Congressional Elections: Crash Course Government and Politics #6
Summary
TLDRThis Crash Course Government and Politics episode explores the importance of elections, particularly for Congress. While presidential elections get the most attention, Congress holds significant power, as outlined in the Constitution. The episode explains how Congressional elections work, including the role of incumbency, money, and gerrymandering. It also introduces the 'Electoral Connection,' the idea that members of Congress are primarily motivated by re-election, influencing their actions like credit claiming and position taking. The episode provides an engaging and insightful look into the mechanics and motivations behind U.S. elections.
Takeaways
- 📅 Americans are obsessed with elections, especially presidential ones, but Congressional elections are constitutionally more important.
- 📜 The Constitution establishes that the entire House of Representatives is elected every two years, while one-third of the Senate is elected every two years.
- 📊 States handle most election rules, like registration and polling, but there are federal laws governing certain aspects.
- 🏛️ Congress members are elected from single-member districts in the House, and senators are elected at large by the whole state.
- 💼 Candidates usually need a clean record and the ability to raise substantial money for their campaigns.
- 💰 Incumbents have a significant advantage in elections, partly because of name recognition, a track record, and easier fundraising.
- 📬 The franking privilege allows incumbents to send election materials with free postage, though its relevance has decreased in the internet age.
- 📈 Incumbency advantage is strong: over 90% of House incumbents and a majority of Senate incumbents are re-elected.
- 📚 David Mayhew’s 'Electoral Connection' theory posits that congressmen are primarily motivated by the desire to be re-elected.
- 📢 Congressional actions like advertising, credit claiming, and position taking can often be understood as part of their strategy to secure re-election.
Q & A
Why does the speaker say Americans are obsessed with elections?
-Americans are often obsessed with elections, as shown by the media's focus on the 2016 presidential election, even though it was still early 2015. Elections play a central role in how the public engages with politics.
Why does the speaker argue that the fixation on presidential elections is misplaced?
-The speaker believes the fixation on presidential elections is misplaced because, while the president is important, Congress is constitutionally the most important branch of government, as it is designed to be more responsive to the people.
How frequently are elections held for the House of Representatives and Senate?
-Elections for the House of Representatives are held every two years, while one-third of the Senate is up for election every two years, with each senator serving a six-year term.
What role do the states play in Congressional elections according to the Constitution?
-The Constitution leaves the scheduling and rules of elections largely up to the states, including registration requirements and poll timings, although there are some federal election laws.
What is the significance of incumbency in Congressional elections?
-Incumbents, or current officeholders, have a significant advantage in elections because they have a proven track record, access to fundraising, and often benefit from the franking privilege, which allows them to send out election materials for free.
What are 'single-member districts' and how do they relate to House elections?
-In House elections, each election district selects a single representative, which is why they are called single-member districts. The number of districts in each state is determined by the Census, which occurs every 10 years.
What is 'The Electoral Connection' as proposed by David Mayhew?
-David Mayhew's 'The Electoral Connection' suggests that Congress members are primarily motivated by the desire to get re-elected. This theory explains much of their behavior, including advertising, credit claiming, and position taking.
How does money influence elections, according to the video?
-Money plays a crucial role in elections. Candidates need to raise significant funds to run competitive campaigns, with House winners in 2012 spending around $2 million and Senate winners spending over $10 million.
What is the 'franking privilege' and how does it benefit incumbents?
-The franking privilege allows incumbents to send out election materials for free, up to a limit of $100,000. Although it may be less effective in the internet age, it still gives incumbents a communication advantage with voters.
Why does gerrymandering make elections ending in zeros important?
-Gerrymandering, or the manipulation of electoral district boundaries, often occurs after the Census, which is conducted every 10 years. Therefore, elections in years ending in zeros are important because they follow the redrawing of districts.
Outlines
🗳️ Introduction to Elections and Public Fascination
Craig opens by introducing himself and the topic of elections, emphasizing how Americans are obsessed with them. He humorously mentions hairstyles in politics, specifically referencing Martin Van Buren's sideburns. Despite the public's focus on presidential elections, Craig points out that it's the elections for Congress that matter the most constitutionally, as Congress is supposed to be the most responsive to the people due to frequent elections.
📜 The Constitutional Basis for Congressional Elections
Craig explains the constitutional foundation for congressional elections, particularly Article 1 Section 2, which mandates that House members be elected every two years, while a third of the Senate is elected in staggered terms. Although the Constitution outlines basic election rules, the states have significant control over the scheduling and regulations. He also notes that, while presidential elections are complicated by the electoral college, the Constitution doesn’t focus heavily on election details outside of Congress.
