How are American elections different from elections in most other democracies quizlet?

The ʺelectorsʺ in the electoral college are

A) the members of Congress from each state, who vote strictly according to who won the majority of their stateʹs votes.

B) the members of the House from each state, who vote strictly according to who won the majority of their districtʹs votes.

C) selected by state parties, usually as a reward for faithful service to the party over the years.

D) a bipartisan group of political scientists, public officials, jurists, and other respected individuals chosen by the governor of each state.

E) selected by state legislatures well in advance of the presidential election, and each elector votes his or her own conscience as to who would be the best president.

(p. 316)

The three kinds of elections in the U.S. are

a. primary elections, competitive elections, and noncompetitive elections.
b. primary elections, general elections, and elections on specific policy questions.
c. primary elections, general elections, and competitive elections.
d. primary elections, secondary elections, and tertiary elections.
e. primary elections, ancillary elections, and corollary elections.

Decides how many votes it takes to win. (270)

Regulates who can run for office
(requirements)

rules regarding how to run a campaign (funding disclosure & spending rules)

regulates who can vote

enlargement of the U.S Electorate (voting rights- no one denied to vote based on race or color) all races, women ,

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There are many factors, some of which we've already discussed, that contribute to the voting decision process. A few of the primary contributors are:

Social characteristics - Blacks, Hispanics, women, lower educated, lower income voters are much more likely to vote for Democrats, white men with higher educations and more money are more likely to vote for Republicans.

Party loyalties - People tend to, but not always, adopt their parent's party identification. If both of your folks are Republican/Democrat, you are most likely a Republican/Democrat and you will vote that way for most of your life. Interestingly, if parents support different parties, the children will most likely adopt their mother's party ID.

Candidates - Candidate characteristics matter. You might just like one candidate more than the other. It was easy to like Obama - a young guy with an attractive family - over McCain, who was older, shorter, and had less hair.

Issues - Issue voters vote based on one or a few very important issues. For example, if you are pro-life, pro-gun, and favor lower taxes, you vote for the Republican. Voters with inverse beliefs would vote for the Democrat.

The economy - As mentioned before, the economy is the number one factor voters consider when voting for president. If the economy is healthy, voters reward the incumbent candidate/party with reelection; if it's not healthy, they punish them by throwing them out of office.

Foreign policy - Although foreign policy usually plays a lesser role in presidential elections, prolonged, costly wars can hurt an incumbent. Johnson and the Viet Nam war were so unpopular in 1968 that he decided to not run for reelection; he knew he'd lose. On the flip side, successful foreign policy can help a president win reelection. Bush and the "War on Terror" in 2004 is an example.