Pols Lecture Notes PDF

**[LECTURE, CHAPTER 6A]** 1\. Characterize the range and types of political participation in the US. List the types that are most and least frequent. Voting, Talking about politics, Joining civic or political organizations, Attending public meetings, Communicating with representatives, Contributin...

**[LECTURE, CHAPTER 6A]** 1\. Characterize the range and types of political participation in the US. List the types that are most and least frequent. Voting, Talking about politics, Joining civic or political organizations, Attending public meetings, Communicating with representatives, Contributing resources, Campaigning, Initiating and repealing laws (in some states, localities), Initiative and referendum, Seeking public office 2\. Describe how and why political scientists often focus on one type of political participation in their research. Voting - Key role in theories of democracy, Greatest form of participation at every level of government within the U.S., Data availability makes it the hands-down best form of participation to study 3\. Compare and contrast referendum and initiative as forms of citizen involvement in law making. List several pros and cons to these types of elections. (Modified) Referendum -- When voters either approve or disapprove a certain act of their legislatures Initiative -- Residents propose changed or new laws and put them on the ballot, then pass or defeat them without legislature or executive intervention 4\. Discuss the range of voter turnout for presidential elections around the world and the place that the US holds in rankings of that measure. The U.S. is on the lower end of the scale. 5\. Describe the US national turnout during 1972-2012 in Presidential elections and in gubernatorial and US House elections that are held in Presidential election years, as well as those that occur between Presidential elections. Explain the differences. They were all up/down at the same time 6\. Characterize the turnout in Texas gubernatorial elections from 1970 to 2010 in comparison to average state turnouts during those same years. (Modified) They were opposites of each other 7\. Compare and contrast %VAP, %VEP, and %Registered as measures of voter turnout with respect to size, accuracy, advantages, and disadvantages. Increased/decreased at the same rate, but %VAP was always lower. 8\. Explain the range of state policies on whether and when convicted felons can vote. Discuss why this is a partisan issue between the two political parties. Democrats generally support restoring voting rights to felons, arguing that it is a matter of civil rights and reintegration into society. Democrats often highlight that felon disenfranchisement disproportionately affects minority communities, further entrenching existing inequalities. Republicans generally oppose restoring voting rights to felons, arguing that it is a matter of public safety and maintaining the integrity of the electoral process. They often contend that felons have forfeited their right to vote by breaking the law. Republicans also voice concerns about potential voter fraud 9\. Characterize how Texas ranks in voter turnout from 1980-2010 and explain the periodic movement that occurs in turnout measures over time. Texas is on the lower side of voter turnout 10\. Describe how different voter turnout measures can be accidentally or intentionally confusing and used to misrepresent changes in turnout over time. Scale factors on graphs and measurement types 11\. Discuss Texas voter turnout for state constitutional amendment elections from 1993 to 2011 and the pattern that largely exists between turnout and approval rate. Lower turnout is typically related to success in passing amendments 12\. List and describe the 5 key factors that influence voters to participate or skip an election. Socioeconomic status -- lower income=less likely to vote Interparty competition declining -- party's candidate never wins, so they don't vote Political culture -- status quo seems unchangeable Legal requirements -- keep potential voters away Election exhaustion 13\. Explain the complicated relationships between voter turnout and population characteristics that would usually be expected to influence whether voters participate. Also, do the same for the complicated relationships between voter turnout and the policy outcomes that might be driven by voter turnout. Biased outcomes is expected when turnout is low No clear, consistent evidence of casual linkages between turnout and quality Likely to remain this way until citizen participation increases 14\. Explain why the relationships in \#13 are likely not as robust and clear as democratic theory would predict. Discuss how this argues for greater voter participation, not less. **[LECTURE, CHAPTER 6B]** 1\. Describe the US Constitution's protection of any citizen's right to vote. 15^th^ Amendment - The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous\ condition of servitude 2\. Explain when and how southern states carefully eradicated the Black vote. Use the clip from the movie Selma as an example. Primary electrons were private