We the People 5th edition by Benjamin Ginsberg, Theodore J. Lowi and Margaret Weir

1
Political Parties, Elections and Campaigns
California Government Chapter 9
2
Connecting Citizens to Government

• In a representative democracy, political
  institutions link citizens to politics
• Elections
• Political Parties
• Through elections, people hold their
  representative accountable by rewarding
  representatives they approve of with re-election
  and punishing representatives they disapprove of
  by electing their opponents
• Through parties, group conflicts are managed
  diverse interests are aggregated candidates can
  be identified with a political agenda also held
  accountable for their views and actions

3
Californians are skeptical of linkage
institutions

• Skeptical of Elections
• Majorities believe they make better decisions
  than government officials
• But, only 44 trust their fellow citizens to make
  good public policy decisions at the ballot box
• Skeptical of Parties
• More and more voters are not affiliating with a
  major political party more than 20 today
  decline to state a party when registering to
  vote
• 75 believe that state government is run by a few
  big interests

Source Mark Baldassare, et al Californians
and Their Government, Public Policy Institute of
California, Dec. 2010.
4
California A Weak Party State

• Democrats dominate the legislature and more
  people are registered as Democrats than any other
  party
• However
• Less than a majority are registered Democrats
• 20 are Independent, and that category is growing
• 7 of 10 would prefer not be registered with a
  party
• Historically, Progressive anti-party elections
  laws sought to loosen political party control
  over elections
• Direct Democracy
• Secret Ballots
• Cross-filing from 1910s 1950s
• Direct Primaries
• Nonpartisan local elections
• Still, parties organize government

Source Mark Baldassare, Californias
Post-Partisan Future, Public Policy Institute of
California, January 2008, 2.
5
California Registration February 10, 2013
Party   Voters
Democratic 43.9 7,932,373
Republican 28.9 5,225,675
Americans Elect 0.0 3,417
American Independent 2.6 476,157
Green 0.6 112,973
Libertarian 0.6 109,636
Peace and Freedom 0.3 61,612
Other 2.0 367,483
Decline to state 20.9 3,766,457
total 100.0 18,055,783
     
Eligible to register   23,857,732
Registered 75.7 18,055,783
6
Who can register to vote?

• Qualifications
• U.S. Citizen
• California Resident
• At least 18 years old on Election Day
• Not found by a court to be mentally incompetent
• Not in State Prison or on Parole for a State
  Felony
• People may register and vote if they are in
  county jail or on probation for a county
  conviction
• Use this link to register to vote
• http//www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.h
  tm

7
Three Parts of a Party

• How does one define a political party?
• Parties have different functions, and 3 different
  dimensions of a party can be identified.
• 1. Party in the Electorate (PIE)
• Refers to members who share similar beliefs about
  the role that government should play in their
  lives
• Refers to the generalized sentiment a partys
  members share about what it means to be a
  Republican, Democrat, or member of any other
  party

8
1. Party in the Electorate (PIE)
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS

• Tend to be
• ethnically diverse (54 White)
• low-to-middle income bracket
• Younger
• Female Women outnumber men
• Most lean liberal or hold liberal views
• Tolerate higher taxes for more government
  services
• Want government to promote equality
• Favor greater access to healthcare
• Favor same-sex marriage
• More responsive to labor unions
• Favor looser immigration laws
• Favor steps to curb global warming

• Tend to be
• White (82)
• Higher income bracket
• Older
• Male Men slightly outnumber women
• 3 out of 4 are conservative
• Against taxes
• Favor strictly limited government
• Want government to stay out of health care
• More responsive to business
• Oppose same-sex marriage
• Oppose abortion
• Favor strong anti-immigration laws
• Oppose steps to curb global warming

Source Mark Baldassare, Californias
Post-Partisan Future, Public Policy Institute of
California, January 2008.
9
1. Party in the Electorate (PIE)

• Individuals often develop attachment to one of
  the major parties
• Family tradition
• School
• Work, Marriage
• Ethnic support of parties
• Whites about equally Democratic or Republican
• Blacks, Hispanics and Asians more Democratic
• Gender and Marriage
• Women more likely than men to support Dems
• Married individuals more likely than unmarried to
  support Reps

