Government 2

Negative Campaign Ads

· When you think about Voting and Elections – form some opinions about negative advertising in campaigns – this is a theme that runs throughout this section.

· You Tube

· Wendy Davis “Justice” ad has been called one of the most controversial ads ever made.

· Joni Earnst “Make ‘Em Squeal” ad

· Sleaziest Political Ads of 2012

· Daisy Ad

· One of most controversial political ads ever made.

· Ran by incumbent president Lyndon B. Johnson in campaign against Barry Goldwater.

· Johnson wanted to capitalize on Goldwater’s support of using nuclear weapons.

· In the Vietnam War Johnson wanted to deescalate and Goldwater was a supporter of using nuclear weapons if necessary.

· Agree / Disagree?

Democracy and Political Participation

· Democracy is rule by the people.

· How much participation by the people is necessary for a democratic government?

· Political theorists are all over the map on this question.

· On one spectrum people believe if every person does not directly participate in the day to day decision making then the country is not a democracy.

· On the other side of the spectrum people believe that in a large complex nation complete participation by each citizen is not realistic – so people elect representatives through voting that take care of the day to day activities in government.

· Political Participation – actions of private citizen by which they seek to influence or support government and politics.

· There are two kinds of political participation – conventional and unconventional.

· Conventional – routine political behavior that is acceptable in the dominant culture – i.e. putting political signs in your yard, carrying signs outside of an abortion clinic in protest.

· Unconventional – uncommon political behavior that challenges dominant norms – i.e. terrorism, killing an abortion doctor to protest abortions.

Unconventional Participation

Terrorism

· Terrorism – premeditated, politically motivated violence against non-combatant targets by clandestine groups or agents.

· Terrorism is an extreme form of unconventional political participation.

· Examples:

· Timothy McVeigh bombed federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995 because he said the government was hostile to gun owners, religious sects and patriotic militia groups.

· September 11 – terrorist attack against the United States and what the United States stands for.

Does unconventional political participation ever work?

· Abortion protestors killing doctors who perform abortions?

· It may make one or two doctors not perform abortions but it has not outlawed abortions – so no.

· Anti-war protestors have staged unconventional protests in our history and accomplished their goals – i.e. President Lyndon B. Johnson did not seek reelection in 1968 at the hands of anti-war protestors.

· The Montgomery Bus Boycott – 1955 prompted by Rosa Parks (she refused to give up her seat for a white man) – and that sparked the Civil Rights Movement – but all of the black citizens refusing the busing system was considered unconventional political participation.

Conventional Participation

· In a democracy people should not have to risk their lives, livelihoods, or property to participate in politics - think about conventional participation when you think about this.

· Conventional political behavior falls into two categories – supportive behavior – and – influencing behavior.

· Supportive Behavior –

· An action that expresses allegiance to the government and country.

· Examples – reciting the pledge of allegiance, flying the American Flag, voting, organizing a July Fourth parade or activity in your neighborhood.

· Influencing Behavior –

· A behavior that seeks to modify or reverse government policy or serve political interests.

· Examples: voting against something, contributing money to a certain political campaign, attending political meetings, persuading others how to vote.

Participation Through Voting

· Elections are formal procedures for making group decisions.

· Voting is the act individuals engage in the election.

· Suffrage and franchise both mean the right to vote.

· You can evaluate a country by a few principles:

· Who is allowed to vote.

· How much each person’s vote counts.

· How many votes are needed to win.

· According to democratic theory all citizens should be able to vote.

· No nation grants a universal right to vote.

· Even in the United States there are some people who cannot vote today – who cannot vote in the United States?

· If you are under 18 you cannot vote in the US.

· If you do not register to vote you cannot vote in the US.

· If you are a felon different laws may apply to you as far as voting – it depends on your state.

· Maine and Vermont allow you to vote in prison while you are a convicted felon.

· In Texas you can vote once you have served your incarceration time, probation and parole – your voting rights are restored.

Legal Restrictions to Voting in the Past

· When our country was first formed – generally only landowners could vote.

· The original 13 states started to lift voting requirements after 1800.

