POLSCI 318 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Secret Ballot, Party System
4 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Congress and the President
9.14.16 Lecture Notes – Elections
How elections and campaigns have evolved
50-60% turnout of voting-age population in presidential elections
In early 19th century, there was a huge jump in turnout
o Competitive two party system emerged – big differentiation in two parties, so voters were
more interested in turning out
o Voters tend to vote more often when it is a competitive election
o Barriers to voting, such as property requirements, were removed
o Addition of more polling locations (esp. in rural areas)
o Parties made their campaigns more interesting – almost became a mode of entertainment
Campaigns now and then
Then: entire message was marshaling partisans
o Candidates didn’t really campaign, viewed as craven if a candidate campaigned
o Parties printed their own ballots and handed them out in saloons and gave them whiskey
o Independents were looked down on
o No secret ballot – added to the partisan flavor
o Campaign clubs would perform during parades and would try to marshal additional
partisan support
o Partisan violence
o Very biased information
o Effect on Congress with this hyper partisanship
▪ They had a polarized period that matches the polarization right now
1896 – turnout drops
o Rise in independent voters, rise in independent newspapers that provided unbiased facts
and information
o Government began to print ballots, states handled the registration of voters
o Saloons are closed on election day
o Women’s suffrage occurs in the early 9s, which increases voting-age population
(explains the massive drop in turnout)
o During this period, politics and entertainment is also separating – waning casual interest in
politics
MODERN DAY
Midterm turnouts are almost always lower than presidential turnouts
Partisans still have the best turnout (people who are strongly partisan)
2012 election turnout was slightly lower than 2008 turnout
What does it take to be a candidate?
We tend to have fewer women and minorities run
When women choose to run, they have a similar chance of being elected as the men running
Four primary factors
o Motivation
▪ Do they want to run?
▪ Are they being drafted by the party?
• Women and minorities are less likely to drafted and tend to believe that their
campaign will be difficult, thus lacking in motivation
▪ Millennials are not interested in politics because family conversation about politics
has mostly broken down – don’t see politics as a worthy career because they believe
it’s corrupt technology?
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