Nominations and Campaigns Topic #5 Nominations and Campaigns The selection of Democratic and Republican Party presidential nominees is the most open and participatory process for selecting party leaders anywhere in the democratic world. Yet it is widely criticized by scholars and politicians alike. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this system? How might it be improved for 2016? http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/1dwd40/inter-­‐political-­‐dating 1. Why do Iowa and New Hampshire vote first? a. Should they go first, or should everyone vote on the same day? b. What are the advantages? i. Gives us more time to vet candidates ii. That’s about it. c. Disadvantages? i. Not very participatory if only a couple states choose ii. Racially diverse places are left out iii. Candidates appeal to THOSE voters, not to all of America 2. Who Votes? a. EDUCATION: More education, more voting b. AGE: The older one gets, the more likely they will vote i. “no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words” Hesiod 8th century BC c. RACE AND ETHNICITY: Minorities are underrepresented (in 2008, there was no difference between blacks and non-­‐Hispanic whites for the first time in history) d. GENDER: Woman participate at slightly higher rates e. MARRIED PEOPLE: People who are married are more likely to vote than those who are not f. These are cumulative, meaning being high on multiple scales significantly enhances the chances that they vote 3. A note about youth… a. “electoral engagement is declining among the young (this is especially true of party identification and party membership). b. Young people are more likely than older people to be engaged in non-­‐
electoral forms of political participation such as signing a petition and attending a demonstration. c. Young people are much more engaged than older people in politics on the Internet.” d. ‘an increasingly sophisticated and cognitively mobilized electorate is not likely to depend on voting and campaign activity as the primary means of expanding its involvement in politics.’ Dalton 2006 4. Presidential Elections, Disadvantages a. Electoral College: States gets electors based on the number of congressional districts plus the number of Senators b. Most states give all electors to the victor of the state, regardless of margin c. If you win by one vote, you get all of the states electors (Gore lost to Bush by 537 votes in FL in 2000) d. You can actually get less votes overall and still win the presidency 5. Presidential Elections, Advantages a. Similar to the Connecticut Compromise, small states get a slight advantage, meaning the can be more influential b. If it were award by popular vote, places like Nevada would regularly be forgotten about c. Rural areas would be completely forgotten about, and it might be incentive for politicians to not make public policy to help rural areas. d. Important states might change over time if we elected by popular vote, whereas they can shift now Does your vote count? The Electoral College explained (5:21) Extra Videos America Remembers It Forgot to Vote: Money vs. Ideas (4:14) Premature Electulation (6:56) South by South Mess: "The State of Texas” (5:25)