🏛️ Single-Member Districts and State-wide Elections
Craig describes how House elections are conducted in single-member districts, with the number of districts determined by the Census. Senate elections, by contrast, occur statewide, referred to as 'at large' elections. The importance of elections in years ending in zeros is linked to gerrymandering, which he promises to explain in future episodes. He also touches on the process of selecting candidates, which varies by state and often involves political parties.
💼 Characteristics of Good Candidates
Craig outlines key characteristics of successful political candidates: having a clean record without scandals and the ability to raise significant amounts of money. He highlights that candidates need substantial financial backing to run for office, especially given the rising cost of elections. Billionaires rarely run for office themselves, as they are typically busy with other ventures, but the ability to secure campaign funds is crucial for most candidates.
👔 Incumbency Advantage and Why It Matters
Craig introduces the concept of 'incumbency advantage,' noting that current officeholders have significant benefits when running for re-election. These advantages include a track record, the ability to provide services to constituents, and access to campaign funding. He mentions the franking privilege, allowing Congress members to send free mail, though its impact has waned in the digital age. Incumbency leads to high re-election rates, particularly in the House, where almost 90% of members have retained their seats over the past 60 years.
🐖 Pork Barrel Spending and Congressional Strategy
Craig discusses the role of earmarks (or pork barrel programs), where Congress members secure funds for their districts to boost their popularity. Although pork barrel spending has become less common, incumbents still benefit from having a record of bringing resources back home. The ability to do so helps them raise money and gain political power, which in turn increases their chances of re-election.
📬 The Franking Privilege and its Declining Relevance
The franking privilege, allowing members of Congress to send election materials postage-free, is another benefit for incumbents. Although this was once a significant advantage, its relevance has diminished in the internet age. Craig references research from 'The Victory Lab' that shows direct mail still holds some influence, but its overall effectiveness in elections is now debatable.
🔢 Statistical Reality of Incumbency
Craig presents data supporting the incumbency advantage, with over 90% of House members being re-elected over the past six decades. The Senate has been slightly more volatile, but even at its most unpredictable, more than 50% of senators have retained their seats. This statistical evidence solidifies the significance of incumbency in modern elections.
📚 The Electoral Connection Theory by David Mayhew
Craig introduces David Mayhew’s 'Electoral Connection' theory, which asserts that Congress members are primarily motivated by re-election. He describes how this theory serves as a framework to understand their behavior, categorizing activities like advertising, credit claiming, and position taking. These actions help politicians build their personal brand and appeal to voters, contributing to their chances of re-election.
📊 Three Key Behaviors of Congressmen
Craig explains Mayhew’s three categories of Congressional activities: advertising (building personal brand recognition), credit claiming (taking responsibility for beneficial actions), and position taking (making public statements on popular issues). He uses the example of Senator Al D’Amato, known for pork barrel spending that improved his reputation as a problem-solver. These behaviors tie into the broader goal of increasing a politician’s chances of re-election.
🧐 The Analytical Lens of The Electoral Connection
Craig concludes by noting that while Mayhew’s theory of The Electoral Connection doesn’t explain all Congressional actions, it offers an insightful lens to analyze much of what members of Congress do. He encourages viewers to question the motives behind political actions, such as calling hearings or making public statements, and consider how these behaviors may be connected to the goal of re-election.
🎥 Wrap-up and Acknowledgments
Craig ends the episode with a lighthearted comment about running for office himself, noting that he’s on YouTube rather than TV. He gives credit to the production team behind Crash Course and mentions Voqal, an organization supporting nonprofits that use technology and media to promote social equity. Craig signs off by thanking viewers and the production crew.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Congressional Elections
💡Incumbency Advantage
💡Electoral Connection
💡Single-Member Districts
💡Gerrymandering
💡Franking Privilege
💡Pork Barrel Spending
💡Credit Claiming
💡Political Advertising
💡At-Large Elections
Highlights
Elections are the most important part of politics according to the general public, but the speaker humorously points out that hair styles, like Martin Van Buren's sideburns, could also play a part.
Americans are obsessed with elections, and by early 2015, media were already speculating on candidates for the 2016 presidential election.
The fixation on presidential elections is misplaced, as the elections of Congress, the most constitutionally important branch of government, are often overlooked.
Congress is supposed to be the most responsive branch to the people, with elections for the House every two years and for one-third of the Senate.
Election rules and schedules are mostly determined by individual states, although federal election law imposes some guidelines.
To serve in Congress, candidates must win elections in single-member districts, where the Census plays a critical role in determining district boundaries.
Gerrymandering plays a key role in shaping district boundaries and will be discussed further in a future episode.
Senators are elected in statewide elections, known as at-large elections, especially in sparsely populated states like Wyoming.
