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PSCI 4028: Campaigns and Elections (UPDATED)
Professor Kenneth Bickers
2:00-3:15 TR in Hellems 177
Spring 2006-07
Office: Ketchum Hall 131A
Office Hours: 9:00-10:30 T, 1:30-2:45 W, and by appt.
Telephone: (303) 492-2363
Email: [email protected]
Course Description
Regularly scheduled competitive elections are at the heart of all democratic societies. Indeed,
one consequence of the rise of democracy around the world is that for many people, government
actions, even when those actions are found to be disagreeable or contrary to our personal
preferences, are typically viewed as legitimate, if the leaders taking those actions have been duly
elected in an electoral system that is broadly viewed as fair. Yet the practice of democracy is
often messy and imperfect. Criticisms are often leveled at American democracy because of our
persistently low turnout rates, the lack of serious challengers in many races where incumbents
are running for reelection, the gerrymandering of electoral maps to protect incumbents, the
impact of money on campaigns, the manipulation of voters through media advertisements, the
distortion of popular will due to the institution of the electoral college, and more.
In this class, we will exam the electoral system and election campaigns to better understand
democratic practice in America and to confront directly many of the criticisms frequently made
about it. We will explore campaigns and elections at the national level, focusing particularly on
congressional and presidential elections. We will also focus on local elections, in particular
mayoral and city council elections. Our goal will be to understand how campaigns and elections
work in America and to explore the various arguments about why election processes work as
they do. More fundamentally, the goal is for each student to be self-reflective about the strengths
and weaknesses of democracy as it is practiced in this country.
Course Requirements
The format of the course will be akin to a graduate seminar. That is, there will be some lecture,
but mostly there will be guided classroom discussions of the readings and topics assigned for
each class session. As with any seminar format, it is imperative that each student be prepared in
advance by doing the assigned readings. There will be a variety of in-class assignments that will
deal with the assigned readings. These in-class assignments will occur at almost every class
session. Additionally, there will be two out-of-class projects: one, an individual project, that will
involve a set of interviews with people that have been candidates for local elective offices; and a
second, a group project, that will be a paper analyzing the findings from interviews conducted by
your group and other groups. There will also be three exams (i.e., two midterms and a final).
Each of these exams will entail a combination of terms and concepts that you will be asked to
identify or define, as well as longer essays. Exams will be non-cumulative.
In-Class Assignments. In-class assignments will include a number of short memos and
responses to readings and topics that are being discussed in class. They are designed to give you
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an opportunity to think carefully about issues central to understanding political campaigns and
elections – issues which you are likely to encounter on an exam. These assignments will be
announced during the class period in which they are assigned, and will be graded using a
dichotomous scale of satisfactory or unsatisfactory. A satisfactory grade means that the
assignment was seriously attempted. Not being present for an assignment will produce a grade
of unsatisfactory. With the exception of absences that have been excused (such as for a
university sponsored athletic event, or a documented illness), in-class assignments cannot be
made-up.
Out-of-Class Projects. Each student in the class will be expected to participate in two out-ofclass projects. The first, which is to be an individual project, is to conduct a pair of interviews
with candidates for elective office. Each student will be given a data collection instrument and
letter of introduction (a detailed form to be filled out during a face-to-face interview, along with
a letter to be given to the candidate explaining the purpose of the interview and how the
information from the interview will be used). Interviews will be with two candidates that have
run for the same city council seat in a community. The idea is that you will conduct one
interview with the successful candidate and one interview with that candidate’s major
competitor. In order to avoid overburdening candidates that have run in Boulder, students will
be assigned (at random) to communities in the greater Boulder area (e.g., Boulder, Longmont,
Louisville, Golden, Loveland, Erie, Denver, Littleton, etc.). Students without access to suitable
transportation will be given preference to interview candidates in Boulder (or in the community
in which the student lives). Completed interview survey instruments should be completed and
turned in by Wednesday, March 16, no later than 4:30 pm. Interview forms will be posted on a
course website.
