Chapter 17 Elections and Voting

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Chapter 17Elections and Voting

• Section 1
• Election Campaigns

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Electing the President

• Serious candidates for president begin organizing
  over a year before the election to compete in
  spring primaries.
• After the nominating convention, the candidate
  runs an intensive campaign from early September
  until the November election.

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Electing the President

• To win presidential election, a candidate must
  receive a majority of the electoral votes so
  candidates compete hardest in high-population
  states.
• The candidate must decide on the kind of strategy
  most likely to achieve victory.

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Electing the President

• A strong organization, headed by an experienced
  campaign manager, is essential in running a
  presidential campaign.

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Electing the President

• Television and the Internet are important tools
  for presidential candidates. Television conveys
  the candidates image, while Web Sites can be
  used to raise money and inform the public about
  the candidate.

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Discussion Question

• Describe the image that Barack Obama portrays in
  the ad.

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Financing Campaigns

• Running for office is very expensive. For
  example, presidential and concessional candidates
  spent a total of 3billion dollars in the 2002
  elections.
• In the 1970s, a new campaign financing system
  was set up based on public disclosure of
  spending, public funding or presidential
  elections, and limiting or prohibiting the
  contributions of certain groups.

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Financing Campaigns

• Created in 1974, the Federal Election Commission
  (FEC) is an independent agency that administers
  federal election laws and keeps records of
  campaign contributions.

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Financing Campaigns

• The majority of campaign funding comes from
  private sources, including individual citizens,
  party organizations, corporations, and
  special-interest groups.
• Political Action Committees, or PACs are
  established by interest groups to support
  candidates, but they are limited in the donations
  they can make.

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Financing Campaigns

• Two methods are used to get around campaign
  spending limits
• Soft-money donations contributions given
  directly to the political party
• Issue-advocacy advertisements support an issue
  rather than a particular candidate.

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Financing Campaigns

• The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, passed in
  2002 bands soft-money donations to Political
  Parties.
• The FEC regulates campaigns online. All campaign
  Web sites that cost 250 or more must be
  registered with the FEC.

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Discussion Question

• What reforms, or changes, of the campaign finance
  laws would you like to see enacted. Why?

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Chapter 17Elections and Voting

• Section 2
• Expanding Voting Rights

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Early Limitations on Voting

• Before the American Revolution, women and African
  Americans, white males who did not own property
  and persons who were not members of dominant
  religious groups were excluded from voting.
• During the early 1800s, states gradually
  abolished property and religious requirements for
  voting, and by the mid-1800s, the nation had
  achieved universal white male suffrage.

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Discussion Question

• Analyze this statement Voting is not just a
  right, it is a responsibility.

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Womans Suffrage

• By 1914 woman had won the right to vote in 11
  states.
• The Nineteenth Amendment ratified after World War
  I, granted women in all states the right to vote.

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African American Suffrage

• Enslaved African Americans were not allowed to
  vote, and free African Americans could vote in
  only a few states, until 1870.
• The Fifteenth Amendment, passed after the Civil
  War, granted the vote to African Americas in both
  state and national elections.

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African American Suffrage

• The Fifteenth Amendment did not result in full
  voting rights for African Americans. Southern
  states set up restrictive voting qualifications.
• Some southern states used literacy tests to
  disqualify African Americans from voting. The
  Voting Rights Act of 1965 and 1970 outlawed these
  tests.
• Poll taxes, or money payments required before
  voting, and grandfather clauses, excusing white
  voters from paying the tax, were devices used to
  discourage African Americans from voting

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African American Suffrage

• The Twenty-fourth Amendment banned poll taxes.
• The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and later voting
  rights laws brought the federal government
  directly into the electoral process in the
  states, ending official discrimination against
  African Americans and increasing their political
  strength and participation in the government.

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Discussion Question

• If the Fifteenth Amendment was supposed to give
  African Americans the right to vote, why was the
  Voting Rights Act of 1965 necessary?

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Twenty-sixth Amendment

• This amendment lowered the voting age to 18
  throughout the nation.
• The amendment helped satisfy those young people
  who could be drafted into the military but could
  not vote.

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Chapter 17Elections and Voting

• Section 3
• Influences on Voters

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Personal Background of Voters

• Voters ages may affect their views and determine
  their voting decisions.
• Education, religion, and racial or ethnic
  background affect voters attitudes, but voters
  do not always vote in keeping with their
  backgrounds.
• Cross-pressured voters, those caught between
  conflicting elements in their lives, may vote
  based on the issues and candidates.

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Discussion Question

• In your opinion, what has the largest influence
  on a voters decision? Explain.

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Loyalty to Political Parties

• Because the majority of American voters consider
  themselves either Republicans or Democrats, most
  vote for their partys candidates.
• Not all party members vote for all their partys
  candidates. Some are strong party voters and
  others are weak party voters.

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Loyalty to Political Parties

• Independent voters, who have increased in numbers
  do not belong to either major party but are an
  important element in presidential elections.

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Issues in Election Campaigns

• Many current voters are better informed than past
  voters because they are better educated, current
  issues have a greater impact on their personal
  lives, and television news imparts information on
  issues. Still most voters are not fully informed
  on campaign issues.

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Issues in Election Campaigns

• The 1980 presidential election demonstrated the
  importance of issues. The high rate of inflation,
  the high cost of living, and the high rate of
  unemployment were issues debated by the
  candidates that clearly helped Reagan win the
  election.

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Discussion Question

• What were some of the big topics that affected
  the Presidential Election?

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The Candidates Image

• Americans want someone they can trust as a
  national leader.
• Voters often select candidates for the image they
  project.

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Discussion Question

• Do the campaigns focus too much on image in a
  positive or negative light?

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Propaganda

• Political Parties and candidates use ideas,
  information, and rumors to influence voters with
  propaganda techniques.
• Name calling, testimonials, bandwagon, transfer,
  plain folks, and card stacking help to win votes.

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Propaganda
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Profile of Regular Voters

• Regular voters have positive attitudes toward
  government and citizenship.
• Generally, regular voters have more education and
  a higher than average income. Middle aged
  citizens have the highest voter turnout.

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Profile of Nonvoters

• They may not meet citizenship, residency, and
  registration requirements.
• The percentage of voters among those who are
  eligible has declined.

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Discussion Question

• What steps do you think might be effective in
  increasing voter turnout?