Integration of Money Spending on Contemporary Election Campaigns - Essay Example

Essay Integration of Money Spending on Contemporary Election Campaigns 0 Introduction Many would perceive that the way candi s presented themselves in the public can influence the election results (Stanton, Rosenberg, and McCafferty; Todorov et al. qtd. in Hoegg and Lewis 895). The commonalities of the contemporary election campaigns are probably aligned with the emergence of overspending money to influence the election results. The candidacy of the aspiring leaders is supported with wealth manifestations, leading one entity to project the output of election. This paper wishes to depict the pros and cons of utilizing money, which will manifest itself if under- or over-spent in the electoral campaigns. The significance of money will also be discussed, as well as its impact in the election outcome. 2.0 Utilization of Money in Contemporary Campaign Money has manifold aspects on its utilizations. In the context of rivalry between the incumbent and the aspiring candidates, Hall and Bonneau (2006) noted that the difference between the incumbent and challenger spending creates a positive effect to the incumbents (qtd. in Bonneau and Cann 1268). On the other side, challengers spending for the election campaigns create significant effect rather than incumbent spending (Bonneau qtd. in Bonneau and Cann 1268). Therefore, it can be manifested that incumbents should not spend money for election campaigns when their opponents do not spend. However, at the extent spending of the challengers, incumbents should counterattack this with the same amount or overspending. In other terms, overspending can be necessary for both parties, but it is more needed for incumbents when the challengers surpass their spending. However, spending of both parties can proliferate their vote shares (Stratmann qtd. in Bonneau, and Cann 1269). Literature contradicts the spending mechanism of incumbents because when incumbents decline their degree of competence for election spending, they would still gain high percentage of votes (Bonneau and Cann 1270). 3.0 The Real Significance of Money Money is a complementary element of the election campaign. It is a driving force for other elements to function well, such as supporters and all forms of media advertisements. On the one hand, money does not count to be an effective mechanism to win the election. The significance of money is associated to the value of wages and foods that are distributed to the supporters of the candidate. However, there are also supporters that are not governed by pecuniary necessities in order to function. On the other hand, money would do nothing against the candidate if such entity is supported by political parties. Political power can be an advantage if one candidate is a representative from a famous and opulent party. Nevertheless, literature has depicted that proficiency that embraces candidate’s characteristics such as intelligent, accountable, competent, and efficient are the optimum elements to project the election result (Markus, Shanks, and Miller; Todorov et al. qtd. in Hoegg, and Lewis 896). In the light of such notion, it is, therefore, significant for a candidate to look presentable to acquire favorable perceptions from the public; thus, money sets itself as the most significant element for an election campaign. 4.0 The Election Result If candidates posit high degree of total proficiency, it is believed that they will relish the zenith of electoral victory (Todorov et al. qtd. in Hoegg, and Lewis 895). As stated, voters also assess the candidates through the standard of intelligence, accountability, and proficiency. Therefore, if a candidate, a challenger or an incumbent, cannot, in any means, convey these characteristics the candidate will eventually lose. In this manner, the election results depend on the funds released by the candidate in order to convey his or her legibility to the general public. The media play a vital role in this process, which, in fact, needs to be paid and funded properly in order to mobilize for the benefit of the candidate (Hoegg and Lewis 906). In addition, this is supported by the study conducted by Bonneau and Cann that if an electoral candidate, in the light of a challenger, has limited funds in his or her campaign, the candidate will be handicapped (1270). It has been observed that if the challenging candidate in a judicial election has limited funds, there will be lesser competition. This will then create an advantage setting for the incumbent; the result will eventually set a winning strike on the incumbent re-elections. 