Each student will also be expected to participate in an out-of-class group project. Students will
be assigned (at random) to groups of two to three students who together will analyze findings
from the full set of interviews conducted by class members. Specific topics to be analyzed will
be assigned midway through the course. Topics will include such things as how campaign funds
were raised, how candidates framed issues, how voter groups were targeted, how different types
of media were utilized, how the race/ethnicity/gender of the candidates played a role in the
campaign, etc. The analysis of these topics should be incorporated into a paper of six to eight
pages (double-spaced, using a ten or twelve point font), and will be graded for substantive
content, clarity, and grammatical precision.. A single paper will be submitted by each group.
Each student in the group must sign-off on the paper. These papers are due on Friday, April 27,
no later than 4:30 p.m.
The overall grade for the course will be determined as follows:
Candidate Interviews
Group Papers
First exam
Second exam
Final exam
In-class assignments
15%
15%
18%
18%
24%
10%
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Policies. Assignments will be penalized one full grade if they are not turned in by the assigned
deadline. A full letter grade reduction will be taken for each three days that goes by until the
assignment is turned in.
A word about my grading policy. No matter how careful, instructors sometimes make mistakes
in grading. For that reason, I have an automatic regrade policy, subject to a couple of
restrictions. I will be happy to regrade any exam or paper. I ask, however, that you hold on to
any item for at least 24 hours after it is returned to you before asking for a regrade. Any request
for a regrade must be made within one week after the exam is returned to you, after which no
regrading will be done. Should you feel that an assignment has been misgraded, I encourage you
to take advantage of this policy. Ordinarily, the entire exam or paper will be regraded, which
means that the grade may go up, go down, or stay the same.
For exams (or any other aspect of the course), you should be aware of the University’s Disability
Services. If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability please submit a letter to me
from Disability Services in a timely manner so that your needs may be addressed. Disability
Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities (303-492-8671, Willard
322, www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices).
Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to
reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts
with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. If you need an accommodation of
any scheduled activity, due to a conflict with a religious holiday or observance, please let me
know in writing of the conflict during the first two weeks of the semester. I will be happy to
work out a suitable accommodation.
Also, please be aware that cheating or plagiarism, of any sort, will lead to an automatic grade of
zero on the item in question. During exams, all electronic devices, including cell phones, IPods,
MP3 players, etc., must be turned off and completely stowed out of reach. I strongly encourage
you to review the University’s policies with respect to academic integrity. In sum, the
University position is that its reputation depends on maintaining the highest standards of
intellectual honesty. Commitment to those standards is the responsibility of every student,
faculty, and staff member on this campus. Consequently, cheating and plagiarism will not be
tolerated. Cheating is defined as using unauthorized materials or receiving unauthorized
assistance during an examination or other academic exercise. Plagiarism is defined as the use of
another’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgment. Examples of plagiarism include,
but are not limited to, the following: failing to use quotation marks when directly quoting from a
source; failing to document distinctive ideas from a source; fabricating or inventing sources; and
copying, without attribution, information from the Internet. For additional information on the
academic integrity policies of the University, see http://www.colorado.edu/policies/acadinteg.html.
This course tackles subjects that are sometimes viewed as controversial. It is incumbent on
every participant in the class (instructor and students alike) to strive to maintain an environment
that is conducive to learning. We should always remember that people bring differences with
them into the classroom and that these differences should be respected. It is imperative that each
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of us maintain civility when asking questions and making comments. Likewise, questions and
comments by others should be treated with civility at all times.
Course Materials
This course involves a substantial amount of reading. For most class sessions, students will be
expected to read chapters from books that have been assigned for the course and/or articles in
political science journals. Most of the articles can be found at www.jstor.org. Articles that are
not available at JStor.org are shown below with a URL that will take you to the article. To
access the JStor.org site, you will need to use an on-campus computer or setup a VPN account
for an off-campus computer. Information about setting up VPN accounts can be found at
http://www.colorado.edu/its/vpn/. Four books have been ordered for use in this course:
Stephen C. Craig. 2006. The Electoral Challenge: Theory Meets Practice. Washington,
DC: CQ Press.
Gary C. Jacobson. 2004. The Politics of Congressional Elections, 6th ed. Pearson
Longman.
