The Electoral Process
The Nominating Process
naming those who will seek office in an
election
 especially important since US has only two
parties

Methods

Self‑announcement


oldest form
candidates simply announce their candidacy
Methods

Self‑announcement



Petition


required of third party candidates to get name on ballot
Caucus



oldest form
candidates simply announce their candidacy
private meeting at which party leaders decide action or
pick candidate
not very democratic
Convention


pyramid structure; delegates from entire nation
began as more democratic, but became manipulated
Methods

Direct Primary



intra‑party nominating election
Wisconsin 1903; now every state
Indiana:

US Senate, US House, governor, General
Assembly, all county and local offices, precinct
committeemen
Types of Direct Primaries

Closed



27 states,
only declared party members may vote
prevents "raiding"
Types of Direct Primaries

Open




23 states including Indiana
any voter may participate
some must state party preference (Indiana)
promotes secrecy of ballot
Primary Miscellany

Runoff Primary


10 states where majority is required
runoff top two
Primary Miscellany

Presidential Primary


combination of election of delegates to
National Convention, and preference poll of
voters
Evaluation




Low voter turnout
Expensive
Divisive
Emphasis on name familiarity
Example of Runoff Primary
Candidate
% of Vote
Jones
22
Smith
25
Johnson
17
Williams
30
Miller
6
Runoff of
Top Two
Winner
70
Smith
30
Nonpartisan Primary



50 states
candidates not identified by party
Indiana school boards
District
Bicknell
Vigo Township
Washington Township
Busseron Township
Widner Township
Board Member
Max Nickless
Jim Dotson
Jim Franklin
Jarrod Chattin
Matt Sandefer
Elections
Federal Election Law

Congressional election date


1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in
November, even‑no. years
Presidential election date: same as above,
every fourth year
protect voter rights
 regulate campaign finance

State Election Law
most state elections held same date as
Congressional
 Indiana



state & county—even numbered years
cities & towns—odd numbered years
Coattail Effect

top candidates can help lower ones of
same party get elected
Precincts & Polling Places

Precinct




voting district
smallest unit in election—500-1000 voters
36 in Knox County, 4 in Bicknell
Polling Place


where precinct's voters vote
public or private facility
Election Board



chaired by County Clerk in Indiana; oversees
local elections
Indiana polls open 6 am‑6 pm
5 poll watchers in each precinct:
1 Democrat
Clerks
1 Republican
1 Democrat
Judges
1 Republican
Inspector
1 Republican
The Polling William Hogarth (1755)
The County Election, George Bingham (1852)
Ballots

Early America



Viva Voce: vote by voice only “manly” way to
vote
Led to intimidation
Australian Ballot




printed by government
lists all candidates
distributed only at polls
marked in secret
Office‑Group Ballot


1888
candidates for one
office listed together
Party‑Column Ballot
“Indiana Ballot”
 1889
 lists candidates by office and party
 allows "straight‑ticket" voting

Voting Machines


invented by Thos.
Edison
used in Knox County
until 1994
Electronic Vote‑Counting


used in Knox Co. since
1994
portable
Vote‑by‑Mail
First used in 1977
 few states use it
 Oregon: all elections since 1998
 Pros:




encourages voting
Cheaper
Cons:

May invite fraud
Internet Voting
Money in Elections
How Much?

Presidential


about $1 billion in 2004
Congress

In 2004, it took an average of $7 million to win
a seat in the Senate and $1 million to win a
seat in the House, an eleven-fold increase
since 1976.
Where?

radio & TV


Average cost of 30-second primetime TV
commercial: $139,728 (2008)
travel, mass mailings, billboards, etc.
Who Gives?

Private Contributions






only 1 of 10 voters
"fat cats"
candidates themselves
Political Action Committees (PACs)
special campaign funds
fund‑raisers
Why Give?
belief in party or candidate
 most want favors in return





access
appointments
social recognition
get laws or policy changes
Campaign Finance Regulation

Federal Election Commission (1974)


FEC
independent agency that administers all
federal election law
Laws Enforced:

Disclosure requirements


Contribution limits



all contributions must be accounted
neither corporations nor unions may contribute
limits on how much individuals may contribute
Expenditure limits
Public Funding
Presidential Campaign Fund
 Voluntary
 box on tax return
 “checkoff” of $3

PACs
act as middlemen between corporation or
union and party or candidate
 no limit on PAC contributions

Soft Money

“issue-advertising:

a broad term that included any advertising that
stopped short of expressly advocating the
election or defeat of a candidate through words
and phrases such as "vote for," "vote against,"
"support," "defeat," or "elect." As it was not
actually received or spent by the candidate's
campaign, and did not expressly advocate the
election or defeat of a candidate, there were
no legal limits
What Decides the
Election?
Wilson, pp. 247-53
Party



Some claim to “vote for the person,” but for
many that person is always a Democrat or a
Republican 
But, if it were only a matter of party
identification, Democrats would always win
How have Republicans won 6 of the last 9
Presidential elections?



Those who consider themselves Democrat are less
wedded to their party than are Republicans (Table 10.3)
Republicans do better among “independents”
a higher percentage of Republicans vote than Democrats
Issues, Especially the Economy


V.O. Key, Jr.: Voters
may not be well
informed, but they are
not fools.
1992 Bill Clinton &
James Carville: “It’s
the economy, stupid!”
Issues, Especially the Economy

Prospective voting:




forward-looking
requires a lot of information about the
candidates
common among “political junkies” and activists
Retrospective voting:



backward-looking
looking at how things have gone in the recent
past
occurs when voters vote against the incumbent
The Campaign
reawaken partisan loyalties of voters
 give voters a chance to watch how the
candidates handle pressure



involves negative ads—that work
allow voters to judge the character and
core values of the candidates
Finding a Winning Coalition
holding onto the candidates base and
attracting the swing voters
 parties must determine the loyalty of
various identifiable groups (e.g. AfricanAmericans)




ex: Clinton & “Sister Soulja” moment
"If Black people kill Black people every day,
why not have a week and kill white people?"
parties must determine the proportion of a
party’s total vote came from these groups
The Effect of Elections
on Policy
For Candidates & Voters, the only
interesting outcome is who won.
 For a political scientist the interesting
outcomes are the broad trends




The reality of governing after the election is
compromise between the two parties, but
elections are often significant.
One analysis revealed that 72% of campaign
promises were put into effect.
Elections during “critical” times produce the
most change