...Evaluate the view that voting behaviour in the USA is determined more by the socio-economic characteristics of the voters than by issues, candidates and events. (30 marks) It is commonly argued that voting behaviour in the USA is determined more by the socio-economic characteristics (religion, race, gender and age) of the voters than by issues, candidates and events. Arguments that support the question include race being an influence, religion being an influence and gender being an influence in all of the recent elections. However, there is evidence to suggest that issues and candidates are the deciding factors in an election. Firstly, many argue that in the U.S. race has large influence in voting behaviour. For example, in 2012, 93% of African Americans voted for Obama as did 71% of Hispanics. This suggests that racial minorities are more likely to favour Democrats, because of their liberal attitude on issues that are more likely to affect ethnic minorities, as seen with Obama’s promised immigration reform in 2012. This is also seen in the UK, where the Labour party have typically performed better amongst racial minorities. However, some would argue that this is not always the case. The African-American vote for Democrats has been stable (80%+) for over 30 years, but the Hispanic vote has not. Hispanics are typically swing voters. For example, on social issues such as abortion/same-sex marriage, some Hispanics tend to take a more social-conservative stance which attracted...
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...this course, I found Parties and Elections in Texas (chapter 21), Public Opinion (chapter 6), and Political Participation and Voting (chapter 8) to be the most interesting and informative. Parties and Elections in Texas Political parties play a major role in Texas politics. Approximately 91 percent of Texas voters either identify with or lean toward the Republican or the Democratic Party. Despite all of the complaints about parties, they perform roles that are critical to the operation of our democratic system and to the overall coordination and functioning of our political system. The most important function of parties in Texas is to provide a label under which candidates may run and voter may identify. The party label becomes the standard used in casting a ballot for a candidate. Parties recruit candidates, assist in getting out the vote, and helps to organize the government once officials have been elected. The organization of political parties in Texas can be somewhat complex. Texas does not have a system of party registration for voters. Texas parties conduct primaries to select each party’s candidates for office. The precinct chair heads the precinct convention and serves on the county executive committee. The county executive committee is responsible for running the county’s primary elections and planning the county convention. Conventions are held at the precinct, county, and state levels. Participation in Texas elections has changed over time. Texas...
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...History of Voting | * Although we live in a democracy and have the right to vote, this is not always reflected in the turnout at elections. In the past people fought and protested to gain this right and your vote is the most direct way available to you to influence the way in which your country and your local council is run. * Voting in local elections decides who serves on the council and who controls it, as elected members are responsible for both the budget and the provision of services. * In early times two knights from each shire or county were elected by members of the local county courts to be sent to the Commons. In later years they were joined in the Commons by two representatives from each borough or town. * By 1430 only owners of freehold land generating an income of over forty shillings a year were eligible to vote in county elections. In the boroughs, qualification varied from each male head of household to those paying local taxes or to those who possessed property. * In 1800 you had to meet two criteria to be able to vote – you had to be male and you had to be wealthy. This meant that less than 3% of the adult population was eligible to vote. * Thankfully things have changed significantly since then and there have been some major changes to the regulations which govern our right to vote. * The 1832 Reform Act extended the right to vote to include certain leaseholders and householders. This gave 5% of adults a vote. * The 1867 Second Reform...
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...States presidential election occurs every four years. The election process begins with two political parties, Democratic and Republican. Each political party will nominate a candidate to run for president and vice president. During the nominating conventions, each candidate campaigns across the country addressing issues that affect the country and ways in solving controversial issues. Next, a presidential debate will occur in which each candidate will present their concerns and solutions to the problem. Usually, the debates are used to persuade the citizens into voting for him or her. During the election period, voters are welcome to head to voting polls to cast their vote. Days before election day, early voters flood the polls to cast their vote to avoid the crowd during election day....
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...Introduction Every four years, the United States presidential election becomes one of the country’s biggest news stories for a large chunk of that year. During this time there are a great many words both spoken and written about how people are going to vote and what factors supposedly lead them to vote a certain way. It seems that much of the time the analysis of these issues is of a qualitative nature, and with that in mind this paper will attempt to approach the problem from a statistical point of view. That is not to say there is a lack of quantitative research on how specific demographics tend to vote; indeed, some of the good data and information out there will be used to inform this paper’s hypotheses and econometric model. This study will focus on the 2012 U.S. presidential election Barack Obama and Mitt Romney (there were several other candidates on the ballot, but none received a significant portion of the votes). Pundits threw around seemingly countless factors in an attempt to analyze and predict how people would vote in this election; this paper will focus on a select group of those factors, in hopes of drawing some firm and well-grounded conclusions as to whether they actually played a statistically significant role. Countywide data will be utilized. The recent widespread availability of election results on a county-by-county level, combined with countywide information from the U.S. Census Bureau, allows for a very large number of observations (at least in...
