Essay on Campaigns and Elections

Although voters do not have an obligation publicly state which party they align with, they still must only align with one party during the primary. Therefore, their ballots do not present every possible candidate, and thus, their scope of presidential candidates is limited. The goal of a primary should be to reflect how the state will likely vote during the general election. Blanket primaries accomplish this by allowing voters to select the best candidate from every choice available. This also shows how certain candidates fair in comparison with other parties’ candidates. Parties still have the ability to nominate their candidate with the highest number of votes, but the blanket primary gives more power to the voters than to political parties. Political candidates must market themselves to voters as an aggregate in the state, and cannot rely on party affiliation to be a driving force come primary season. Therefore, while open and blanket primaries are extremely similar, it is the fact that blanket primaries allow more freedom for voters that makes them the favorable

Campaigns in politics are important in determining outcomes and inform the voters who remain undecided. Also, campaigns matter because although the candidates or media officials may know what the outcome will be, the voters themselves do not (107). Aside from campaigns, conventions are also important, if not more important. Party nominating conventions affect the apathetic, uninterested electorates who think conventions are interesting and exciting, often known as the Olympic games of politics (121). This experience for voters can carry influence, and is a time of “intense political learning” (129). Therefore, aggregately, conventions make public opinion meaningful because the citizens who watch make an informed decision about a candidate, and have facts about why they will vote for that candidate. The chief reason why individual public opinion is meaningless during presidential elections is the “nonattitudes.” Nonattitudes are survey responses made up on the spot during an interview by a respondent who has no attitude on politics (113). Therefore, these individuals diminish the value of public opinion because we hate inconsistency and this creates an abundance of views on issues. However, during election night, exit polls support why aggregate opinion is also important. Exit polls are meaningful because one hundred percent of those leaving the polls have voted (102). Therefore, we can get real results from the electorates and this makes collective public opinion

Unlike parties in many other countries, political parties in the U.S. are relatively weak in terms of their ability to mobilize voters to register and ultimately vote on election- day. This inability to mobilize voters has direct correlation to the fact that membership and affiliation in political

Presidential versus congressional campaigns Introduction Two phases: getting nominated and getting elected Getting nominated Getting a name on the ballot An individual effort (versus organizational effort in Europe) Parties play a minor role (compared with Europe) Parties used to play a major role Major differences Presidential races are more competitive.

Candidates campaign to gain voters on their side by using the internet, TV, radio and they also post signs to persuade the public to their side.

In order to have a government that is run by people; specifically, people that must choose a candidate to vote for, its seems fit that it would be important that there be adequate means of illustrating each candidate’s positions on all of the issues that the constituents care about. Presidential debates are the means of showcasing a candidates’ policies to the nation and at the same time they allow the citizens in the democratic society to make a more informed decision about their vote than they otherwise would have without a debate.

Political scientists have observed that individuals and groups donating to campaigns choose from two basic strategies. The first is the electoral strategy. Donors that follow this strategy use their money to help elect candidates who support their views and to defeat those who do not. The goal is to increase the likelihood that Congress, their state legislature, or their city council will vote as the donor wishes it would vote.

Elections shape the scope and size of our government. It’s an event where the people can decide the direction of a locality, a state, and even the federal government. Immigrants and youth who can’t vote are still impacted by the decisions of those being elected. Elections are paramount to our system of governance, however the way campaigns are run, and how funds are raised lack any meaningful oversight. The united states campaign finance system is in need reform, due to increasing deregulation, poor voter participation, and drastic increases third party spending. The root cause of this issue is our deregulated campaign finance system.

Political campaigning is now the full-fledged live version of chess, with pawns, queens and kings, but is all this parading and strategizing actually important? What is even the purpose behind political campaigns; is it to inform the public about a candidate or through clever means to win an election at all costs? The truth of the matter is that campaigns do actually serve an important purpose in the political world of America. Its purpose is to help inform voters about candidates and to improve the number of voters at the polling place. In order for these goals to be achieved there needs to be a clear platform upon which the campaign is built.

Election campaigns slowly became debates on societal issues. They were not only discussed by the elite, but also by the people from the lower classes, who demanded the rights to vote and elect their officers.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors of a campaign, and how campaigns are utilized by candidates and political parties to inform the American voter. The main question of this paper is, are campaigns necessary if citizens cast their votes based on factors that aren’t even under the control of the candidate?

“Twenty-first-century election campaigns are structure to garner the most favorable media exposure reaching the largest number of prospective supporters, with the greatest degree of candidate control over the message”. (Dunaway & Graber 2009. Pg. 315) Media in regards to political advertising is much more narrower. Some candidates are primarily interested in voters who preference the outcome of the race instead of the process of the election. A great example is President Obama in 2008, had little interest in any media markets in California because he expected to win by a comfortable

     When candidates develop a plan of attack for campaign advertising, they tend to aim for at least four types of commercials. One form or type of commercial is those which play on the fears of countrymen. Fear

Many political science researchers study the forces that drive the vote. One of the earliest, and most well known, books about election studies is The American Voter. Written in 1960, the book tries to explain a model that describes what drives Americans to vote the way they do. The model suggests that social factors determine ones party identification, which determines one's issue positions and evaluation of candidate's characteristics. These forces all work together to determine how one will vote. This model may or may not still hold true today, as political researchers are not in agreement as to what exactly drives the vote. One thing that does remain true, however, is that factors such as social groups, party identification, issues,

Most voters have an understanding of a candidate's political views are and how they differ from the rest of the candidates. Most candidates picks the issues that are in the forefront of the political arena and describe how they are different from their competition. Economy is a big issue concern right now because people cannot seem to find work. If the incumbent is doing badly, the other candidate can tell the voters that it is time for a change. If President Obama does not get a handle on the economy soon and get assist people to get back to work, then he will not be re-elected for President in the 2012 election (Schmidt, Shelley, Bardes, 2011, p.196)