so they would make themselves "white-only" 3\. Discuss how voting barriers against Black citizens began to fall in the 1940s and 1960s before the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Smith v. Allwright (1944) -- declared white primaries unconstitutional 4\. Explain the scope and enforcement mechanisms of the VRA. Suspended all voting barriers\ Section 4 of the law contained the "coverage formula" determined which states/localities had to comply with Section 5 (these were known as covered states/localities)\ Section 5 of the law required states with history of discriminatory voting practices to seek federal "pre-clearance" of any proposed change to their voting laws\ In most extreme cases, Feds could send federal monitors or even registrars to state/local elections\ Has been renewed regularly by Congress, most recently in 2006 for 25 more years 5\. Describe the particulars at issue in Alabama that formed the basis for Shelby County v. Holder. Openly acknowledged that voting discrimination still exists\ Reaffirmed a "permanent, nationwide ban on racial discrimination in voting" Section 4 had outlived its usefulness\ Section 4 could not be justified by current needs 6\. Discuss the rationale behind the previous SCOTUS decisions that upheld the VRA, as well as the rationale used to uphold Alabama's demands in 2013. Court found that Section 4 infringed State's rights under the 10th Amendment and doctrine of equal treatment of states 7\. State the Shelby County v. Holder decision, its impact on the VRA, and the likely problems that would soon arise according to Justice Ginsburg's dissenting opinion. Law required all and any changes to voting laws by "covered states" be submitted for federal review\ "Non-covered states" could make same voting law changes without pre-clearance; if feds sued, these states would still not be as disadvantaged as a "covered state" (a state on\ the preclearance list)\ Congress "has ignored progress made" by covered states Ginsburg: "\...facilitate completion of impressive gains thus far made" "\...would guard against back sliding" 8\. Discuss the possibility and probability of Congress passing a new VRA with a revised Section 4. Stated, "History repeats itself," they infer it will be revisited 9\. Describe the role of Texas in Shelby County v. Holder and how what actions the state government took immediately afterwards. Enacted voter ID laws and a redistricting plan **[LECTURE, CHAPTER 6C]** 1\. Characterize the timeline and nature of Voter ID laws in the US in 2012. Before 2011, only Georgia and Indiana required photo Id's, but in 2012, more states began to require proof of identity. 2\. List reasons why the chart about the expected implementation costs of state Voter ID laws should be questioned and not immediately accepted as fact. We do not know how the cost was calculated or who was doing the calculations 3\. Describe the positions of the Presidential candidates on Voter ID laws during the 2012 and 2016 elections. Republicans seem to be in favor of ID laws while democrats and independents do not 4\. State the position of the current Texas governor on the incidence of voter fraud in Texas and describe possible issues between those assertions and the available evidence. Abbot believes voter fraud is rampant right now, but there is no evidence supporting this 5\. List different types of voter fraud and explain which ones can be targeted through Voter ID laws. Mail-in ballot voter impersonation, **[In-person voter impersonation]**, All forms of voter impersonation, Double voting (mail-in + in-person), Ineligible voter registrations 6\. Explain the reasons why claims of voter fraud are often not found to be factual. Most cases are honest mistakes by voters 7\. Explain the tension between increasing election security via Voter ID laws and efforts to encourage more citizens to exercise their right to vote. More security takes more time which will encourage less people to vote. 8\. Describe the series of events and the current status of the Voter ID requirement in Texas after challenges in federal court. 2014: Federal district judge found Texas law unconstitutional\ 2015: 5th Circuit Court (3-judge panel) agreed it was "discriminatory in effect"\ 2016: Full 5th Circuit concurs and orders district judge to work with Texas to modify voter ID requirements for November 2016 election so they would not illegally discriminate 9\. Describe what voter registration drives are and can and cannot do. The distribution and collection of voter registration applications by two or more persons for delivery to a county clerk and recorder 10\. Discuss the main components of the new Texas voter registration drive requirements passed in 2011. Use the example of UTD student Julia Shomenta to illustrate. Workers must be state residents\ Must be trained deputy voter registrars in each county they will work in\ Voter registration cards must be hand-delivered to county voter registrar 11\. Explain why voter advocacy groups already considered the Texas voter registration laws "harsh" prior to the new changes. 