POL 4141 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Gerrymandering, Radical Change, Originalism

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POL 4141
• Professor: Tyler Attwood

Document Summary

Lecture #4: the constitution (cid:523)cont(cid:495)d(cid:524) & campaigns and elections. Delegates settled on the idea of a single individual, independent of congress, representing the entire public, serving a 4-year term, and re-electable. Framers didn(cid:495)t trust state legislatures to prioritize the national interest, and assumed the average person lacked the information and/or wisdom to choose well. Originally, states chose them, but by the 1820s people voted for electors (cid:523)now chosen by a particular candidate(cid:495)s. Creates an incentive to get everyone and anyone out to the polls. Preserves the federal nature of the united states (although it gives unequal representation to smaller states) Prevents there from being widespread pandemonium if there needs to be a recount of the vote much more convenient. All states temporarily disenfranchise criminals (they cannot vote) some states. Encourages candidates to campaign only in the larger state (eg. a candidate could win by simply campaigning and winning over the 11 largest states)