How They Work:

1
U.S. Elections

• How They Work
• From Voter Registration
• To Electoral College
• Linda topping streitfeld
• National press foundation

2
Two Main Political Parties

• Democrats

• Republicans

3
Statewide Primary Elections and Caucuses

• Begin in January before November elections
• Voters in each party in each state declare their
  preference for a candidate, electing delegates
  who are pledged to vote for that candidate at
  national conventions.

4
Convention Delegates

• Republicans
• States choose whether to award delegates
  proportionally or winner-take-all.
• Members of the Republican National Committee are
  free to vote for any candidate.

Democrats Award delegates proportionally, giving
individual voters more power. Have super
delegates, who may vote for any candidate.
5
At the Conventions

• The party nominates its candidate
• A vice-presidential running mate is introduced
• Many speeches are made, some of which may give
  clues to the party platform

6
Casting a Vote

• Early Voting (in person)
• May begin as many as 26 days before Election Day
• Available in all but 16 states
• Absentee Voting (by mail)
• Allowed in all 50 states, though 22 states and
  the District of Columbia require an excuse
• On Election Day
• In person, at the polls
• http//earlyvoting.net/index.php

7
The Electoral College

• Established in the U.S. Constitution, it gives
  each state a certain number of electors, based on
  its representation in Congress
• Voters actually choose electors, not candidates
• In 48 states, the candidate with the most votes
  gets ALL of the states electoral votes
  exceptions are Maine and Nebraska

8
Winning the Presidency

• It takes 270 electoral votes to win.
• In a tie, the choice goes to the House of
  Representatives.
• Why does this system matter?

9
In 2000, Al Gore vs. George W. Bush

• Popular Vote

• Electoral Votes

10
A History of Voting Rights in the U.S.

• 1870 15th Amendment gives black men the vote
• 1920 19th Amendment gives women the vote
• Theoretically, everyones covered.

11
Jim Crow lived on, especially in the American
South Image
Courtesy of Jim Crow Gateway Lesson Plans

• This shabbily dressed figure , usually a white
  man who blackened his face with grease or
  charcoal, was a staple of minstrel shows . It
  made fun of black people and became a symbol of
  black repression.

12
More Laws Were Passed

• 1964 24th Amendment prohibits poll tax
• 1965 Voting Rights Act
• 1971 26th Amendment lowers voting age to 18
• 2002 Help America Vote Act

13
Remember that Close Election?
Al Gore, Democrat 50,999,897 George W. Bush,
Republican 50,456,002 Ralph Nader, Green Party
2,882,955
14
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15
The Butterfly Ballot
16
Help America Vote Act

• Provided funding for
• Updated and Upgraded Voting Equipment
• Provisional Voting
• Voting Information
• Statewide Voter Registration Databases
• Voter Identification Procedures
• Administrative Complaint Procedures

17
Potential voting problems in 2008

• Unfamiliarity with Optical Scan Systems
• Overwhelming Number of Voters
• Too few ballots
• Too few voting machines
• Too few poll workers