· White males who were working class and not landowners – got right to vote by 1850.

· Poll Tax

· The poll tax was a payment that was required before you could vote – adopted in 1902.

· Cost was $1.75 – this represented an entire day’s wage for some people.

· Many people in the US and Texas were prevented from voting because they could not afford it.

· United States Constitution ratified the 24th Amendment in 1964 that voided the poll tax in national elections.

· Texas kept the poll tax for state elections until it was held unconstitutional in 1966 - This was not that long ago!!!

· Black Voters:

· 15th Amendment to the US Constitution - 1869 - prohibited states from denying the right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

· The White Primary

· Black citizens were barred from participating the first Democratic Primary in 1906.

· Not until 1944 were the “white primary” laws off the books in Texas.

· In practice this did not grant black people the right to vote immediately – two Supreme Court decisions were what gave blacks the right to vote:

· Smith v. Allwright – held that the law preventing blacks from voting in primary elections were unconstitutional.

· The Voting Rights Act of 1965 – suspended discriminatory voting tests.

· Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections in 1966 – held that state poll taxes were unconstitutional.

· These actions promoted voting equality in the US and greatly increased the registration of black voters.

· Women Voters:

· Until 1869 women could not vote anywhere in the world.

· In 1869 Wyoming granted women the right to vote.

· The next state was 1893 – Colorado granted women the right to vote.

· In 1919 Congress passed the 19th Amendment – prohibited states from denying the right to vote “on account of sex.”

· In Texas an attempt was made to extend suffrage to women in 1917 but it failed by four votes in the Texas Legislature.

· Not until ratification of the 19th Amendment of the United States Constitution in 1920 did suffrage come to women in Texas.

Why do some people vote and some people not vote?

· Education

· Single largest predictor of whether someone votes or not is education – people with more education are more likely to vote – people with less education are less likely to vote.

· Money: research shows there is a relationship between your socioeconomic status and your political involvement – this is called the standard socioeconomic model of participation:

· People with higher status and more education are more likely to participate in voting than those with lower status and less education.

· Education is the single largest predictor of voting or not voting.

· Age impacts voting:

· Younger people are more likely to participate in demonstrations and boycotts and less likely to vote.

· Voting rates increase as people grow older until people turn 65 and then the voting decreases.

· Race and gender:

· These used to be a factor in voting but are not as much now given the laws that fought for equality in giving “everyone” the right to vote.

· Political Involvement – people that are interested in politics are more likely to vote than people who are not.

· People that identify strongly with one party over another are more likely to vote than not.

· Married people:

· More likely to vote than those people who are not living with a spouse.

· People are more likely to vote when elections are close or highly contested – because they think their vote will “count” as opposed to when people think one person will for sure win they will not be as likely to vote.

· There are some countries where voting is mandatory – so their voter turnout rate is higher than the United States.

· In most democratic governments the government is responsible for registering people to vote – in the United States people have to register themselves – researchers believe voter turnout rates would go up if the government registered everyone to vote.

· The fact some people have to register in advance of the election turns away some people.

· When you move you have to re-register.

· There are eight states where you can register to vote and vote on the same day – they have had a consistently higher number of their citizens voting.

· Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Washington, DC, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

· Turnout is higher in Oregon than other states because everyone in Oregon votes by mail.

Explaining Political Participation

· The United States has seen a decline in voter turnout over time.

· Texas has seen a decline in voter turnout over time.

· Why?

· Education and socioeconomic status heavily influences why someone votes or does not vote.

· Texas has poverty rates higher than the poverty rates in the US – in 2014 (most recent stats):

· Texas ranked 46/50 states in terms of people in poverty.

· People below poverty rate in Texas in 2014 = 3,681,000

· 17.4% of our citizens are in poverty.

· Looking at people 25 years of age or older in Texas, 1 in 4 has not graduated high school.

· With money and education being the biggest predictors of whether you vote or not – you would expect Texas voter turnout to be low given these statistics.

· November elections in 2012 and in 2014:

· In 2012 in Texas – 50.1% of voters voted.