30 days prior to election to register No automatic registration No online voter registration 12\. Describe the weaknesses in the liberal argument for easier voter access and in the conservative argument for greater election security. The liberals only talk about how much more work it is, while the conservatives talk about strengthening laws 13\. List the common problems that often exist in arguments for or against Voter ID laws. Incomplete information & omission of context\ Appeals to fear & gross exaggerations\ Dismissal of concerns about ulterior motives\ Labeling & asserting instead of respecting & discussing **[LECTURES, CHAPTER 7A&B]** 1\. Characterize the role played by political parties and state and local elections. Play larger role in state than local; Local elections are often non-partisan: candidates' party affiliations not included on ballot 2\. Compare and contrast political parties and interest groups. Political Parties: Large role in state elections, local often non-partisan Interest Groups: Formal and organized, role is more visible at state level than in local politics 3\. Detail how parties function in 3 ways: constituent, information, and governmental. Constituent: Select candidates for ballot via primaries/caucuses; Support selected candidates for office Information: Develop a program and educate public (very broad primary target) Government: Winners organize government, legislatures, and caucuses 4\. Describe the criteria used to set major parties apart from minor ones. Use the Libertarian party as an example. Major: able to win elections, regularly; hold primaries/caucuses Minor: everyone else 5\. Explain the highlights of the history of US political parties in 1790s, around the Civil War, during the Great Depression, post WW2, and in the 1960s and 70s. 1790's: Federalists-elite, more organized, uban; Anti-Federalist- non-elite, less organized, rural Civil War: Republican North vs. Democratic South WW2: Northern wealthy city dwellers (Republicans) moved to the suburbs; Northern inner cities shifted to Democratic Party 1960-70's: Democratic South's bad economy created opportunities for Republican inroads 6\. Describe how a winner-take-all system works and the effects it has on party competition. Eliminates third parties; To win, parties just have to attract more support than competition 7\. Discuss how a proportional voting approach would change the representation of voters and the competition between parties. This would give third party a chance at winning 8\. Explain why candidates from different parties (and ice cream vendors!) tend to move their policy positions closer to each other in a competitive election. The center of it all has the highest turnout, but the center can be hard to find. The alternative is to locate next to the competition. 9\. Connect the dots between partisanship, redrawing of district boundaries, and willingness to compromise to explain our currently frequent reality of legislative gridlock. To win partisan office, you must win primary and general 10\. Explain why primary elections are important and have become much more important in recent election years. One party is guaranteed to win the general election (especially if unopposed!)\ That party's candidate in that race was determined in their primary election earlier that year 11\. Characterize the differences in party competition and voter choice between the state legislative races in 2016 and 2018. 12\. Explain the argument that says that 4% of Texas voters are the ones who elected the governor in a typical, recent election year. Texas governors and other statewide office holders are chosen by \~4% of electorate---the voters participating in the Republican primary! 13\. Describe why the topics and policies discussed by candidates in primary and in general elections differ. Give examples. Primary elections winnow a field of candidates who all want that major party's nomination down to a single nominee that will go on to the general election Primaries become disproportionately important when followed by uncompetitive general elections 14\. Describe the similarities and differences between Closed, Open, Semi-Open, and Mixed primary election systems. State which system Texas and its neighboring\* states use. (\*Those that share a border with Texas.) Closed Primary - Voters must a declare party by a given deadline in advance to vote in\ its primary; may only vote in that party's primary\ Semi-Closed Primary - Voters with a declared party may only vote it that party's primary; Voters without a declared party may vote in either primary\ Open Primary (Texas uses this type) - Voters may choose to vote in either primary, regardless of their party affiliation; may not vote in both primaries\ Mixed Primaries - This is not a type of primary; indicates that the two parties in the state\ use different forms of primaries 15\. Explain how a state like Texas, with more likely Democratic voters than Republican ones, can end up with a Republican-dominated government. Also explain why that government might be motivated to not greatly increase turnout in future elections. Most recent voters in