Ch. 10.1

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Ch. 10.1

• Who Can Vote?

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Qualifying to Vote

• Voting is the right to choose who will run the
  government it is also a civic responsibility
• If people do not vote, they hand over their share
  of political power to other voters who may not
  share the same views

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Qualifying to Vote

• In our nations early years, most voters were
  white, adult male property owners.
• Today the Constitution forbids any state to deny
  the right to vote because of race, color, gender,
  or age (as long as 18).
• Exception is if person is prison.

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Qualifying to Vote

• To be eligible to vote
• Must be 18
• Resident of the state for a specific time
• U.S. citizen
• Registered to vote

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Qualifying to Vote

• A person must register by the deadline set by the
  state.
• Can register in person at the county office in
  some states you can register by mail.
• The National Voter Registration Act or Motor
  Voter Act allows voters to register when they
  renew their drivers licences.

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Qualifying to Vote

• Registration forms ask
• Your name
• Address
• Age
• Party preference
• If you register as a Republican or Democrat, you
  may participate in primary elections

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Qualifying to Vote

• When you register, you must prove citizenship,
  address, and age by showing your drivers license
  or birth certificate.
• Once registered you will be assigned a district.
• When you go to vote, election officials will
  check for your name on a list of voters
  registered in the district.

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Steps in Voting

• To vote, you go to your assigned polling place, a
  location in your precinct, or voting district.
• You must fill out and sign an application form at
  the clerks table the clerk reads your name
  aloud and passes your application to a
  challengers table.

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Steps in Voting

• The challenger looks up your registration form
  and compares your signature to the one on the
  application.
• If they do not appear to match, the challenger
  may ask for more identification.
• When convinced, the challenger initials your
  application

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Steps in Voting

• Next, you go to the voting booth and hand the
  application to an election judge, who makes sure
  everyone can vote in secret and helps people with
  special needs.

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Steps in Voting

• A ballot is the paper you use to cast your vote.
• Its lists the candidates names according to
  their party and the office they are seeking.
• You cast your ballot by using a voting machine
  the type of machine varies from state to state
• May be fill in the bubble, may be punch card

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Steps in Voting

• If you vote for all the candidates in one
  political party, you are voting a straight ticket
• If you choose candidates from both parties, you
  are voting a split ticket.
• You may choose to cast a write-in vote by writing
  the name of someone not on the ballot.

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Steps in Voting

• People away from home or too sick to get to the
  polls on Election day can vote by absentee
  ballot.
• They mark the ballot and return it by mail.

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Steps in Voting

• When polls close, election workers count the
  votes and take the ballots and returns (results),
  to the election board.
• Election board compiles the count for the city or
  county.
• A few days later, the state canvassing authority
  certifies the winner.

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Steps in Voting

• News media and party workers conduct exit
  pollsasking voters leaving the polls how they
  voted.
• Specialists use the results to predict winners
  early. Television networks may announce winners
  before voters in the Western time zones have
  voted
• Early calls may persuade many Westerners not to
  vote.

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Why Your Vote Matters

• Sources of information about candidates and
  issues include newspapers, T.V, radio,
  newsmagazines, and the internet.
• Literature distributed by political parties and
  interest groups is another way to become informed
  as a voter

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Why Your Vote Matters

• All people who are eligible to vote are called
  the electorate each persons vote counts
• Some people do not vote because they think no
  candidates represent their interests some think
  their vote will not matter.
• Another reason is apathy, or lack of interest in
  politics

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Why Your Vote Matters

• Citizens who vote share common characteristics
• Positive attitudes toward government and
  citizenship
• More educated
• Middle-aged
• Higher incomes

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Why Your Vote Matters

• Voting gives citizens a chance to choose their
  government leaders.
• If you are dissatisfied with past performances,
  elect new leaders
• Voting gives people the opportunity to express
  their opinions on public issues.

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Why Your Vote Matters

• Ask yourself this first before voting for a
  particular candidate
• Does the candidate stand for the things I think
  are important?
• Is the candidate reliable and honest?
• Does the candidate have relevant past experience?
• Will the candidate be effective in office?
• Does he/she have a real chance at winning?

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Ch. 10.2 Election Campaigns

• Elections are a two part process
• Nomination through direct primaries which narrow
  the field of candidates
• General elections in which voters choose main
  candidates for various offices

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Types of Elections

• Besides primary elections, there are three types
  of elections in the U.S. general elections,
  elections on issues, and special elections

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General Elections

• After primary races narrow the field, voters
  choose candidates in a general election that
  occurs on the first Tuesday after the first
  Monday in November.
• All seats in the House of Representatives and
  about 1/3 of the seats in the Senate are at stake
  in general elections every even-numbered year.
• Presidents are elected every four years in years
  even divisible by the number 4

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General Elections

• In all except presidential races, the candidate
  with the majority of the popular vote wins.
• If the count is very close, the loser may demand
  a recount.
• If neither candidate for president wins a
  majority of electoral votes, House chooses the
  President Senate chooses the V.P. happened in
  1800, 1824

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Voting on Issues

• Citizens can propose new laws or state
  constitutional amendments through an initiative.
• If enough voters sign a petition, the proposed
  law, or proposition, is put on the ballot at the
  next general election

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Voting on Issues

• Citizens may petition to have a state or local
  law referred, or sent back, to the voters as a
  referendum on the ballot.
• The voters can then approve or reject the law.