· In 2012 Texas was ranked 48th of the 50 states in terms of voting.

· In 2014 in the November election in Texas – 28.5% of registered voters voted.

· In 2014 Texas was ranked 49th of the 50 states in terms of voting.

· In Presidential voting years 57.8% of registered voters vote in general.

· However during Obama’s first run for office there was a spike – 62% of registered voters came out to vote.

· The 2012 presidential election – 57.5% of registered voters voted.

· In congressional voting years 42.2% of registered voters vote.

· In the November 2014 election (governor race and other races) – 33.6% of registered Texans voted (The Texas Tribune). In the 2010 election in Texas it was 37.5%.

How do you INCREASE voter turnout?

· Register more people to vote!

· Make it easier to register – i.e. register online and immediately get your voter registration card.

· Move to federal voter registration.

· Convince people that their vote does matter – a lot of people don’t vote because they think one vote will not make a difference – if everyone said that we would have no one voting!

· Decrease time it takes to vote – avoid the lines by adding polling places, putting app on phones that tracks lines, early voting.

· Allow people to vote online – privacy experts caution against this!

· Train poll workers so they are more efficient – a lot of polling locations are disorganized, have a reputation for running out of ballots, have a reputation for broken polling machines, etc.

· Get rid of the Electoral College and elect President by popular vote so people think their vote really counts.

· Post card reminders – people are barraged with media these days and a simple post card reminder via mail would have a bigger impact.

· Email / phone call reminders to vote.

· Have Election Day be a national holiday.

· Some states allow you to vote and register in the same day:

· Colorado

· Connecticut

· Idaho

· Illinois

· Iowa

· Maine

· Minnesota

· Montana

· New Hampshire

· Wisconsin

· Wyoming

· Washington, D.C.

· North Dakota has no registration at all – you just walk in, show ID, then vote.

· Early Voting

· Texas was one of the first states to allow early voting – this is voting before an election at designated places – not all polling places are open but just a few.

· Goal is to allow more access to voting so if you cannot make it on Election Day you can vote early – and decreases the lines on Election Day.

· Ballots in Texas

· SHOW A BALLOT – WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE!

· Texas requires that ballots be printed in other languages – not just English.

· Two Types of Ballots

· Party Column Ballot – names of all candidates in one party are listed in a parallel column.

· Office Block Ballot – offices listed and candidates beneath offices.

THINK ABOUT THIS… if you are running for President you have to get on the ballot on ALL 50 state in the United States – this is a major task – here is how you get on the ballot in Texas – think about having to do this or something similar in all 50 states”

How to get on the Ballot in Texas

TWO WAYS

(1) Be a member of a party that got at least 5% of the vote in the previous general election – OR

(2) IF you are a “new” party or person or not a member of a party that got at least 5% of the vote in the previous general election then you have to collect signatures totaling 1% of the vote in the previous election. EXAMPLE: If you wanted to get on the ballot in 2008 then that was 74,108 signatures.

· Republicans and Democrats get on the ballot easily because those parties have gotten at least 5% of the vote in the last general election.

· Smaller parties and individuals have a harder time getting on the ballot.

· In 2004 Kinkey Friedman got enough signatures to get on the ballot for governor.

· From 2004-2008 only the Libertarian Party was able to break the 5% barrier of all of the “smaller” parties.

· In 2010 the Green Party broke the 5% barrier and the Libertarian Party did, too.

You live in Texas – what elections will you participate in – state and national?

· Primary Elections

· Primary elections are elections within a party that narrow the field of candidates before the general election.

· Primary elections are one way a party can determine who their nominee will be.

· Larger parties like Republicans and Democrats use primary elections.

· A smaller party could use a party convention –OR – a caucus.

· Party Convention = designated delegates get together and vote / determine who the nominee will be – OR –

· A caucus - closed door meeting where party leaders determine who the nominee will be.

· In Texas – any party receiving 20% of the gubernatorial vote MUST hold a primary – all other parties in Texas MUST use the convention system.

· How do you get on the ballot in a primary?

· File your application with the party chair in your state or county and pay the fee.

· Who wins the primary?

