PS 3370 Lecture 1: PS-3370_101 Voting, Campaigns, and Elections: Electoral Process
22 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
A mechanism for making a collective decision. Means of expressing individual preferences through voting campaign. There are a variety of elections: executive, legislative, and judicial, federal, state, and local, issue elections (initiatives and referenda, recall and retention elections. Rules, media attention, turnout, campaign tactics, and how voters make their decisions. Functions of elections: choosing public of cials, ensuring accountability. Friday, august 19, 2016: in uence the direction of policy. Initiative and referenda do this directly: granting legitimacy to gov. Depends on whether or not our party won. Functions of campaigns: help voter decision-making, forum for debate and deliberation, promote citizen participation, allow outsiders an opportunity to voice opinions. Friday, august 19, 2016: there is a lot of variety in rules. Realities matter: economic conditions, history, and big events that impact public opinion, can limit the effects of campaigns, candidate background, legacy of af liated party. A candidate may try to overcome reputation associated with their party: recent events.
