04.09 Assessment Election and Electoral College Free-Response Question
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Free-Response Question One Third Political Parties American politics is dominated by two major political parties: Democrats Republicans Third political parties or minor parties have played a major role in influencing elections. Some third parties have been permanent, running candidates in every election. Many third parties disappear after only a few elections. Several types of minor parties have emerged. Third political parties are described as: Ideological (communist, socialist, libertarian) Single-issue-oriented (concentrate on a single public policy) Personality driven/splinter/ factional (ex. Theodore Roosevelt’s “Bull “Moose” Progressive, Strom Thurmond’s States’ Rights, George Wallace’s American Independent) They often influence the party platforms of the Democrats & Republicans Examples of third political parties that have had a major impact: 1. The Populist Party (1862-1908) was successful in getting its reform polices of: Initiative Referendum Recall adopted in many states 2. George Wallace’s Independent Party in 1968 took away electoral votes from the Democrats 3. In 1992 Ross Perot’s Reform Party got almost 20% of the popular vote, and in 2000 Ralph Nader’s Green Party played spoiler.
Transcript of 04.09 Assessment Election and Electoral College Free-Response Question
Free-Response Question OneThird Political Parties
American politics is dominated by two major political parties: Democrats Republicans Third political parties or minor parties have played a major role in influencing elections. Some third parties have been permanent, running candidates in every election. Many third parties disappear after only a few elections. Several types of minor
parties have emerged. Third political parties are described as: Ideological (communist, socialist, libertarian) Single-issue-oriented (concentrate on a single public policy) Personality driven/splinter/ factional (ex. Theodore Roosevelt’s “Bull “Moose” Progressive, Strom Thurmond’s States’ Rights, George Wallace’s American Independent) They often influence the party platforms of the
Democrats & Republicans Examples of third political parties that have had a major impact:
1. The Populist Party (1862-1908) was successful in getting its reform polices of: Initiative Referendum Recall adopted in many states
2. George Wallace’s Independent Party in 1968 took away electoral votes from the Democrats
3. In 1992 Ross Perot’s Reform Party got almost 20% of the popular vote, and in 2000 Ralph Nader’s Green Party played spoiler.
Third-party challenges - in recent elections third-party challengers have taken votes from the major candidates, lessening their ability to win a majority of the vote.
3RD PARTIES ARE REGULAR FEATURE OF American politics & occasionally attract the public’s attention.
Although third-party candidates almost never win office in the United States, scholars believe they are often quite important.
They have brought new groups into the electorate & have served as “safety valves” for popular discontent.
Despite the regular appearance of third parties, the two-party system is firmly entrenched in American politics.
Free-Response Question twoThe Electoral College
1. An amendment to the Constitution that would eliminate the Electoral College & make the popular vote the determining factor has been proposed but it has never been voted on.
2. Some states have developed a system that awards electoral votes by congressional district, which takes away the “winner take all “component of awarding the electoral votes in those states that have such a system
3. Other states have proposed initiatives that would direct their electors to vote for the winner of the national popular vote.
a) For example, California has 55 electoral votes. Under this proposal, even if a candidate received the most votes in a state, the state, the state’s electoral votes could be awarded to the other candidate if that candidate won the national popular vote.
4. The electoral college was incorporated into the constitution because the Founding Fathers feared that an election determined by the popular vote would not reflect the wishes of the nation as a whole
5. The Electoral College creates a system where the president is elected indirectly by electors from the states based on which candidates won the greatest % of popular votes in each state.
6. The # of electoral votes is determined by adding the # of senators & house members in each state.
b) For example, California has two senators % 53 representatives, giving California 55 electoral votes. Washington, D.C. was given 3 electoral votes as a result of a constitutional amendment.
7. A presidential candidate needs a majority of electoral votes, 270, to win the election.c) If a candidate does not get a majority of electoral votes, the election for
president is determined by the House of Representatives & the election for vice-president is determined by the senate.
In conclusion: When voters go to the polls on Election Day they are casting the popular vote. This vote is actually for electors. Each state has a number of electors equal to its senators & representatives in Congress. Also, Washington, D.C., has three electoral votes. The entire group of 538 electors in known as the Electoral College. After the general election, the electors meet in their respective state capitals on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. The candidate who wins a majority of popular votes in a state in the general election wins all the states’ electoral votes in the electoral college (winner-take all). Although the electors are not required to vote for their party’s candidate, only rarely do they cast a vote for someone else. The voters are declared the winner. If no candidate for president from the top three candidates. If no candidate for vice-president receives a majority of Electoral Votes, the Senate chooses the vice president from the top two candidates.
