Notes 10/21/08

Evolution of campaigning
(1) Campaign- an organized effort to persuade voters to choose one candidate over others competing for the same office
(2) Increasingly, election campaigns have evolved from being party centered to being candidate centered.

Candidates campaign for nomination as well as election
(1) Most nominated through primary elections
A. In both parties, about 1/2 bother to vote in primary elections
--some research suggests, primary voters hold more extreme views than party members who didn't vote in primaries
--others say, primary voters unrepresentative of general population
--primary voters suboordinate their views- candidates more likely to fare better

B. Primary can be:
(1)Closed
(2) Open
(3) Blanket
-most states use closed primary- voter asks for ballot of particular party and can't split their ticket.
-In open, voters ask for either party's ballot and then vote it
-blanket- voters recieve a ballot listing all candidates
-voters vote for 1 candidate with the top voter advancing to the November General Election
-Only 3 states use blanket
-CA "jungle" primary [certain version of blanket] was struck down by the Supreme Court
-variations of primary a state holds impacts on the strength of the party in that state

C. Parties choose their candidates through election- primary
--results in a decentralization of power in parties