· The Majority Rule = you have to get absolute majority (50 + 1%).

· If no one gets the majority then you have a runoff primary which is between the two candidates that have received the most votes in the primary.

· When are primaries?

· The first Tuesday in March of even-numbered years.

· Runoff primary is the fourth Tuesday in May OR at least must be more than two months after the initial primary.

· NOTE: The next presidential election is on November 8, 2016.

· The next Texas primary scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, 2016.

· Why are primaries so important in Presidential Elections?

· Is Primary Turnout higher or lower than general elections?

· You are not electing anyone to office but just electing candidates who run for office – voter turnout in Texas primaries is MUCH lower than in general elections.

· Roughly 12% of registered voters in Texas voted in the last primary.

· Primaries are either OPEN or CLOSED

· Open Primary States

· Texas allows open primaries.

· You cannot vote in more than one party’s primary but you do not have to declare which party you are affiliated with in order to vote.

· Example: you do not have to be a registered Republican or Democrat in an open primary – but you can only vote in one primary – either Republican or Democrat.

· Closed Primary States

· You must declare in advance which party you are affiliated with and then you can only vote in that party primary – you would not even have the option to vote in another party’s primary.

· Mixed Primary States

· There are 5 states that have a mixed system where one party is open and the other is closed.

· Crossover Voting

· This happens when members of one party try to impact another party’s primary results by voting in their primary.

· Example: I am a Republican and I vote in the Democratic Primary for the candidate I think I can bet – hoping my vote helps the weak Democratic candidate get elected and I can beat that person in the general election.

· Just because you vote for one party in the primary does not mean you have to vote for that party in the general election – you can vote with one party in the primary and another party in the general election – you can also vote for different candidates in the primary and the general election.

· General Elections

· Primaries nominate candidates to run in general elections.

· General elections let voters to choose between candidates of all of the parties.

· General elections are choosing people for public office so they are run by the officials of state and county governments – NOT by parties.

· The winning candidate has to win by a plurality vote – just means more votes than the other person – NOT by a majority (50 + 1%).

· General elections in Texas are held every other year on the same day as national elections – the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years.

· In years divisible by 4 we elect:

· President, Vice President, all U.S. Representatives, and 1/3 of the U.S. Senators.

· In Texas, all 150 members of the House are up for election and about half (15-16) of the 31 senators are up for election.

· In Texas there will also be some board, court positions at the state level and half of the county positions filled in this general election.

· The voter turnout is usually higher because you are electing the president and major United States positions.

· Think about the impact this can have on state elections – i.e. if everyone is thrilled with a Democratic incumbent President of the United States then Democrats in state elections may do better. Or the reverse if people are not thrilled with the party of the President.

· In the years not divisible for 4 we elect:

· We elect our major state positions – governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, etc.)

· Our last general election in November 2014 was when we elected our new governor, etc.

· There is a lower voter turnout in these races.

· Special Elections

· Special elections are held to fill vacancies or for an emergency need like ratifying a constitutional amendment.

A vacancy filled during a special election only fills the vacancy until the expiration of the term or until the next general election – whichever comes first.

The Evolution of Campaigning

· The major way citizens “control” the government is voting in elections.

· Political parties play a major role in structuring the voting choices by reducing the number of people on the ballot to those that have a realistic chance of winning.

· Election Campaign = it is an organized effort to persuade voters to choose one candidate over others competing for the same office.

· From the 1950s back – political parties played a major role in each candidates campaign and the organization of each candidate’s campaign (everything from contacting voters to preparing and paying for ads and buttons).

· Today candidates do not usually rely on their political parties to run their campaigns – these days candidates hire political consultants to raise the money, structure the campaign, and conduct media campaigns.

· Starting in 2004 political candidates started relying heavily on the media and email.

Who is Eligible to Run for Political Office?

· President – Must be a natural born citizen, be at least 35 years old, and be a resident of the country for 14 years by the time of inauguration.

· Vice President – Must meet the same requirements as the president and also not be a resident of the same state as the president.

· Senator – Must be a citizen for at least 9 years, be at least 35 by the time of taking office, and be a resident from the state from which you are elected.

