ELECTING A REPRESENTATIVE

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ELECTING A REPRESENTATIVE

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2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

• The 2000 Presidential election was a polarizing
  time in American politics. The American people
  were split between the Vice-President, Al Gore,
  and the Governor of Texas, George W. Bush.
• The popular vote was
• The Al Gore 51,003,926 votes
• George W. Bush 50,456,062
• How did George W. Bush, who was behind by more
  than ½ million votes win the 2000 Presidential
  election?

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And to the RepublicI thought we were a Democracy

• What is a Democracy?
• Etymology- From Greek root, demos, people, mob,
  or the many and kratos, rule or power.
• Democracy is political structure by which the
  government is run for the people, by the people.
  The power of rule is held my the populace.
• Power in any other hands leads to tyranny.
• What is a Republic?
• A theory of government stating that government
  must be based on popular consent, be limited in
  its power, and protected against the majority.

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AHHH!!! THE MAJORITY

• The Founding Fathers feared the majority of the
  population because
• Direct democracy meant that the people had to
  actively and directly rule themselves without
  intermediaries, representatives, or leaders.
• During the 18th century, illiteracy,
  communication, and education did not exist in the
  way it does today, and this truly scared the
  educated elite.
• It is not unknown for the majority to stifle the
  freedoms of the minority or groups and
  individuals who dared to be different (race,
  religion, sexuality, etc).
• A republican form of government was thought to be
  able to protect against the majority, as well as,
  represent them.

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The Electoral College

• What is the Electoral College?
• The Electoral College is made-up of officials
  which are chosen by each state.
• There are 538 Electoral Votes. One vote for each
  Senator (100), one vote for each Representative
  (435), and three votes for the District of
  Columbia.
• Each state has a different number of votes
  depending on their number of representatives.
• Electoral College officials do not have to submit
  their vote on the basis of the popular vote.
• To win the election, a candidate needs a majority
  of electoral votes. 538/2269 So a candidate
  needs 270 votes. Otherwise the vote goes to the
  House of Representatives.

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THE 2006 ELECTORAL COLLEGE MAP

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WHY USE THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE?

• The Electoral College was an attempt to minimize
  the power of democracy, and establish America
  further as a Republic.
• At the time of the Constitution, the members of
  the Constitutional Convention had not envisioned
  America as a two-party system, but a multi-party
  system.
• While the two-party system got its roots in the
  Constitutional Convention with the federalists
  and anti-federalists, it became more apparent in
  the election of 1796.
• Originally, the Continental Congress felt that
  with a multi-party system, there would never be a
  majority winner in the Electoral College, and
  therefore, the House would get the vote for the
  president in the end of the day. Keeping the
  educated elite in control of the Executive
  branch.
• In the end, the Electoral Colleges design
  created the two-party system.

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CONCLUSION TO 2000 RACE

• BUSH WON ON ELECTORAL VOTES
• BUSH- 271 ELECTORAL VOTES
• GORE-266 ELECTORAL VOTES
• Do you think that the Electoral College is out of
  date?

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THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL ELECTION THE ELECTION OF
1824

• Candidates
• John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay,
  and William Crawford
• Electoral Votes
• Adams- 84 Votes Jackson- 99 Votes
• Clay- 37 Votes Crawford- 41 Votes
• Jackson also won the popular vote as well, but no
  candidate won a majority of Electoral College
  votes. Therefore, Congress was given the job
  choosing the President.
• John Q. Adams won the Election of 1824 in what
  has become known as the corrupt bargain.

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Voter Turnout

• 2004 vs. 2006
• Number of voters in 2004- 123,535,883
• Number of voters in 2006- 85,724,135
• Why the drop in voter turnout?
• What is a midterm-election?
• Why are all elections important?

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WHY VOTE?

• IS VOTING A RIGHT OR A GIFT?
• AS A MEMBER OF A DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, IS IT YOUR
  DUTY TO VOTE?
• MY VOTE DOESNT COUNT.

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YOUR VOTE COUNTS

• Did you know
• That several of our states, including California,
  Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington, became
  states by just ONE vote?
• That in 1948, Lyndon B. Johnson, our 36th
  president, became a U.S. senator by a ONE vote
  margin?
• And that same year, if Thomas E. Dewey had gotten
  ONE vote more per precinct in Ohio and
  California, the presidential election would have
  been thrown to the U.S. House of Representatives,
  where Dewey enjoyed more support than his rival
  -- incumbent Harry S. Truman? In fact, Dewey was
  expected to win the general election by a
  landslide, so most Republicans stayed home. Only
  51.5 percent of the electorate voted in 1948, and
  Truman defeated Dewey.
• Not convinced?
• In the 1960 presidential election, ONE additional
  vote per precinct in Illinois, Missouri, New
  Jersey and Texas would have denied John F.
  Kennedy the presidency and put Richard M. Nixon
  in office eight years earlier.
• In recent years, the outcomes of many state and
  congressional races have been reversed as
  recounts have shifted a handful of votes from one
  candidate to another.

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GET OUT AND VOTE!!!TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY,
VOTE!!!!