Political Science 1100, Introduction to American Politics, February 20, 2013

 

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Current Events 

 

 

Voting and Elections

 

1. THE IDEAL FOR AMERICAN ELECTIONS:  PROSPECTIVE VOTING

 

PROSPECTIVE VOTING

Under Ideal Circumstances,
Rational Voters Cast Prospective Votes For the Candidates That Offer Future Policies They Prefer

 

Assumes that Voters are well informed,  we carefully consider several candidates, and votes for the candidate who will do what the voter thinks is best

 

 

2. THE REALITY OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS: American Circumstances are far from idea.
 

Turnout tends to be Low

 

Those who turnout are not perfectly representative of voting age adults.
 

 

Four Reasons that Voters Choose One Candidate Over Another

 

a. Party Identification

 

 

 

 

b. The Image Of The Candidates

 

 

 

c. Candidates' Stands On Major Issues

 

 

 

 

d. Incumbents' Past Performance in Office
 

 

 

In Reality, we tend to cast Retrospective Votes: We Tend To

• Reelect Incumbents When There Is Peace And Prosperity
   
• To Elect Challengers When We Feel Threatened And Experience Personal Economic Hardship  

       Retrospective voting is particularly important in voting for President

 

2008: A Change election favors challenger Obama

 

2012: Obama was now the incumbent

 

 

 

POLITICAL PARTIES

1. Why do we have political parties? 
 

    - Ask James Madison - Why did he help create America's first political party?

    - to make American government work by building coalitions of
               
                (1) legislators and other public officials (party in government),

                (2) voters who would vote for candidates for public office (party in the electorate) .

                (2) a party organization