AIP208 Assignment 2: Incumbency Advantage and Elections

This essay delves into the concept of the "incumbency advantage" in US elections, analyzing its significance and impact on the policy-making process. The essay begins by defining elections as a fundamental process in democratic societies where citizens select leaders and voice their opinions. It highlights the importance of elections in shaping laws and policies, emphasizing the role of voting in enabling citizen participation. The essay then introduces the "incumbency advantage," describing how incumbent officeholders often possess structural advantages over challengers. The essay discusses how incumbents can influence the timing of elections and have easier access to campaign finance, influencing the electoral landscape. The essay also explores how elections serve as a mechanism for citizens to select representatives, safeguard their rights, and introduce reforms. It also highlights the importance of the election process in the context of modern representative democracies and provides an overview of the election process in the United States, including primaries, caucuses, and nominating conventions. It also examines the role of political parties and candidates, and the legal and social conditions that influence elections. Finally, it underscores the significance of elections in ensuring government accountability and enabling citizens to participate in the political process, while also acknowledging the challenges faced in developing nations where citizens may not fully understand the importance of voting. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need for effective governance and citizen engagement in the electoral process to ensure a well-functioning democracy.

Government and Politics of
the United States
AIP208
Assignment 2
Scholarly Research Essay

2. What is the “incumbency advantage” in elections? How does it influence the
policymaking process?
Introduction
In the current assignment the significance of the election and its impact upon the policy-
making process in the country is discussed. The election is a process under which individual has
the opportunity to share their view, opinion, and perspective by selecting one leader for the
country. In the present study, the detailed knowledge about the significance of election within the
country has been addressed.
In the UK to develop law and legislation, election is one of an important procedure by
which population chooses an individual to hold public office. In simple words, it can be said that
an election is a formal group decision making procedure by which population chooses an
individual to hold public office. In the legislature, election may fill offices. Sometimes, it fills the
executive, judiciary and local government. In several other organizations, voluntary association
and corporation also uses this process of election. The election procedure is used by the country
as a process for selecting a representative in modern representative democracies. Voting is a
significant aspect in the nation through which people have the opportunity to take the decision
and voice their opinion and vote for what they believe in. To develop the government policies,
procedure, law, legislation, every vote has a great significance and is very important. By the help
of voting, individuals have opportunity to choose the government and have right to share their
participation in the law-making procedure. Only voting is a technique and method by which
individuals have right to participate in lawmaking process and thus, it is very important to
participate in the election as it provides an opportunity to individual in sharing their perception
and vote for what they believe in.
Election offers every citizen a medium of expression through which they can share their
value. In political office, incumbent is current holder which is generally used regarding elections.
During elections, incumbents have structural advantages over the challenges. The timing of
election can be decided by incumbent instead of a set schedule. Furthermore, in order to achieve
the campaign finance, it is very easy for an incumbent by which he/she can directly aid a
campaign. In an election the open seat are those where no incumbent is running. The major

advantage of the election is that it provides the best expression of the electorate's political
preferences. When election is held in the country then the citizens have an opportunity to select
one best leader for them who can resolve their issues and fulfil basic requirements for them. It is
very important to conduct the election in an effective and efficient manner so that everyone can
vote to right person for their rights and requirements. When newcomer joins the office, voter
compares and contrasts qualification, position, political issue, personal characteristics of the
candidate who is supposed to fight for the seat in election. In USA, an election for president of
the US occurs in every four years and this process begins with the primary elections and
caucuses and moves to nominating conventions. In this procedure, political parties select a
nominee to unite behind. In the presidential election process, there are several stages included as
it is a cycle of process. In January to June of the election year, primaries and caucuses are held
by the states and parties.
The term “incumbency advantage” comes from the electoral edge which is enjoyed by
the office person. In addition to this, incumbency advantage can be defined as a statistical fact.
The major incumbency advantage in the election is that people can easily select and change their
MP's and MLA's in lesser time. Selecting an appropriate leader helps in developing the law for
the country. To carry out all the activities of an individual as well as an organization it is very
important to select one leader who can hold and run all necessary activities. With help of the
election, an individual can fight for their rights and gain the advantage of the participants in the
governmental procedure. In the country, any kind of the policy and legislation developed by the
government directly influences the election process. All progress, development, and growth are
largely dependent upon the election. The candidate can be selected in the election through which
government can take the decision regarding the policy and practices of the country. The
incumbency advantage refers to the benefit that the people has, who already is holding the office
usually in voting regardless of party affiliation. Incumbents can provide constituent service to
citizens by which they can gain their rights within the country. The major advantage of election
is that people conduct an election to safeguard their freedom and rights. It assists in changing the
leadership and redesign entire structure and system within the country. With the help of election,
people can introduce reforms that are new to a party that assists in proving their rights in an
effective and efficient manner. It can be said that election is a self-correction process which is
carried out on a regular basis after every five years. In this manner, a citizen of the country gains

