Title: The Electoral Process
1The Electoral Process
2The Nominating Process
3The Importance of Nominations
- The nominating process is important because the
United States has a strong two-party system,
which means that there are usually only two
viable candidates for any office - There are five major ways in which nominations
can be made
4Self-Announcement
- Self-announcement is the oldest form of the
nominating process - It is often used by people running in small towns
or rural areas - It is also used by people at higher levels who
fail to get their partys nomination or are
unhappy with its choice
5The Caucus
- A caucus is a group of like-minded people that
meets to select the candidates it will support in
an upcoming election - Early caucuses were private meetings made up of a
few influential figures - Caucuses are still used to make local nominations
in some areas, but they are now open to all
members of a party
6The Convention
- Nominating conventions were first used in the
1830s and quickly caught on as the only way to
select presidential candidates - In each local area, party members elect delegates
to represent them at county conventions county
conventions elect delegates to State conventions
7The Convention
- State conventions elect delegates to the
national convention who select the partys
presidential and vice-presidential nominees - The process was corrupted by party bosses and
fell out of favor in the late 1800s
8The Direct Primary
- The direct primary is an election held within a
party to pick the partys candidates for the
general election - The Closed Primary in a closed primary only
declared party members can vote to decide which
candidate the party will support
9The Direct Primary
- The Open Primary in an open primary any
qualified voter may vote to decide which
candidate a party will support - The Closed vs. the Open Primary Americans make
strong arguments for and against both types of
primary
10The Direct Primary
- The Runoff Primary in States that demand that
the winning candidate of each party holds an
absolute majority of that partys votes, runoff
primaries are held in which voters must choose
between the two top vote-getters
11The Direct Primary
- The Nonpartisan Primary most school and
municipal officials and, often, State judges, are
chosen from ballots that do not identify
candidates by party affiliation - Evaluation of the Primary Primaries are costly
and divisive and many voters neither recognize
their importance nor inform themselves
sufficiently to make wise choices
12The Direct Primary
- The Presidential Primary in these elections,
voters declare their preference for a particular
candidate and/or elect delegates to a partys
national convention
13Nomination by Petition
- At the local level, this process is commonly used
for nonpartisan posts - In some States, election laws require that
minor-party or independent candidates get a
certain number of signatures before they are put
on the ballot
14Elections
15The Administration of Elections
- The Extent of Federal Control
- Most election law is State law
- Congress sets the time, place, and manner of
congressional elections - It has also passed laws designed to protect the
right to vote and prevent election fraud
16The Administration of Elections
- When Elections are Held
- Most States hold elections for State offices in
November of every even-numbered year - Some States hold certain elections at other
times, usually in the spring
17The Administration of Elections
- The Coattail Effect
- A popular candidates at the top of the ticket
helps other candidates form the same party - Some argue that State and local elections should
be held at different times than presidential
elections in order to lessen this coattail
effect
18Precincts and Polling Places
- State law restricts the population size of voting
districts, or precincts - Precinct election boards ensure that elections
are held in an orderly manner, and each political
party sends poll watchers to watch for election
fraud
19The Ballot
- The Australian Ballot this secret ballot,
printed at public expense and given out only at
polling places, was a reform introduced in the
late 1800s - The Office-Group Ballot this form of the
Australian ballot groups candidates for each
office together
20The Ballot
- The Party-Column Ballot this form of the
Australian ballot lists each partys candidates
in a column under the partys name - Sample Ballots clearly marked sample ballots
are mailed to voters in many States and appear in
newspapers to help the voters prepare for an
election
21The Ballot
- The Long and Short of It traditionally,
Americans prefer to elect, rather than appoint,
large numbers of local officials on the theory
that the greater the number of elected officials,
the more democratic the government
22Voting Machines and Innovations
- Invented by Thomas Edison, voting machines were
first used in 1892 - Electronic Vote Counting Electronic data
processing techniques are now in use in many
States - Vote-by-Mail elections mail-in ballots are
allowed in some local elections, and on at least
one occasion, in elections for national office as
well
23Money and the Election Process
24Campaign Spending Amounts
- Observers estimate that about 750 million was
spent on the 1996 presidential election - Money is used for many purposes staff and
office costs, polling, television time, and so
forth
25Sources of Campaign Funding
- Private Givers the candidates themselves,
individual citizens, PACs, and temporary campaign
organizations all contribute money to political
campaigns - Why People Give Some give to support candidates
and policies they believe in others want access
to government in return for their financial
support
26Regulating Campaign Finance
- The Federal Election Commission (FEC) the FEC
is an independent agency whose members set limits
on campaign contributions and spending, require
prompt disclosure of campaign finance data, and
administer public funds for part of the
presidential election process
27Regulating Campaign Finance
- Disclosure Requirements Strict laws govern who
can contribute to political campaigns, how much
each person can give, and how campaign funds may
be spent - The Role of PACs PACs, which have grown rapidly
in recent years, may contribute up to 5,000 to
any presidential candidate
28Regulating Campaign Finance
- Limits on Contributions Federal law limits
contributions by individuals, unions, national
banks, and corporations - Limits on Expenditures Federal law limits
spending in presidential campaigns - Public Funding of Presidential Campaigns Monies
for public funding of campaigns are contributed
by individual citizens at income-tax time
29Regulating Campaign Finance
- Preconvention Period The FEC provides public
funds to candidates by matching private,
individual contributions - National Conventions Each party automatically
receives a grant of public funds to pay for its
national convention - Presidential Campaigns Major-Party nominees
automatically qualify for a public subsidy to
cover campaign costs
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