Chapter Menu

1
Chapter Menu
Chapter Introduction Section 1 Who Can
Vote? Section 2 Election Campaigns Section
3 Paying for Election Campaigns Visual Summary
2
Chapter Intro 1
The right to vote is a major responsibility of
citizenship. By voting, citizens can influence
all levels of government as well as the laws
under which we live. Yet many Americans do not
exercise this fundamental right and
responsibility of our democratic way of life.
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Section 1
Qualifying to Vote (cont.)

• Voting is both a right and a responsibility.

• People previously barred from voting in the
  United States

• White adult males who did not own property
• Women
• African American males
• Native American males
• People under 21 years of age

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Section 1
Qualifying to Vote (cont.)

• Voting rights today

• Right to vote not denied because of race, color,
  gender, or age (if at least 18 years old) (26th
  amendment)
• Right to vote denied to people convicted of
  serious crimes

Extending the Right to Vote
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Section 1
Qualifying to Vote (cont.)

• Voter registration

• Required 25 days before an election in most
  states
• State requirements vary
• Information needed for voter registration forms
• Identity proof needed to register for first-time
  voters

Extending the Right to Vote
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Section 1
Steps in Voting (cont.)

• On Election Day, citizens cast their votes at a
  polling place in their precinct.

• Sample ballot at the entrance
• Clerks and challengers have certain
  responsibilities
• Election judges are also present

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Section 1
Steps in Voting (cont.)

• After voting

• Election workers take returns to election board
• Election board sends returns to state canvassing
  authority
• Exit Polls used to predict election results
• Media projections may influence on voters

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Section 1
Why Your Vote Matters (cont.)

• Why some people do not vote

• Not meeting state requirements
• Not registering
• Views not represented by candidates
• Vote wont make a difference
• Apathy

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Section 1
Why Your Vote Matters (cont.)

• Why some people do vote

• Positive attitudes towards government and
  citizenship
• Education, age, and income
• Gives a chance to choose government leaders
• Gives a chance to voice opinions

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Section 2
Types of Elections (cont.)

• General elections

• Held after primary elections
• Always on the first Tuesday after the first
  Monday in November
• All seats in House and one-third of seats in
  Senate at stake every even-numbered year
• Presidential elections every four years
• State and local elections
• Disputed elections

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Section 2
Presidential Elections
Presidential elections have three major steps
(1) nomination of the candidates, (2) the
campaign, and (3) the vote.
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Section 2
Presidential Elections (cont.)

• Electors

• Part of the Electoral College system
• List of electors pledged to each candidate
• Winner-take-all system
• Elector votes sent to Congress to be counted
• Candidate with majority of votes wins

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VS 4
The Electoral College

• Presidents are not chosen by direct popular vote
  but by a body known as the Electoral College.
• While the presidential candidates names are
  printed on the ballot, the voters are not
  actually voting directly for president and vice
  president. Rather, they are voting for all of
  their partys electors in their state.

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Section 3-Key Terms
Guide to Reading
Content Vocabulary

• political action committee (PAC)

• soft money
• incumbent

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Section 3
Running for Office (cont.)

• Money plays a major role in the election process.

• The purpose of campaigns is to convince the
  public to vote for a particular candidate.

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Section 3
Running for Office (cont.)

• Campaign techniques

• Canvassing to find out public opinion
• Endorsements as propaganda
• Advertising to create the right image and to
  attack opponents
• Campaign expenses and high levels of spending in
  recent elections

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Section 3
Financing a Campaign (cont.)

• Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971

• Required public disclosure of candidates
  spending
• Limited amount of hard money donated directly to
  a candidate or party
• Tried to limit campaign spending

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Section 3
Financing a Campaign (cont.)

• Federal Election Commission (FEC)

• Created by the 1974 amendment to FECA
• Administers all federal election laws
• Monitors campaign spending

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Section 3
Financing a Campaign (cont.)

• Presidential Election Campaign Fund

• Created to establish public funding for
  presidential elections
• Money comes from annual taxes
• Two major-party candidates can receive equal
  shares of money from fund
• Third-party candidates can also qualify for
  funding

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Section 3
Financing a Campaign (cont.)

• Private funding from various sources

• Individual citizens
• Corporations
• Labor unions
• Interest groups
• Political action committees (PACs)
• Soft money unlimited amounts of money for
  general purposes, not designated to particular
  candidates