Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Boundaries Of Partisan Gerrymandering, John M. Greabe

Law Faculty Scholarship

[Excerpt] “In my most recent column, I expressed concern about the effectiveness of the constitutional decision rules that currently govern gerrymandering – the redrawing of electoral districts in a manner that favors the incumbent majority at the expense of those out of power.

Briefly, the Constitution has not been interpreted to prohibit redistricting with an eye toward advancing the interests of the political party in power. But it has been interpreted to bar legislators from redistricting on racial grounds – at least in most circumstances.

The problem is that voters from certain racial groups tend to vote overwhelmingly for …

Has Party Identification Changed In Utah?, Devin Johanson

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Three weeks before the 2016 election, Utah was labeled as a swing state by most main-stream media outlets. The offensive rhetoric from both the Trump and Clinton campaigns and the rise of a popular independent candidate increased the potential for changes in the party identity of the Utah electorate. My research question is as follows: How has party identification changed in the state of Utah between the 2012 and 2016 elections?

Cultural Hegemony In American Democracy, Mark A. Bocchini

Senior Honors Projects

The 2016 presidential election and the rise of Trump caught most of us (if not all) by surprise. Over the course of the months leading up to the election, it became apparent the American people weren’t being given the truth, and if we were, it was framed—we were primed to believe certain things, and the agenda was already set. In the face of this I decided to look into exactly what caused the media’s behavior in this election cycle. It became apparent that the media, and the rise of Trump into prominence (and the presidency) had a common connection, which …

The Types And Effectiveness Of Voter Mobilization Efforts In The U.S. Presidential Elections Of 1828 And 2008, Natalie Goding

Honors College

This project is a case study of the types and effectiveness of voter mobilization efforts in the U.S. presidential elections of 1828 and 2008. Political parties, candidate campaigns and interest groups utilize a variety of different voter mobilization tactics with the goal of persuading potential voters to make the leap to become voters. By utilizing newspapers and academic works, I determined the tactics that political organizations deployed to mobilize potential voters in both election years. Innovative mobilization tactics evolved in the presidential elections of 1828 and 2008, including the development of a two-party system and the use of the internet …

Reevaluating The Constitutionality Of Blanket Primaries, Soren J. Schmidt

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

I argue that the Supreme Court’s ruling in California Democratic Party v. Jones should be reconsidered and overturned, allowing states to adopt blanket-primary election systems. Given the crucial role that primaries play in the public process of elections, parties’ rights of association should not trump the right of the people to select their own representatives. In Jones, the Court applied a stricter constitutional test than necessary, leading to an erroneous conclusion. I demonstrate why a more flexible test would have been more appropriate for judging primary elections. Under this alternative test, public state interests are weighed against party rights injuries. …

Fake News? Know The Source, Question Motivation Behind Stories, Gerrod Lambrecht

UCF Forum

When was the first time you heard the term “fake news”? For me it was right after last year’s presidential election.

Domicile, Student Voters And The Constitution, John M. Greabe

Law Faculty Scholarship

[Excerpt] "The wisdom of using the Electoral College to choose our president is a hot topic. For the second time in 16 years (and the fifth time in our history), the "winner" of the national popular vote lost the presidential election in the Electoral College. To many, this "undemocratic" outcome seems wrong."

Effects Of Political Issues On Voting, Alexander Henry

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Due to the historic unusualness of the recent 2016 presidential election, many are unsure of what to think of the political climate in the United States. Many of the well respected polling organizations were incorrect about the outcome of the election, and this has led many to question what the issues people find most relevant when voting are. One of the reasons they were so off is because many experts didn't believe someone could act the way Donald Trump acted, and still win. Of course, they were wrong and he is not the current President. In hopes of answering why …

The Reinforcement Of Hegemonic Masculinity Through Gender Frames During The 2016 Election, Kevin Gordon, Ryanne E. Gordon, Anthony Nabor

Global Tides

Gender and its perception by the media played a big role in the election of 2016. The media simplifies the roles of women candidates and redistributes information to the public using gender frames. Though framing based on gender had varying effects on the election, it is still prominent among the media and usually negatively affects women in the public sphere.