Candidates with an unblemished record and the ability to raise significant campaign funds, often millions of dollars, are more likely to succeed in elections.
Incumbents enjoy a significant advantage in congressional elections due to name recognition, fundraising abilities, and the ability to campaign on past accomplishments.
The franking privilege allows incumbents to send out election materials with taxpayer money, adding to their incumbency advantage.
Incumbency advantage is real, with over 90% of House members getting re-elected over the past 60 years.
David Mayhew’s 'Electoral Connection' theory posits that Congress members are primarily motivated by the desire to get re-elected, which explains much of their behavior.
Congressional activities like advertising, credit claiming, and position taking are often strategies to build a personal brand and appeal to voters.
Credit claiming and position taking are tools used by Congress members to associate themselves with popular issues without necessarily passing legislation.
Transcripts
Hi, I'm Craig and this is Crash Course Government and Politics, and today we're going to talk
about what is, if you ask the general public, the most important part of politics: elections.
If you ask me, it's hair styles.
Look at Martin Van Buren's sideburns, how could he not be elected?
Americans are kind of obsessed with elections, I mean when this was being recorded in early
2015, television, news and the internet were already talking about who would be Democrat
and Republican candidates for president in 2016. And many of the candidates have unofficially
been campaigning for years. I've been campaigning; your grandma's been campaigning.
Presidential elections are exciting and you can gamble on them. Is that legal, can you
gamble on them, Stan? Anyway, why we're so obsessed with them is a topic for another day.
Right now I'm gonna tell you that the fixation on the presidential elections is wrong, but
not because the president doesn't matter. No, today we're gonna look at the elections
of the people that are supposed to matter the most, Congress.
[Theme Music]
Constitutionally at least, Congress is the most important branch of government because
it is the one that is supposed to be the most responsive to the people.
One of the main reasons it's so responsive, at least in theory, is the frequency of elections.
If a politician has to run for office often, he or she, because unlike the president we have women
serving in Congress, kind of has to pay attention to what the constituents want, a little bit, maybe.
By now, I'm sure that most of you have memorized the Constitution, so you recognize that despite
their importance in the way we discuss politics, elections aren't really a big feature of the Constitution.
Except of course for the ridiculously complex electoral college system for choosing the
president, which we don't even want to think about for a few episodes. In fact, here's
what the Constitution says about Congressional Elections in Article 1 Section 2:
"The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the
people of the several states, and the electors in each state shall have the qualifications
requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislature."
So the Constitution does establish that the whole of the house is up for election every
2 years, and 1/3 of the senate is too, but mainly it leaves the scheduling and rules
of elections up to the states. The actual rules of elections, like when the polls are
open and where they actually are, as well as the registration requirements, are pretty
much up to the states, subject to some federal election law.
If you really want to know the rules in your state, I'm sure that someone at the Board
of Elections will be happy to explain them to you. Really, you should give them a call; they're very, very lonely.
In general though, here's what we can say about American elections. First stating the
super obvious, in order to serve in congress, you need to win an election.
In the House of Representatives, each election district chooses a single representative,
which is why we call them single-member districts. The number of districts is determined by the
Census, which happens every 10 years, and which means that elections ending in zeros
are super important, for reasons that I'll explain in greater detail in a future episode.
It's because of gerrymandering.
The Senate is much easier to figure out because both of the state Senators are elected
by the entire state. It's as if the state itself were a single district, which is true
for states like Wyoming, which are so unpopulated as to have only 1 representative. Sometimes
these elections are called at large elections.
Before the election ever happens, you need candidates. How candidates are chosen differs
from state to state, but usually it has something to do with political parties, although it
doesn't have to. Why are things so complicated?!
What we can say is that candidates, or at least good candidates, usually have certain characteristics.
Sorry America.
First off, if you are gonna run for office, you should have an unblemished record, free
of, oh I don't know, felony convictions or sex scandals, except maybe in Louisiana or
New York. This might lead to some pretty bland candidates or people who are so calculating
that they have no skeletons in their closet, but we Americans are a moral people and like
our candidates to reflect our ideals rather than our reality.
The second characteristic that a candidate must possess is the ability to raise money.
Now some candidates are billionaires and can finance their own campaigns. But most billionaires
have better things to do: buying yachts, making even more money, building money forts, buying
more yachts, so they don't have time to run for office. But most candidates get their
money for their campaigns by asking for it. The ability to raise money is key, especially
now, because running for office is expensive. Can I get a how expensive is it? "How expensive
is it?!" Well, so expensive that the prices of elections continually rises and in 2012
winners of House races spent nearly 2 million each. Senate winners spent more than 10 million.