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...Past the Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) First Past the Post is the voting system used to elect MPs to 'seats' in Parliament. In this system 'winner takes all' and the system also usually gives a clear majority both in a constituency or at national level. This means that a candidate in a constituency only needs one more vote than the nearest rival to win the seat. This is similar to political parties in general elections as they only need to win one more seat in the House of Commons to have a majority. The advantages of using FTPT is there is very little chance of extremist parties being elected to Parliament under because they are unlikely to gain enough votes to come into power in any one constituency. Also, generally the results of elections using FPTP can be calculated quickly. So, this makes it easier to transfer power to another party if it becomes necessary. One of the main criticisms of FPTP is that the number of votes for a party in general elections is not accurately shown in the number of seats won. An example of this could be the 1997 election when the Conservatives gained 18% of the vote in Scotland but not one but didn’t win a seat. This is can be seen at constituency level, where the winning candidate may have only received one third of the votes cast. So, a government could be elected on a minority vote. This happened in 1974 when Labour won the general election on the number of seats they gained but the Conservatives had a larger share of the...
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...derives from the freedom to speak out, assemble and associate, take part in public affairs, as well as having the ability to register as a candidate and campaign for election; by allowing these elements to occur. It is established on the credence that those who are affected by a decision have a right to be involved in the decision making process. However in both countries there are significant, almost insurmountable challenges that interdict a citizen’s ability to engage in and be represented in their respective political system. Popular participation in Australia is countenanced in a multitude of ways [Uphold] * Increase opportunities to vote, on and before, Election Day. In 2013 Election the Australian Electoral Commission undertook extensive remote area mobile polling services. Voting facilities were widely available. There were polling booths at airports (eg. For ‘fly in fly out’ workers to vote early and with convenience), postal votes and early voting at shopping centres and local government offices * Variety of political parties. In the 2013 Federal Election 54 different parties contested the available seats in the Federal Parliament. Individuals can join a political party and they can also form a political party and contest seats at the next election eg 2013 Clive Palmer and the formation of a new political (just before the election) being the Palmer United Party, which won seats in both the HOR and the Senator. There are no qualifications for being the Prime Minister...
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...Proportional Representation (PR) First Past the Post (FPTP); FPTP is the voting system used for the election of MPs to 'seats' in the UK Parliament. It is a system in which the 'winner takes all' and usually gives a clear majority both at constituency and national level. This means that a candidate in a constituency only needs one more vote than the nearest rival to win the seat. Similarly, political parties only need to win one more seat in the House of Commons to have a majority. Advantages of FPTP; There is very little chance of extremist parties being elected to Parliament under FPTP because they are unlikely to gain enough votes in any one constituency. Generally the results of elections using FPTP can be calculated quickly. When necessary, this makes the transfer of power from one party to another much easier. The 1997 and 2001 elections were clear evidence of this. Disadvantages of FPTP; The main criticism of FPTP is that the number of votes cast for a party in general elections is not accurately reflected in the number of seats won. An example of this was the 1997 election when the Conservatives gained 18% of the vote in Scotland but not one seat. This is mirrored at constituency level, where the winning candidate may have received only one third of the votes cast. Indeed, a government may be elected on a minority vote, as happened in February 1974 when Labour won the general election on the number of seats gained but the Conservatives had a larger share...
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...UK: First Past the Post (FPTP) Proportional Representation (PR) First Past the Post (FPTP) FPTP is the voting system used for the election of MPs to 'seats' in the UK Parliament. It is a system in which the 'winner takes all' and usually gives a clear majority both at constituency and national level. This means that a candidate in a constituency only needs one more vote than the nearest rival to win the seat. Similarly, political parties only need to win one more seat in the House of Commons to have a majority. Advantages of FPTP There is very little chance of extremist parties being elected to Parliament under FPTP because they are unlikely to gain enough votes in any one constituency. Generally the results of elections using FPTP can be calculated quickly. When necessary, this makes the transfer of power from one party to another much easier. Disadvantages of FPTP The main criticism of FPTP is that the number of votes cast for a party in general elections is not accurately reflected in the number of seats won. An example of this was the 1997 election when the Conservatives gained 18% of the vote in Scotland but not one seat. This is mirrored at constituency level, where the winning candidate may have received only one third of the votes cast. Indeed, a government may be elected on a minority vote, as happened in 1974 when Labour won the general election on the number of seats gained but the Conservatives had a larger share of the vote across the country. Smaller...