the benefits because they can fight for their rights. Not at all like crude periods where cloud
manage used to be a lifestyle, the greater part of cutting-edge countries have discovered that
without powerful administering, the ship of state, as Plato had called it, couldn't work
appropriately (Martin and et al., 2017.). A country's population ought to be trusted to coordinate
the ship through surveys and votes as an enlightened method for cooperation in the political
domain, which are midriff nations controlled by totalitarian and oppressive initiative. The
general population deals with the reality it is regarded, spoken to and all around occupied with
the administration when it gets the chance to cast a vote. In that capacity, riot and brutal are
going to diminished if it is conceivable to transmit voice (Gordon and Wilfrid, 2017).
In the policy-making procedure, election plays a very crucial role by which government
can develop the regulation for the countries citizens. Political gatherings and hopefuls are
entering partners in the race cycle (What is the election, 2017). Applicants remaining for office
are partnered with political gatherings which both characterize a competitor's belief system and
arrangement position while mirroring a rundown of issues with which the electorate can
recognize in view of a political gathering stage as reflected in the hopeful's decision guarantees
to people in general (Dorsey, 2017). Hopefuls as people speak to a gathering stage and with the
assistance and support of their associated party device, they vie for open office, complete race
battles and endeavor to persuade voting subjects to cast their ticket for them (Swain, 2018). At
last, the capacity to straightforwardly crusade, get solid open help through the voting procedure,
expect open office or frame a believable restriction once in government relies upon the lawful,
political and social condition in the nation as well as on the organization, result, and open
acknowledgment of the race comes about (Kanel and Niraula, 2017). Furthermore, open
acknowledgment of the result must be trailed by conclusive approval of the decision result by
political gatherings and their separate competitors. On the off chance that both the voting open
and political gathering competitors don't acknowledge decision comes about because of genuine
component extortion or abnormalities, the authenticity of the subsequent lawmaking body or
government is debilitated.
Gatherings and applicants are also political performing artists that can be a negative
power in the decision cycle. The illicit practices of vote-purchasing or ill-conceived party back,
the multiplication of criticism and detest discourse in battles, voter terrorizing by party laborers,
defilement in race-related basic leadership and the deliberate avoidance of specific areas of

society constitute cases where political gatherings undermine the working of law-based
frameworks as opposed to helping it (Smith, 2017). Laws and controls with respect to crusading,
subsidizing and working of political gatherings are produced to limit the potential troublesome
impact of political gatherings while as yet enabling them enough flexibility to challenge
decisions (Maton, 2008). With the help of voting and election, individuals have an opportunity to
share their opinion and vote for what they believe in. Election offers every citizen a medium of
expression through which they can share their opinion. In the political office, an incumbent is a
current holder which is generally used regarding elections. During the elections, incumbents
have structural advantages over challenges. The timing of the election can be decided by the
incumbent instead of the set schedule (Ali and et al., 2017). Furthermore, in order to access the
campaign, finance incumbent is very easy to access which can be indirectly used to boost a
campaign.
Thus, from this research about the significance of election, it has been identified that
election is a very significant advantage for the individual as well as a country through which all
individuals can utilize their rights and share their perception by selecting one of the best leader
and president of the country. Decisions help in settling authority scramble. Most popularity-
based countries show high populace henceforth, the vast majority need to be pioneers. In this
way, individuals choose a delegate government at a standard period, for example, five years.
Along these lines, individuals take part in the decision making procedure where they choose their
delegates in parliament and Senate. These agent pioneers need to care for their own kin's welfare
to guarantee solidarity, advance and guarantee the respectability of the country in general.
Furthermore, individuals lead a decision to defend their opportunity and rights. The
predetermination of a specific country is vested on opportunity and privileges of individuals to
investigate the legislature at the time and additionally give better methods for taking care of
issues through their delegates (Akhavan, 2017). In this manner, the general population has room
schedule-wise to test their agents and take in their interests in people in general office.
Consequently just choose the most qualified leader who can protect the flexibility and rights for
people in the country (Guinney and et al., 2017). This decision of administration from now on
favors just the competitors who have seen that fit in with the suppositions of the dominant part
and mirror the will of the general population constantly.