· Representative - Must be a citizen for at least 7 years, be at least 25 by the time of taking office, and be a resident of the state from which you are elected.

· State Political Officials? Each state does it differently so check each state’s requirements.

Elections

· Primary Elections

· Primary elections are elections within a party that narrow the field of candidates before the general election.

· Primary elections are one way a party can determine who their nominee will be.

· Larger parties like Republicans and Democrats use primary elections.

· A smaller party could use a party convention –OR – a caucus.

· Party Convention = designated delegates get together and vote / determine who the nominee will be – OR –

· A caucus - closed door meeting where party leaders determine who the nominee will be.

· In Texas – any party receiving 20% of the gubernatorial vote MUST hold a primary – all other parties in Texas MUST use the convention system.

· How do you get on the ballot in a primary?

· File your application with the party chair in your state or county and pay the fee.

· Who wins the primary?

· The Majority Rule = you have to get absolute majority (50 + 1%).

· If no one gets the majority then you have a runoff primary which is between the two candidates that have received the most votes in the primary.

· When are primaries?

· The first Tuesday in March of even-numbered years.

· Runoff primary is the fourth Tuesday in May OR at least must be more than two months after the initial primary.

· NOTE: The next presidential election is on November 8, 2016.

· The Texas primary is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, March 1, 2016.

· Is Primary Turnout higher or lower than general elections?

· You are not electing anyone to office but just electing candidates who run for office – voter turnout in Texas primaries is MUCH lower than in general elections.

· Roughly 12% of registered voters in Texas voted in the last primary.

· Primaries are either OPEN or CLOSED

· Open Primary States

· Texas allows open primaries.

· You cannot vote in more than one party’s primary but you do not have to declare which party you are affiliated with in order to vote.

· Example: you do not have to be a registered Republican or Democrat in an open primary – but you can only vote in one primary – either Republican or Democrat.

· Closed Primary States

· You must declare in advance which party you are affiliated with and then you can only vote in that party primary – you would not even have the option to vote in another party’s primary.

· Mixed Primary States

· There are 5 states that have a mixed system where one party is open and the other is closed.

· Crossover Voting

· This happens when members of one party try to impact another party’s primary results by voting in their primary.

· Example: I am a Republican and I vote in the Democratic Primary for the candidate I think I can bet – hoping my vote helps the weak Democratic candidate get elected and I can beat that person in the general election.

· Just because you vote for one party in the primary does not mean you have to vote for that party in the general election – you can vote with one party in the primary and another party in the general election – you can also vote for different candidates in the primary and the general election.

· General Elections

· Primaries nominate candidates to run in general elections.

· General elections let voters to choose between candidates of all of the parties.

· General elections are choosing people for public office so they are run by the officials of state and county governments – NOT by parties.

· The winning candidate has to win by a plurality vote – just means more votes than the other person – NOT by a majority (50 + 1%).

· General elections in Texas are held every other year on the same day as national elections – the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years.

· In years divisible by 4 we elect:

· President, Vice President, all U.S. Representatives, and 1/3 of the U.S. Senators.

· In Texas, all 150 members of the House are up for election and about half (15-16) of the 31 senators are up for election.

· In Texas there will also be some board, court positions at the state level and half of the county positions filled in this general election.

· The voter turnout is usually higher because you are electing the president and major United States positions.

· Think about the impact this can have on state elections – i.e. if everyone is thrilled with a Democratic incumbent President of the United States then Democrats in state elections may do better. Or the reverse if people are not thrilled with the party of the President.

· In the years not divisible for 4 we elect:

· We elect our major state positions – governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, etc.)

· Our last general election in November 2014 was when we elected our new governor, etc.

· There is a lower voter turnout in these races.

· Special Elections

· Special elections are held to fill vacancies or for an emergency need like ratifying a constitutional amendment.

· A vacancy filled during a special election only fills the vacancy until the expiration of the term or until the next general election – whichever comes first.

· How do you register to vote?

· In Texas you cannot walk into the polling location and register to vote then vote in the same day.