Karen Kaufmann. 2004. The Urban Voter. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Martin P. Wattenberg. 2002. Where Have All the Voters Gone? Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
Course Outline
Week 1: January 16 & 18 – Overview of American Campaigns and Elections
Topics:
Course Introduction
Elections: National, Congressional, Local
Readings: “Do Campaigns Really Matter?” by Thomas Holbrook, in Craig, ch. 1.
“Campaign Strategy” by Michael J. Burton and Daniel M. Shea, in Craig, ch. 2.
Week 2: January 23 & 25 – Turnout in America.
Topics:
Who Votes? And Who Doesn’t? Turnout in other democracies.
Readings: Wattenberg, chs. 1-3
“Unequal Participation: Democracy’s Unresolved Dilemma.” By Arend
Lijphart. American Political ScienceReview, v. 1, n. 1 (1997), pp. 1-14
“The Myth of the Vanishing Voter.” By Michael McDonald and Samuel
Popkin. American Political ScienceReview, v. 95, n. 4 (Dec. 2001), pp.
963-974.
Week 3: January 30 & February 1 – Turnout
Topics:
Generation Gaps and other Gaps: Youth Voting, Undervoting.
Campaigns & Elections, page 5
Readings: Wattenberg, chs. 4-6
“What if Everyone Voted?” By Jack Citrin et al. American Journal of
Political Science, v. 47, n. 1 (January, 2003) pp. 75-90.
“The Youth Vote 2004.” By Mark Hugo Lopez, Emily Kirby, and Jared
Sagoff (July, 2004). Center for Information and Research on Civic
Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE); p. 1-15.
www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/FactSheets/FS_Youth_Voting_72-04.pdf.
Week 4: February 6 & 8 – Turnout
Topics:
Campaign Effects; Election Laws.
Readings: Wattenberg, chs. 7-8
“Voter Competence” by Thomas Patterson, in Craig, ch. 3.
“Greater Convenience But Not Greater Turnout” By Mary Fitzgerald.
American Politics Research, v. 33, n. 6 (November, 2005)
“State Voter Registration and Election Day Laws.” By Emily Kirby and Mark
Hugo Lopez. June 2004. CIRCLE Fact Sheet.
www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/FactSheets/FS_StateLaws.pdf.
Week 5: February 13 & 15 – Congressional Elections
Midterm 1: Tuesday, February 13
Topics:
The Context of congressional elections (Thursday)
Readings: Jacobson, chs. 1-2.
Week 6: February 20 & 22 – Congressional Elections
Topics:
Incumbency advantages, Vanishing Marginals, Quality Challengers
Readings: Jacobson, chs. 3-4.
“Don't Blame Redistricting for Uncompetitive Elections” by Alan Abramowitz, Brad
Alexander, and Matthew Gunning. PS: Political Science & Politics, vol. 39
(2006), pp. 87-90. Available at Scholar.google.com.
“The Electoral Dynamics of the Federal Pork Barrel” by Kenneth N. Bickers
and Robert M. Stein. American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 40, No.
4. (Nov., 1996), pp. 1300-1326.
“Money and Elections” by John C. Green, in Craig, ch. 4
Week 7: February 27 & March 1 – Congressional Elections
Topics:
Voting Patterns: Scandals, Partisanship, and National Tides
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Readings: Jacobson, chs. 5-6
“Agenda Setting in Congressional Elections: The Impact of Issues and
Campaigns on Voting Behavior.” By Owen Abbe, et al. Political Research
Quarterly, v. 56, n. 4 (December 2003), pp. 419-430.
Week 8: March 6 & 8 – Presidential Elections
Topics:
The Nominating Process
Readings: “Presidential Nomination Politics in the Post-Reform Era” by Barbara
Norrander. Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 49, No. 4. (Dec., 1996), pp.
875-915.
“Divisive Nominating Mechanisms and Democratic Party Electoral
Prospects” by James I. Lengle, Diana Owen, and Molly W. Sonner.
Journal of Politics, Vol. 57, No. 2. (May, 1995), pp. 370-383.
“Measuring the Consequences of Delegate Selection Rules in Presidential
Nominations” by Stephen Ansolabehere and Gary King. Journal of
Politics, Vol. 52, No. 2. (May, 1990), pp. 609-621.