On a different note, race process guarantees an adjustment in authority. Nationals of a
popularity-based country ordinarily have their voice and contempt against the decision of
government, consequently they can vote in favor of different gatherings to shape another
administration. Therefore, they have the general specialist to guarantee that the correct party is
set up. In addition, decision empowers natives to take part politically (Hecker and Johannsen,
2017). Race forms accomplish this by opening roads where individuals raise issues and present
their perspectives to people in general. Through the race, individuals can acquaint changes that
are new to a gathering and can challenge the decision either as an independent or frame a
political collection.
The election can be a stage of self-rectification. This is normally done all the time after
like mechanism. The decision of the government is typically taken under tight restraints and
subsequently, can think about every one of the requests of people in general. This is a type of the
self-restorative instrument whereby the gathering in control surveys its execution and conciliates
every one of its natives (Gordon and Wilfrid 2017).
Even though there are various favorable circumstances of race in law-based countries and
the dominant part is of individuals, particularly in the creating nations, have not completely
acknowledged such points of interest (Hughes and Mullin 2017). These individuals are not
taught the significance of picking great pioneers. In this way, they fall prey to narrow minded
agents who work for childish pick up for a five-year term and do nothing to the general
population and sit tight for the latest possible time and surge back with cash to purchase votes or
cajole voters with clear guarantees (Awad and et al., 2017). The votes with time lose intrigue
henceforth, cause voter the lack of concern or vote in favor of the purpose of constrained
majority rules system. Thus, the pioneers hone tyranny and absolutism which results in loss of
yearnings for the subjects.
Taking everything into account, races significantly affect creating solid vote-based
systems since individuals have an extreme say in the correct way they need to be represented
(Wang and Yazbeck, 2017). Also, it provides their rights and flexibility and also guaranteeing
political cooperation. Furthermore, they check the legislature at that time and under check to
guarantee that every one of their requests is proficient. Be that as it may, some vote-based
countries don't take after this respectable model (Friis, Pedersen and Crane, 2017). With the help

of voting and election, individuals have an opportunity to share their opinion and vote for what
they believe in. Election offers every citizen a medium of expression through which they can
share their opinion. In the political office, the incumbent is the current holder which is generally
used regarding elections. During the elections, incumbents have structural advantages over
challenges. The timing of the election can be decided by the incumbent instead of the set
schedule.
Election helps in solving the leadership scramble as people elect a representative
government in the 5 years. (Almog and Sever, 2017) People elect their parliament and Senate in
the election process. Moreover, they conduct the election for their safeguarding and rights and it
is a platform of self-correction. Hence, from this entire research, it has been analyzed that it is
one of the great aspects of the country by which citizens enable to participate in the political
way.
CONCLUSION
From the entire report, it has been concluded that the term incumbency advantage refers
to the electoral side which is enjoyed by the office person not by in office parties. In addition to
this, incumbency advantage can be defined as a statistical fact. With the help of election, an
individual can fight for their rights and gain the advantage to participate in the government
procedure. The incumbency advantage refers to the benefit that people who already hold office
usually win reelection, regardless of party affiliation.

Ravneet Kaur (217380366)
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