By The People, Chapter 8 Reading Guide

*Always keep in mind that words in BOLD/CAPS are key terms that you should define in your response*

1. Remember what “federalism” is? Good. What level of gov’t is responsible for conducting
elections? Make note of the TIME PLACE AND MANNER CLAUSE here. What are the term
lengths (in years) for house members and senators? In other words, how often are they elected?

2. Money is a huge (and steadily increasing) factor in elections. Discuss the politics of campaign
finance by noting the following:

a. How much was spent (total) in federal elections during the last two presidential election years
(2012 and 2016). How about for the last two MIDTERM ELECTIONS (2010 and 2014)?

b. What do non-profits like the Sunlight Foundation say about wealthy donors? What do public
opinion polls show? What do organizations like the Institute for Justice and ACLU argue?

c. There are concerns about the dominance of wealth in elections. What are the “two parts” of these
concerns? Per the text, what do “most business sectors” do?

d.What happened in the Shawn McCutcheon (McCutcheon v. FEC) case?

3. Explain the nature of the following organizations, making sure to include the general rules about
direct involvement with candidates and spending limits (if any):

a. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES (PACs):

b. SUPER PACs (be sure to note differences with PACs!):

c. 527 GROUPS:
4. Discuss the three phases of presidential campaigns, making sure to touch on the following:

a. What happens during the “nominating process”, “party convention”, and “general election”?

b. The nominating process is a series of state-level primary elections. What is SUPER TUESDAY
and what do parties “hope” to achieve with this practice? How many states held primaries on this
day in 2016?

c. What do “both parties require” for a candidate to win the nomination? How are delegates
“assigned” to each state? Which party uses a WINNER TAKE ALL allocation system and
which uses a PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION system?

d. What are the “traditional rules” of the nominating process? What is the “nature of voter turnout”
in primary elections? As a result, what does “conventional political wisdom” suggest?

e. The state of the economy is huge in elections. Which “economic factors” are especially important
to voters? What is likely if the “economy is performing poorly? What can happen “even under
fairly good economic conditions”?

f. Demographics are also vital in elections. Generally speaking, who do Democrats “tend to draw
votes” from? How about Republicans? In thirty-five years, what’s the highest percentage of
whites who voted for the Democratic candidate?

5. Many things increase or decrease the likelihood of a candidate winning an election. Discuss some
of the factors that affect this likelihood:

a. The importance of the INCUMBENCY ADVANTAGE (including details of re-election rates).

What is the “paradox” of congressional elections?

b. What usually happens in MIDTERM ELECTIONS (be sure to explain MIDTERM LOSS)?

c. Finally, explain the redistricting process (redrawing district boundaries). What does the census
“determine” (be sure to mention REAPPORTIONMENT here)? What is a GERRYMANDER?
What are the “two main techniques” used to do this (briefly explain each)?