Texas were Republicans\ Voter turnout did not reflect the makeup of the majority of Texans who could vote\ 16. Describe the relationship between voter registration rates and voter turnout. Parties in power tend to seek low turnout in elections for state-wide offices when they have a minority in the potential electorate 17\. Characterize the effect that political parties in power have on policy outcomes and list the reasons presented that can help explain those results. Party-in-power does not consistently affect policy predictability Reality limit change Every state policy is not reconsidered Avoid dealing with tax increases Result of cumulative effects **[LECTURES, CHAPTER 7C]** 1\. Explain what an interest group is and how it differs from political parties in each of three functions: constituent, information, and government. Organizations of people who share one or more interest Constituent function - Limited; do not select candidates but do support candidates. Can (and do) support both contestants for same office Information function - Beliefs usually not comprehensive in scope---limited policy\ preferences. Primary target is group members rather than entire public 2\. Discuss the conservative concerns (in the ads) and progressive concerns (from the expert interviewed) voiced during the Texas Tribune video about the role of interest groups during the 2012 election season. Government function - Do not organize government. (At least, not directly\...) Do organize and provide information to government for specific policy goals. Do provide a large percentage of state and national election campaign funds 3\. Describe the role of membership size, budget, expertise, and status in determining the power and influence of interest groups. Large numbers of members pose problems - More difficult to organize, stimulate participation Wealth - Useful, but not always sufficient Expertise - Depth of information; ready-made arguments Status - Have "track record" of visible successes, Recognized/renowned expertise & funding 4\. Characterize the strongest, middling, and weakest interest group types in Texas, explaining their position in that list. Draw connections between this and Elazar's conclusions about Texas' political culture. Business Types of IGs - Taller, richer, better organized that any other type. Examples: Chemical Council, oil & gas, petroleum producers, Texas Medical Association, insurers\ Occupational Types of IGs - Weaker than Business IGs, Quite weak when compared to those in other states\ Ethnic & Racial IGs are weakest 5\. Explain how access, money, and expertise work together for interest groups. Also, discuss why legislators are in such need for outside experts. Contributing money is a good way to ensure access to expertise 6\. Characterize the role of lobbyists with respect to Texas government. to attempt to influence policy makers face-to-face Everyone has a right to influence government officials, but not everyone has the means to do so 7\. Detail the who, what, how, and why of Political Action Committees at the state level. Who & what: Formed by an interest group, industry, or individual for the purpose of collecting money and then contributing that money to selected political candidates and causes How & why: Concentrates financial clout of large numbers of individuals, Influences public policy more effectively than can a single, ordinary individual (\...or even a party!) 8\. Explain the Texas laws about political donations from corporations and businesses and how those entities use PACs to influence elections. Corporations cannot do political donations but they can donate to PACs 9\. Discuss the matchup between citizens, interest groups, PACs, and lobbyists in the contest of influencing policy making. They all use their money and expertise to persuade politics 10\. Describe how PACs can also be liabilities in elections when they don't back winning candidates. Because someone has to decide what happens to all the money people donated 11\. Explain a causal mechanism that could explain the correlations between lobbyists and state government employees, revenues, and expenditures in 2010. State gov employees have more opinions 12\. Discuss why correlations between a measure of interest group influence and hot-button policies such as taxes are minimal to non-existent. 13\. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of interest groups. Advantages of Interest Groups\ Communicates with government continue year-round, not just during election seasons\ Information source\ If excellent in quality, they become an indispensable source of info and solutions for government officials\ High intensity of preferences---stay focused on its issues\ Independent of geography---cut across "boundaries" of governments (e.g., legislative district lines)\ Exert rapidly increasing greater influence than parties Disadvantages of Interest Groups:\ Over-represent narrow segments of our political society\ Provide biased information to both government and public\ Issues and intensity of advocacy biased toward business and wealth\ Can feed gridlock in legislatures