4.0 Conclusion It is inevitable by electoral candidates to consider funds as an important ingredient to win. Aside from funds, this must also be supplemented with positive traits in order for the candidate to win votes. The amalgamation of funds and positive traits bring the candidate to a more advantageous part against his or her rival. Also, as a voter, with the discussions, it is also considerable to perceive electoral funds as important for a candidate, whom a voter supports, to win. Works Cited Bonneau, Chris W., and Damon M. Cann. “Campaign Spending, Diminishing Marginal Returns, and Campaign Finance Restrictions in Judicial Elections.” Journal of Politics 73.4 (2011): 1267-1280. Print. Hoegg, Joandrea, and Michael V. Lewis. “The Impact of Candidate Appearance and Advertising Strategies on Election Results.” Journal of Marketing Research 48.5 (2011): 895-909. Print. Essay 2 Factors that Affects the Delivery and Creation of Political Campaign Messages 1.0 Introduction Nowadays, campaigns have been a part of the contemporary electoral process. In this manner, parties and individuals stage a political fight against one another to be seated in a particular governmental position. Aside from this, campaigns are used in order to convey messages by electoral parties along with building the images of the candidates and the party per se. However, there are many intervening factors that prohibit or allow the success of campaigns in creating and delivering their message to the voters at large. These will be discussed and established within the course of the paper. 2.0 The Campaign Message A campaign is considered as a communication event. Therefore, in a communication, a message must be delivered or conveyed properly. A message in a campaign is considered as the strategical points of a party or an individual. It contains the personal and collective appeal of a candidate with his or her political party. It also is a justification of a candidate or a political party on their actuation in their respective offices, and their future political plans. In a typical sense, a campaign message is a positive statement regarding the candidate or a party. In creating a campaign message, a message box is used which contains the positive message regarding the candidate and a negative message against his or her opponent (Medvic 258). 3.0 Factors that Affect Messages of Political Campaigns Aside from monetary prohibitions, there are also other factors that positively or negatively affect the success of a political campaign. One of the factors that positively affect the delivery and creation of campaign messages is through personal campaigns strategies. Many voters had opted to support candidates who use door-to-door and phone calls canvass and surveys. With this on hand, commercial phone banks failed in boosting voter’s support for candidates; however, voting preferences may be affected in this manner (Arceneaux 61-62). The target of the campaign message is established in this communication pattern. For this reason, candidates and political parties must also invest on their connectedness to the voters because this will also help them or break their chances of winning (Medvic 266). Another medium for sending campaign messages is through political debates. This is the core method in order to distinguish and compare the candidates from their opponents. Political debates occur in every level; however, the main focus of political debate is the presidential candidates. Political debates are significant because many of the voters use these debates as their basis for their votes. These debates are considered as platforms for improving the voters knowledge on the candidates. Another influential factor that affects the delivery of the campaign message is political coverage. In this manner, the fairness of the media will be tested, along with its ability to send the proper information and message that the voters need in order for them to decide for the election. Nonetheless, there is no strict implementation and standard being followed in this process. The important aspect of the political news coverage is the fairness the media in allowing the candidates to present their messages and cases. Also, political advertising plays a pivotal role in the success or failure in sending and creating campaign messages. In this manner, the campaign message will be supplemented with reasons why a candidate or a political party must be supported. Moreover, the voters must be aware of the presence of such candidate, and this can be done through political advertisements, which must also be ethical and unbiased. If a voter is aware of the campaign message of a party or candidate, there will be a greater tendency for the voter to desire for the win of such candidate (Bucy and Holbert 119-122). 4.0 Conclusion A political campaign message is an indispensable tool in order to establish the credibility of a political candidate or a political party. Therefore, it is crucial to consider different factors in order to properly and truthfully convey the political campaign message. In this manner, monetary aspect is not the only valuable asset in order to convey such a message. Candidates and political parties must also give importance to political debates, news coverage, ground wars, and political advertisements. It may be inferred that money is still the most essential part in conveying the political campaign message; however, it is also necessary to note that supplemental factors such as positive traits and intelligence are also noteworthy. Works Cited Arceneaux, Kevin. “I’m Asking for Your Support: The Effects of Personally Delivered campaign Messages on Voting Decisions and Opinion Formation.” Quarterly Journal of political Science 2 (2007): 43-65. Print. Bucy, Erik, P. and Lance R. Hobert. (Eds.). The Sourcebook for Political Communication Research: Methods, Measure, and Analytical Techniques. New York: Routledge, 2011. Print. Medvic, Stephen. Campaign and Elections. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2010. Print. Read More