a foundation years before by vetting their chances
• Exploratory committee

Section 13.4�The Nomination Process

• Candidates from the same party compete for the party’s nomination
• Most states hold primary elections, in which voters choose delegates
• Open – regardless of party affiliation, eligible voters can participate
• Closed – only those registered with the party can participate
• Caucus – party members gather to discuss candidates and issues to select delegates
• Primary elections and caucuses serve the same purpose

Section 13.4�The General Election

• Nominees are now up against competing party members, not their own
• Campaign rhetoric meant to appeal to independent voters as well as base
• Candidates make phone calls, knock on doors, and mobilize the base

Section 13.4�The Electoral College

• Voters do not cast ballots directly for the president
• Voting for a slate of electors pledged to vote for a nominee
• Candidate needs 270 votes to win out of 538 total
• House of Representatives decides if no majority reached
• Candidates do not need to win the popular vote
• Candidate that receives the most votes at the state level wins all of the electoral votes for that state
• Winner-take-all system
• Electors are chosen from party leaders and activists

Section 13.4�Winning the Electoral College

• Shapes candidates' strategy
• Red/blue states – faithfully Republican or Democratic from election to election
• Battleground state – a state where the polls show a close contest between the Republican and Democratic candidate in a presidential election
• Swing state – a state where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and forth between Democrats and Republicans

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Section 13.5�What Money Buys

• The cost of a modern election has increased substantially in American campaigns
• Buys media time – ads sway voters
• Hire professional consultants
• Strategize campaign stops, manage message, arrange appearances, mobilize voters via GOTV efforts

Section 13.5�Campaign Finance Reform

• Limiting the role of money in political campaigns began with the Federal Election Campaign Act
• Candidates must disclose funds, there are limits on donations directly to candidates
• Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, placed stricter limits on campaign contributions by individuals and PACs
• Citizens United v. FEC struck down portions of the BCRA

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Section 13.5�Super PACs

• An organization that may spend an unlimited amount of money on a political campaign, as long as the spending is not coordinated with a campaign

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Section 13.5�Review Question: Free Response