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Assignment
Students also are required to complete a research paper (approx. 10-12 pages, typed). The paper will be constructed in stages throughout the semester. Each student must select an interesting state and follow its national election dynamics (Presidential or Senate) applying concepts from class. What is an “interesting” state? You must select a state that has unique characteristics that make it competitive or an unusual attribute such as an independent candidate. You should consider factors such as is the state experiencing demographic change that would make the outcome uncertain. Or does the state have a significant cleavage that separates pools of voters into competitive blocs. Examples could include significant racial divisions with racial bloc voting or urban-rural divisions. California and Utah are interesting states in their own right but the presidential vote is likely not in doubt. In presidential elections, California votes for the Democrat and Utah votes for the Republican. On the other hand, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Arizona will be hard-fought races that lend themselves to the project. Maine, Kentucky, Virginia, Texas and Georgia also offer interesting races to study.
Stage 1/Week 3: Identify your state and election race (Senate or President) with an explanation of why it is interesting.
Stage 2/Week 7: Submit a 4-5 page draft summarizing the demographics and political background of the state, and describing the “state of the race” as election day approaches. This section will eventually comprise a section of your final paper. Several types of information are valuable:
- Demographics: the social and economic characteristics of the population of the state with special emphasis on politically relevant groups and cleavages.
- Economics: the current economic conditions in the state (e.g., unemployment rate, effects of the pandemic.
- Political History: previous election results, partisan balance, identity of the candidate, and other information on political background of the state.
- Candidates: who are the two major candidates, what are their personal characteristics, campaign messaging strategy, personal characteristics, scandals.
- Expectations: What is your prediction for the vote outcome in your state and explain why.
Stage3/Weeks 9-11: I will try to set aside time in each class for each student to present (3-4 minutes) a brief overview of their race. Information that should be included is identify your state and race, why you selected it, what was your election prediction, were you correct.
Stage 4/Week 14: Final paper is due. The paper should also analyze how the race contributes to, challenges, and/or illustrates the most important concepts and themes covered in the course.
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Useful Websites
- On the IssuesOur mission is to provide non-partisan information for voters in the Presidential election, so that votes can be based on issues rather than on personalities and popularity.
- Project Vote SmartThis project is an historic undertaking. Citizens come together, not in selfish interest or to support one candidate over another, but to defend democracy. It is an extraordinary gathering of people committed to one purpose: to strengthen the most essential component of democracy -- access to information -- even as it suffers grave attacks from candidates and political parties, many who are now willing to manipulate information and deceive voters.
- RealClearPoliticsFounded in 2000 by John McIntyre and Tom Bevan, Chicago-based RealClearPolitics.com (RCP) has become one of America’s premier independent political web sites. Updated every morning and throughout the day, RCP culls and publishes the best commentary, news, polling data, and links to important resources from all points of the political compass and covering all the important issues of the day. RealClearPolitics has become a trusted filter for anyone interested in politics.
Campaign Data
- CrowdPacCrowdpac’s mission is to give politics back to people - to make it easier for citizens to learn about politicians, and to find and support political candidates that match their priorities and beliefs. We want to help end the stranglehold of big money donors and special interests on the political system and to help create a more representative democracy. Crowdpac is independent, non-partisan and for-profit.
- Federal Election CommissionThe duties of the FEC, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections
- The Campaign Finance InstituteThe CFI has successfully established its reputation as the nation’s pre-eminent think tank for campaign finance policy. Written to meet peer-reviewed standards, CFI’s original work is published in academic journals as well as in forms regularly used by the media and policy makers. CFI’s tools are made available freely to stimulate new research by others, while its bibliographies bring the results of recent scholarship to the attention of the policy community.
- Polling ReportAn independent, nonpartisan resource on trends in American public opinion.
- PEW ResearchThe Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. The center conducts public opinion polling, demographic studies, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. It does not take positions on policy issues.
- Follow the moneyThe nation's only free, nonpartisan, verifiable archive of contributions to political campaigns in all 50 states.
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