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...Electoral Malpractices Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates, or both. Many kinds of election fraud are outlawed in electoral legislation, but others are in violation of general laws, such as those banning assault, harassment or libel. Although technically the term 'electoral fraud' covers only those acts which are illegal, the term is sometimes used to describe acts which are legal but nevertheless considered morally unacceptable, outside the spirit of electoral laws, or in violation of the principles of democracy. Show elections, in which only one candidate can win, are sometimes considered to be electoral fraud, although they may comply with the law. The Election System: Structural Problems India is a Republic composed of 28 States and 7 Union Territories and governed by the constitution adopted in 1950. The Parliament consisting of the Upper House with 245 members and the Lower House with 545 members is the supreme law making body. The Lower House members are directly elected through universal adult franchise every five years unless the government loses its majority and mid-term elections have to be called. A similar structure exists at the State level where the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers reign supreme. A three-tiered Panchayati Raj System,...
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...and state elections for all citizens over eighteen years of age. However, it has not always been the case. At the beginning of the 20th century most men and women were eligible to vote except for indigenous people who were excluded. Following poor voter turnout in a previous election, compulsory voting was introduced in 1924. In 1962 Indigenous people gained the right to vote and it was made compulsory for them in 1984. In 1973 the voting age was changed from twenty-one to eighteen (Skwirk , 2014). The following discussion will argue that the benefits of compulsory voting far outweigh the disadvantages. In our society we have certain obligations like paying taxes, compulsory education and jury duty. Compulsory voting is just another civic duty much less onerous than any of the above. Australia is one of only eleven countries to enforce participation in elections. A 94% voter turnout for the last federal election compared favourably to 65% in the 2010 United Kingdom election and 57% in the 2012 United States presidential election (Padmanabhan, 2015). The argument that compulsory voting is incompatible with democratic government obviously does not apply to Australia that is considered one of the most transparent, representative and least corrupt nations of the world (White, 2013). The whole point of freedom is that everyone has a say and a responsibility to voice their opinion. Fifty per cent or less voter turnout is not a democracy. Unethical charismatic candidates may able...
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...The Electoral College is a longstanding organization in place in the United States of America that was originally established by the Founding Fathers in create equality in presidential elections has become a topic of harsh criticism and controversy over the years. The Electoral College was established by the Founding Fathers of the United States at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in order ensure there was representation of the people while keeping the best interests of the nation in mind (“What is the Electoral College?”). At the time of the writing of the Constitution, there were two main ideas on how to elect a president. The first was that there should be a simple vote of all eligible people and who ever gets the most votes becomes...
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...Introduction Growing up with three sisters and a successful mother, I constantly heard about the struggle women continuously face in the workforce. My mother, having outstanding credentials, constantly reiterated to us how she had to knock down some barriers due to her sex. Because of her female empowering approach of raising her daughters, I read many books growing up about prominent women of our time and of years before. I never truly observed the misogynistic instances she told us about until I matured and reached high school. During my senior year of high school, I elected to take AP Government. During the year, we closely examined the Primary elections for the 2008 Presidential campaign. Over the course of the year we discussed the importance...
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...majority and minority rule change. When the Consititution was first written it was made to simply limit majority rule and give eqaul amount of power to the minority. The national goverment was originally built closely tied to citizens because of the House of Repesentatives. The House of Representatives was made to give citizens an equal say in the legislation of the United States. Unlike in the Senate, members of the House are elected by the people of the United States giving citizens a say in govenment affairs. One of the major aspects of the national goverment that is tied to citizens is the short term lenght and frequency of elections of people holding an office in the goverment. With the short term lenght and frequency of elections citizens are constantly contributing to what is going on in the nation by voting on who will be the best candidate for a certain office. A third reason the national goverment is closely tied to citizens is that the House of Representatives represents small member districts. This causes there to be close to equal say for everyone in a state to elect someone to represent thier ideas and views without on group of people having an uneqaul say. The United States Constitution was also made to limit the power of the majority . The first way this is done is though the separation of powers. The federal goverment is broken down into three main branches, the executive, legislative and judicial branch. Having these separation of powers allows for check...
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...year’s midterm elections Republicans won big, taking full control of the Senate and the House. There are many factors that led to these results and clearly shows the country’s disapproval of the Obama administration. Polarization, demographics, and strong opposition towards the president definitely contributed to the Republican victory over both houses of Congress and will surely result in gridlock; stalling the country from progressing successfully. Demographics may have contributed to the enormity of democratic loss in this past election. The populous, liberal, diverse cities that would increase the Democratic vote had one of the lowest voter turnouts, whereas southern states that would vote Republican came out with the highest voter turnout. A vast majority of these southern voters are old, white Republicans. The young students, the post- generational college students, the minorities – these are the ones that share the same political ideologies as the democratic party, but yet they’re the ones that didn’t vote. Voter turnout for the 2014 Midterm elections was the lowest in 70 years – only 36.4% of voting-eligible Americans went out and voted on November 4th; of those voters, 75% were white (Alter, 2014). Liberal states like New York and California had a decrease in voter turnout while Southern states saw an increase, “Democrats were hindered by their inability to persuade members of the coalition that delivered the White House to Mr. Obama — young voters, women and minorities...
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