10
Ethnicity and Voting 2012
11
Ethnicity and Voting field poll 2435 (PIE)

• Ethnic voters had a major impact on the 2012
  election
• From 1994 to 2012 the state added about 3.5
  million voters, of those about 3 million have
  been ethnic voters (Hispanics, Asians, Blacks)
• In 2012 a majority of ethnic voters supported
  Obama and Prop 30 and a majority of white voters
  opposed Obama and Prop 30
• Ethnic voters have been becoming more Democratic,
  Democratic positions ethnics support
• Many Hispanics support path to citizenship
• Many ethnics support active government (for
  example Obamacare)
• Younger ethnic voters tend to be more liberal
  than older ethnic voters (e.g. support gay
  marriage, legal pot)

12
Three Parts of a Party

• 2. Party in Government (PIG)
• Elected officials help build their partys brand
  name through lawmaking, speeches and other
  activities
• The purpose of parties organize government in
  order to achieve their policy aims
• The party in government is made up of the
  Governor and other statewide officials,
  California representatives and US representatives

13
Three Parts of a Party

• 2. Party in Government (PIG)
• At the state level the two major parties in
  California are strongly ideologically polarized
• Republican elected officials are strongly
  conservative, they oppose raising taxes and
  government spending
• Democratic elected officials are liberal, willing
  to raise taxes and spend money to support
  government programs

14
Three Parts of a Party

• 2. Party in Government (PIG)
• Elections tend to be uncompetitive (between the
  parties), based on
• Natural sorting people tend to live near
  others like themselves, so many areas are
  dominated by one party
• In the past gerrymandering favored incumbents
  and the majority party

15
Three Parts of a Party

• 3. Party Organizations (PO)
• A partys organizational bodies, including
  conventions, and its rules
• State Central Committee
• County Central Committee
• Regional volunteer clubs
• Parties help nominate candidates for election
  and get them elected

16
Three Parts of a Party

• 3. Party Organizations (PO)
• Decentralized Structures
• The state central committees and the county
  central committees have no power over elected
  officials, they support the elected officials,
  they do not direct them
• The national party has no control over the state
  party
• Lack of Patronage
• Parties do not have jobs or work contracts to
  give out to supporters
• Role in Campaign Finance
• Parties can be influential in coordinating
  contributions to party supported candidates

17
Political Parties in California
Major Political Parties

• The Democratic Party of California
• The Republican Party of California
• All partisan offices are won by individuals from
  these two parties

18
Minor Parties

• Libertarian
• Usually at least some statewide candidates
• Green
• Environmentalist
• Peace and Freedom
• Very left-wing
• American Independent
• Very right-wing
• Americans Elect probably one-time in 2012
• These minor parties never win partisan elections
• A very small number of Libertarians and Greens
  win non-partisan elections

19
An important features of Californias Political
Landscape

• East-west divide is prominent
• Coastal regions are heavily liberal to moderate
  and trend Democratic, and inland counties are
  much more conservative and strongly Republican
• Makes drawing competitive districts difficult
• Citizens, residents, and voters are not the same
  groups of people
• Some of these groups (voters) make decisions for
  the others (non-voters, those ineligible to vote)

20
The Divide Coastal-Inland (West-East)
21
Elections in California Recent Reforms

• Rules often change through voter-approved
  initiatives
• Recent electoral changes and consequences
• Term limits for state officials turnover for
  offices is high open seats are common
  competition is higher for all types of offices
• Has led to less experienced representatives
• Has resulted in more frequent special elections
  to fill seats vacated by ambitious individuals
  moving up the political ladder
• Incumbents still elected at high rates

22
Vote by Mail and Early Voting

• Anyone can request a vote by mail ballot
• Anyone can request to have permanent Absentee
  Voter Status
• If you are permanent absentee then a vote by mail
  ballot will be mailed to you for each election
• Many counties (including Los Angeles) allow early
  voting at designated locations
• Rise of vote by mail (55 in 2012)

23
Elections in California Recent Reforms

• New primary election system started 2011 Top
  two primary elections any voter can vote for a
  candidate from any party in the June primary
  (also called an open primary)
• All candidates from all parties appear on the
  June primary ballot
• Candidates can choose whether their party is
  listed on the ballot or not
• Regardless of vote percentage won, the Top Two
  candidates in each race advance to the general
  election in November
• Goal of the Top Two system is to elect more
  moderate, less ideological politicians
• Presidential primaries do not use Top Two, they
  are closed to voters registered with other
  parties