Week 9: March 13 & 15 – Presidential Elections
Completed Interview Forms Due Wednesday, March 14, by 4:30 p.m.
Topics:
The General Election Process and Electoral College.
Readings: “Campaigns, National Conditions, and U.S. Presidential Elections” by
Thomas Holbrook. American Journal of Political Science, v. 38, n. 4
(Nov., 1994), pp. 973-998.
“Voter Decision Making in Election 2000: Campaign Effects, Partisan
Activation, and the Clinton Legacy” by Sunshine Hillygus and Simon
Jackman. American Journal of Political Science v. 47, n. 4 (Oct., 2003),
pp. 583-596.
“The Methods behind the Madness: Presidential Electoral College Strategies,
1988-1996” by Daron R. Shaw. Journal of Politics, Vol. 61, No. 4. (Nov.,
1999), pp. 893-913.
“Representation, Swing, and Bias in U.S. Presidential Elections, 1872-1988,”
James C. Garand and T. Wayne Parent. American Journal of Political
Science, Vol. 35, No. 4. (Nov., 1991), pp. 1011-1031.
Week 10: March 20 & 22 – Local Elections
Midterm 2: Tuesday, March 20
Topics:
Local Electoral Politics: Race, Ethnicity, Group, Place, and Party
Readings: Kaufmann, chs. 1-2.
Campaigns & Elections, page 7
Week 11: April 3 & 5 – Local Elections
Topics:
A Tale of Two Cities, plus a few others
Readings: Kaufmann, chs. 3-5
“The Political Dynamics of Urban Voting Behavior” by Joel Lieske.
American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 33, No. 1. (Feb., 1989), pp.
150-174.
Week 12: April 10 & 12 – Local Elections
Topics:
What counts in local elections?
Readings: Kaufmann, chs. 6-8
“Teams without Uniforms: The Nonpartisan Ballot in State and Local
Elections” by Brian F. Schaffner, Matthew Streb, and Gerald Wright.
Political Research Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 1. (Mar., 2001), pp. 7-30.
Week 13: April 17 & 19 – Perennial Issues in Campaigns and Elections
Topics:
Policy representation versus Descriptive Representation
Readings: Jacobson, ch. 7
“Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? A
Contingent “Yes”” By Jane Mansbridge. The Journal of Politics v. 61, n.
3, August 1999.
Week 14: April 24 & 26 – Perennial Issues in Campaigns and Elections
Topics:
Campaigns and the Use (or Misuse) of Media
Readings: “Political Advertising” by Lynda Lee Kaid, in Craig, ch. 5.
“Free Media in Campaigns” by Erika Franklin Fowler and Kenneth Goldstein
in Craig, ch. 6.
“Does Attack Advertising Demobilize the Electorate?” by Stephen
Ansolabehere, Shanto Iyengar, and Adam Simon, Nicholas Valentino.
American Political Science Review, v. 88, n. 4 (Dec., 1994), pp. 829-838.
“A Spot Check: Casting Doubt on the Demobilizing Effect of Attack
Advertising” by Steven Finkel and John Geer. American Journal of
Political Science, v. 42, n. 2 (April, 1998), pp. 573-595.
“Do Negative Campaigns Mobilize or Suppress Turnout? Clarifying the
Relationship Between Negativity and Participation” By Kim Kahn and
Patrick Kenney. American Political Science Review, v. 93, n. 4 (Dec.
1999), pp. 877-889.
Campaigns & Elections, page 8
Group Papers Due Friday, April 27, by 4:30 p.m.
Week 15: May 1 & 3 – Perennial Issues in Campaigns and Elections
Topics:
Ballot Initiatives: Can there be too much democracy?
Readings: “Direct Democracy and Candidate Elections” by Daniel Smith, in Craig, ch. 8.
“Grassroots Mobilization” by Peter Wielhouwer, in Craig, ch. 9.
“The Contingent Effects of Ballot Initiatives and Candidate Races on
Turnout.” By Mark Smith. American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 45,
No. 3 (July 2001), pp. 700-706.
Final Exam: Saturday, May 5, 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.