By the time this episode airs, I'm sure the numbers will be much higher like a gajillion billion million.
Money is important in winning an election, but even more important, statistically, is
already being in Congress. Let's go to the Thought Bubble.
The person holding an office who runs for that office again is called the incumbent
and has a big advantage over any challenger. This is according to political scientists
who, being almost as bad at naming things as historians, refer to this as incumbency advantage.
There are a number of reasons why incumbents tend to hold onto their seats in congress, if they want to.
The first is that a sitting congressman has a record to run on, which we hope includes
some legislative accomplishments, although for the past few Congresses, these don't seem
to matter. The record might include case work, which is providing direct services to constituents.
This is usually done by congressional staffers and includes things like answering questions
about how to get certain government benefits or writing recommendation letters to West
Point. Congressmen can also provide jobs to constituents, which is usually a good way
to get them to vote for you. These are either government jobs, kind of rare these days,
called patronage or indirect employment through government contracts for programs within a
Congressman's district. These programs are called earmarks or pork barrel programs, and
they are much less common now because Congress has decided not to use them any more, sort of.
The second advantage that incumbents have is that they have a record of winning elections,
which if you think about it, is pretty obvious. Being a proven winner makes it easier for
a congressmen to raise money, which helps them win, and long term incumbents tend to
be more powerful in Congress which makes it even easier for them to raise money and win.
The Constitution give incumbents one structural advantage too. Each elected congressman is
allowed $100,000 and free postage to send out election materials. This is called the
franking privilege. It's not so clear how great an advantage this is in the age of the internet, but
at least according to the book The Victory Lab, direct mail from candidates can be surprisingly effective.
How real is this incumbency advantage? Well if you look at the numbers, it seems pretty
darn real. Over the past 60 years, almost 90% of members of The House of Representatives
got re-elected. The Senate has been even more volatile, but even at the low point in 1980
more than 50% of sitting senators got to keep their jobs.
Thanks, Thought Bubble. You're so great. So those are some of the features of congressional
elections. Now, if you'll permit me to get a little politically sciencey, I'd like to
try to explain why elections are so important to the way that Congressmen and Senators do their jobs.
In 1974, political scientist David Mayhew published a book in which he described something
he called "The Electoral Connection." This was the idea that Congressmen were primarily motivated
by the desire to get re-elected, which intuitively makes a lot of sense, even though I'm not
sure what evidence he had for this conclusion. Used to be able to get away with that kind
of thing I guess, clearly David may-not-hew to the rules of evidence, pun [rim shot], high five, nope.
Anyway Mayhew's research methodology isn't as important as his idea itself because
The Electoral Connection provides a frame work for understanding congressman's activities.
Mayhew divided representatives' behaviors and activities into three categories.
The first is advertising; congressmen work to develop their personal brand so that they
are recognizable to voters. Al D'Amato used to be know in New York as Senator Pothole,
because he was able to bring home so much pork that he could actually fix New York's
streets. Not by filling them with pork, money, its money, remember pork barrel spending?
The second activity is credit claiming; Congressmen get things done so that they can say they got them done.
A lot of case work and especially pork barrel spending are done in the name of credit claiming.
Related to credit claiming, but slightly different, is position taking.
This means making a public judgmental statement on something likely to be of interest to voters.
Senators can do this through filibusters. Representatives can't filibuster, but they
can hold hearings, publicly supporting a hearing is a way of associating yourself with an idea
without having to actually try to pass legislation. And of course they can go on the TV, especially
on Sunday talk shows. What's a TV, who even watches TV?
Now the idea of The Electoral Connection doesn't explain every action a member of Congress takes; sometimes
they actually make laws to benefit the public good or maybe solve problems. Huh, what an idea!
But Mayhew's idea gives us a way of thinking about Congressional activity, an analytical lens that
connects what Congressmen actually do with how most of us understand Congressmen, through elections.
So the next time you see a Congressmen call for a hearing on a supposed horrible scandal
or read about a Senator threatening to filibuster a policy that may have significant popular
support, ask yourself, "Is this Representative claiming credit or taking a position, and
how will this build their brand?" In other words: what's the electoral connection and
how will whatever they're doing help them get elected? This might feel a little cynical,
but the reality is Mayhew's thesis often seems to fit with today's politics.
Thanks for watching, see you next week. Vote for me; I'm on the TV.
I'm not -- I'm on the YouTube.
Crash Course: Government and Politics is produced in association with PBS Digital Studios. Support
for Crash Course US Government comes from Voqal. Voqal supports nonprofits that use
technology and media to advance social equity. Learn more about their mission and initiatives
at Voqal.org. Crash Course is made by all of these nice people. Thanks for watching.
That guy isn't nice.
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