24
Elections in California Recent Reforms

• District maps for 2012-2020 created by a new
  Citizens Redistricting Commission
• Goal of this reform was to take the job of
  drawing maps away from the state legislature so
  politicians would no longer draw their own
  districts
• Maps for CA Assembly, CA Senate, CA Board of
  Equalization and US Congress
• Two reforms aimed at increasing voter
  participation
• Initiatives will only be voted on in general
  elections (or in special elections)
• Online voter registration

25
Campaigning in California

• Incumbents are in permanent campaign mode
• Big donors to candidates believe they are buying
  access to the politician
• Campaign contributions and expenses must be
  reported to the Fair Political Practices
  Commission
• Independent spending (spending by outside groups)
  is rising, due to US Supreme Court decision
  Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

26
Campaigning in California

• Huge sums typically needed to reach residents
  spread across large areas, or densely populated
  (and expensive) media markets
• Elections are competitive and costly open seats
  can cost much more than these averages
• Average ASSEMBLY race 750,000
• Average SENATE race 1,000,000

27
Campaign Management Firms

• Air War Politics in California
• Campaigns depend less on direct person-to-person
  contact and more on radio, TV and direct mail
  advertisements
• Credible campaigns in California are run by
  campaign consultants
• First campaign consultants Whitaker and Baxter
  in the 1930s
• Husband and wife team that developed the basic
  model of campaign management firms ran very
  negative campaign against Upton Sinclair in 1934
  governors race

28
Elections Partisan and Non-Partisan

• A Partisan Election is one in which candidates
  can list their party (less than 1 of California
  elected offices are partisan, but they are the
  most powerful offices)
• Federal Offices
• State Legislature
• Statewide Executive Offices (except
  Superintendent of Public Instruction)
• Non-Partisan Elections are those in which a
  candidate cannot list a political party (a
  progressive reform)
• State Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Judges
• All Local Offices (county, city, school board)

29
Statewide Election Calendar Even Years

• The Primary (early June)
• Voters choose top-two in Partisan offices
• Some (State and Local) Non-Partisan Elections
• The General Election (early November)
• Partisan top-two run-off
• Some (State and Local) Non-Partisan Runoff
  Elections
• Some Local Elections
• Ballot Measures
• Special elections Recalls
• Special elections called by the governor

30
Local Elections

• Local elections are often held on dates different
  from statewide elections so they will not be
  overshadowed by statewide elections
• For example the city of Los Angeles has a
  non-partisan March primary and May run-off in odd
  years
• This can result in voters in some areas voting
  twice a year every year, which can result in
  voter fatigue

31
2010 Elections

• Elections 2010 Governor, other state executives,
  State Leg, US Congress, Props
• June 2010 partisan primaries (old style),
  incumbents won
• Nov 2010 general election
• Gov Jerry Brown (D), all state-wide executive
  offices won by Democrats, state legislature most
  incumbents won, US Congress incumbents won
• Props Passed Prop 25 end 2/3 requirement to pass
  budget and Prop 26 add requirement of 2/3 vote
  for fees
• Props Failed legalize pot temporarily eliminate
  greenhouse gas law

32
2012 Elections

• Elections 2012
• Primary June 5th
• First widespread use of top two primary system
  for State Legislature and U.S. Congress
• New District Boundaries
• Democratic and GOP presidential primaries wrapped
  up by Obama and Romney before CA got to vote
• General Election November 6th
• Presidential election in CA Obama (60), Romney
  (37)
• Initiatives passed in November Prop 30
  temporarily raise taxes to fund education, Prop
  36 requires 3rd strike to be violent or
  felony, Prop 39 new way to calculate multi-state
  business tax, money collected to go for clean
  energy

33
2013 and 2014 Elections

• Elections 2013
• Los Angeles City Election
• Primary Election for Mayor and half of city
  council March 5, 2013, top two Eric Garcetti
  (33) and Wendy Gruel (29), rest 38
• Run off Election for Mayor of Los Angeles May 21,
  2013 won by Eric Garcetti (54) over Wendy Gruel
  (46)
• Elections 2014
• Election for Governor and other statewide
  officials
• State Legislature, US Congress, Initiatives in
  Nov. only
• Local elections including Los Angeles County
  Supervisors