DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

AND

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

POSC 105

THE AMERICAN ELECTORAL SYSTEM



  1. THIS MORNING:
    1. Campaigns and elections
      1. Why voting turnout has decreased during the last 100 years.
    2. Hamilton and Jefferson-type explanations
    3. "Taking on the Kennedy's"


  2. THE DECLINE IN TURNOUT:
    1. Turnout in presidential and off-year elections has declined during the last 100 years.
      1. In 1996 less than half of the eligible electorate bothered to show up at the polls.
    2. What are the reasons?
      1. Individual characteristics: interest, knowledge, concern, civic-mindedness, ability to "pay the costs of participation" (i.e., social-economic standing).
        1. But a question remains, why are so many Americans apparently disinterested?
      2. Structural factors:
        1. General proposition: political institutions and practices keep the "cost of participation" too high for many citizens.
        2. What are these institutions and practices that discourage voting?
          1. Mass media and "quality" information.
          2. Registration laws
          3. Campaign practices:
            1. Strategy of ambiguity
            2. Lack of specificity
            3. Negative ads and personal attacks
            4. Nature of television advertisement
          4. Structure of elections
          5. Decline of political party grass roots organizations.
          6. Growing size and complexity of government.


  3. REGISTRATION AND TURNOUT:
    1. As noted in a previous class, citizens in most states must register in order to vote. But specific registration requirements vary from state to state. Some make the process easier than others.
    2. Proposition: turnout is related to registration requirements: the "easier," the higher the turnout; the harder, the lower, other things being equal.
    3. The politics of motor voter legislation.


  4. MODERN CAMPAIGN PRACTICES AND TURNOUT:
    1. Major proposition: despite their growing technical sophistication, modern campaign techniques actually discourage interest and participation in electoral politics.
    2. The film, "Taking on the Kennedy's," illustrates this and many, many other points about American electoral politics..
      1. The setting: election for congress in the first district of Rhode Island
      2. Protagonists (candidates):
        1. Dr Kevin Vigilante, Republican
        2. Patrick Kennedy, Democrat
          1. Son of Edward Kennedy, Senator from Massachusetts and brother of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy.
          2. Supporters, among others, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of John Kennedy
      3. A campaign's blood supply: money
      4. Its voice: the media
      5. Its content: judge for yourself.
      6. The bottom line: after viewing this race, which I argue represents a typical American campaign, can you understand why politics might not be interesting to lots of Americans?


  5. NEXT TIME:
    1. The Electoral system: primary and general elections.
    2. More on election campaign structures and practices.
      1. Essays under "Elections and Voting" on the web site.


Go to Notes page

American Political System page

Copyright © 1997 H. T. Reynolds