ELECTION CAMPAIGNS

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ELECTION CAMPAIGNS
Chapter 7
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Preparing to Vote

• Requirements to Vote
• Must be 18 yrs of age
• Resident of a state for a specified period of
  time
• Citizen of the United States

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Registering to Vote

• 1. Motor Voter Bill allows a person to
  register to vote when they get their drivers
  license.

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Registering to Vote

• You may register to vote at a county election
  bureau, or by mailing a voter registration form
  into the state.
• Forms ask for name, address, age and party
  preference. If you register as a Dem or Rep

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Registering to Vote

• You may be eligible to vote in a Primary
  Election. Once registered you are assigned a
  district that you must vote in.

VOTE DECKER
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Preparing to Vote

• Learn about the Candidates and the issues Be an
  informed voter!!!
• TV, Radio,
• Newspapers,
• Magazines, talk shows

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Preparing to

• Most voters look for candidates whose opinions on
  particular issues are similar to their own.
• Collectively, the people who are eligible to vote
  in an election are called the electorate.

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Factors that Limit Voting

• Some people arent allowed to vote Inmates,
  people in mental hospitals, in some states,
  convicted felons cant vote. If you dont meet
  residency requirements, ill, away from home, etc.

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Factors that limit voting

• You can pick up an absentee ballot that will
  allow you to vote if you are away (college,
  military, etc.)
• Some people simply dont care.
• Doesnt affect my life

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Factors that Limit Voting

• Racial Discrimination often prevented blacks from
  voting.
• Literacy Test Had different ones for blacks and
  whites.
• Poll Tax Many poor blacks couldnt afford it.

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Factors that limits Voting

• Threats to Safety Many blacks were beaten, or in
  some cases, killed when they tried to exercise
  their right to vote.

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Reasons for Voting

• Gives citizens a chance to choose their leaders.
• Voice opinions about past performance of elected
  official
• Allows avenue to express opinions on public
  issues.

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Election Campaigns

• Primary Elections Held among party members to
  nominate candidates to run for office.
• Closed Primary Only declared party members may
  vote in this election. Most common

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Election Campaigns

• Open Primary Voters do not have to register
  with one of the parties. Can undermine party
  loyalty and can choose weak candidates to run in
  an election

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Primary Ballot

• Party Members meet and select a candidate for
  each office. List of candidates, called a slate,
  is then placed on the partys ballot.

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Primary Ballot

• Candidates must also circulate a petition and get
  signatures that a certain of party members must
  sign.

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Nomination Process

• Nomination Process begins in February when
  candidates seeking the parties nomination run in
  the New Hampshire primary.

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Running for Office

• Endorsements having someone famous supporting
  your campaign.
• PROPAGANDA an attempt to promote a particular
  person or idea.

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Running for Office

• 2. Advertising and Image Molding Making the
  candidate as appealing as possible to the general
  public. Use of television and
• other media to inform
• public about candidate.

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Running for Office

• Canvassing Going through neighborhoods and
  asking people for support. Pressing the flesh

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Financing Election Campaigns

• Takes to buy TV ads, buttons, bumper stickers,
  posters, etc.
• 1. Private Funding Individuals donating money,
  fund raising dinners, Political Action Committees
  (PACs)

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Financing Election Campaigns

• 2. Public Funding Largest share comes from
  public funding. The Presidential Election
  Campaign Fund was established in 1970 to help
  keep wealthy people from buying way into office.

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General Elections

• When a person votes for a presidential candidate
  they are actually voting for a Republican or
  Democratic electors who than cast a vote for the
  President.

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Electoral College

• The number of electoral votes each state gets is
  determined by the number of Representatives and
  Senators.

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Electoral College-Criticisms

• Many People feel large states have too much
  influence.
• Could win election and not win the popular vote.
• Suggestion of allocating electoral votes based on
  of votes won.

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Election Day

• Polls usually open in IN at 6 a.m. and close at 6
  p.m. Varies from state to state.
• No Alcohol sales when
• polls are open.

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Casting of Votes

• You can cast votes one of 3 ways.
• Computerized machine
• Mechanical machine
• Paper ballot

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Casting Ballots

• Straight Ticket Voting for all candidates in a
  particular party.
• Split Ticket Voting for Candidates of different
  parties.

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General Elections

• General Election is always held the first Tuesday
  after the first Monday in November.
• For all races, except the Presidential race, the
  candidate who wins a majority of the popular
  vote, wins the election.

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Voting on Issues

• Initiative Method by which citizens propose laws
  or state constitutional amendments.
• Referendum Method by which voters can approve or
  reject a measure passed by the state legislature
  or local government.

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Special Elections

• Runoff Elections held when none of the
  candidates win a majority of the votes in a
  general election.
• Recall Elections When voters vote to remove an
  official from office