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Special Elections

• When neither candidate in a General Election wins
  a clear majority of the vote (needed in some
  states), a runoff is held to determine a clear
  winner.
• Usually states only require that you win plurality

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Special Elections

• A recall is a special election in which citizens
  can vote to remove an official from office.
• Recalls are prohibited in the federal system
• Allowed in 18 states to remove statewide officers
  
• Majority of states allow recall elections in
  local jurisdictions

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Special Elections

• Only 2 Governors have been successfully recalled
  1921 N.D. Gov. Lynn Frazier and 2003 CA Gov.
  Gray Davis
• Ronald Reagan faced recall when he was Governor
  of California, but it failed.

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Special Elections

• In 2003, Anti-tax advocate Ted Costa started the
  petition to recall Gray Davis U.S. House
  Representative Darrell Issa (R) backed the effort
• Costa spent 1.7 million of his own money on
  advertisements

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Presidential Elections

• The three steps in a presidential election are
  nomination, the campaign, and the vote
• Presidential hopefuls start campaigning for their
  partys nomination a year before the election

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Presidential Elections

• This would eventually lead to the national
  convention in the summer.
• Past conventions used to be full of political
  dealings to win delegates support for a
  candidate
• In recent years the national conventions have
  lost their main purposechoosing the partys
  nominee primary elections do that now

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Presidential Elections

• By early September, candidates are already giving
  speeches, appearing on T.V., and holding news
  conferences
• They will also face their opponents in televised
  debates

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Presidential Elections

• Remember that Presidents are chosen by the
  Electoral College, not by a direct popular vote.
• Each state has a slate of electors pledged to
  each candidate the popular vote chooses the
  slate of electors
• In the Winner-Take-All system, the candidate
  who wins the popular vote takes all the states
  electoral votes.

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Presidential Elections

• The winning electors cast their votes in their
  states capital in December.
• Congress then counts the votes officially when
  they come to Washington, D.C.
• Each state has one elector for each of its U.S.
  Senators and Representatives.
• To win, a candidate must win 270 of the 538 total
  electoral votes

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Presidential Elections

• The Electoral College system was a compromise.
• Some people wanted direct popular election of the
  president others wanted Congress to name the
  president
• The compromise was to have the state legislatures
  choose electors
• Now the voters in each state directly choose the
  electors

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Pros v. Cons

• If Electoral College were to be done away with,
  focus would turn to the high populated states and
  small states would be ignored during the campaign
  season.
• If left, with the winner take all, a candidate
  could lose the popular vote and still win the
  presidency.
• Third party candidates under this system never
  have a shot never win enough electoral votes.

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Ch. 10.3 Paying for Election Campaigns

• A campaign for major office takes a lot of money
  500 million at least to successfully run
• A campaign organization runs each campaign
• Campaign workers must acquaint voters with the
  candidates name, face, and positions on issues.
• Try to convince the voters to like and trust the
  candidate

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Tools and Tactics of the Campaign

• Canvassing
• Candidates and campaign workers canvass
  neighborhoods asking for votes, handing out
  literature, and conducting public opinion polls.
• Beating the pavement at the grassroots level to
  deliver the vote

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Tools and Tactics of the Campaign

• Endorsements
• Famous people, such as movie stars, athletes,
  politicians etc. may endorse or publicly support
  a candidate.
• If voters like the endorser, they may decide to
  vote for the candidate.
• This is a type of propagandaan attempt to
  promote a particular idea or person

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Tools and Tactics of the Campaign

• Advertising Image Molding
• Much campaign money is spent on political
  advertising
• Ads help create the candidates image, present
  their views, and attack their opponents.
• Local candidates often use newspaper ads, while
  national candidates use more TV ads.

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Tools and Tactics of the Campaign

• Campaign Expenses
• Campaign funds pay for TV ads, airfare, workers
  salaries, and campaign consultants
• Pay for computers, phones, postage, and printing
  costs
• Also speech writers, and handlers for the family,
  plus people on staff to dress you. (150,000 in
  Saks 5th Ave. Sarah Palin)

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Financing a Campaign

• In the past, the public wondered if successful
  candidates would owe special favors to the
  individuals, businesses, and interest groups that
  contributed to their campaigns.
• Rules would have to be established by The Federal
  Election Campaign Finance Act of 1971

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Financing a Campaign

• The Federal Election Campaign Finance Act does a
  few things
• It requires public disclosure of each candidates
  spending
• Limits the amount an individual or group could
  donate to a candidate directly
• Creates public funding of presidential elections

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Financing a Campaign

• Taxpayers can contribute 3 to the Presidential
  Election Campaign Fund by checking a box on their
  tax form
• Candidates qualify for a share of these funds if
  they raise 100,000 on their own
• 2 major party candidates receive an equal share
  as long as they agree not to accept any other
  direct donations
• 3rd Party candidates qualify if their party
  received more than 5 of the popular vote in the
  previous presidential election

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Financing a Campaign

• Most campaign funding comes from private
  sourcesindividuals, party organizations, and
  corporations interest groups as well
• After the candidates receive their federal funds
  and individual donations, fundraising is supposed
  to be finished.
• Candidates however have found ways around the
  limitations.

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Financing a Campaign

• Soft Moneydonations given to political parties
  and not designated for a particular candidate.
• By law, parties can raise an unlimited amount of
  soft money, but they must use it for general
  expenses
• Parties, however, have found ways to use soft
  money to support their candidates without giving
  it to them directly. (TV ads)
• Soft Money gives wealthy people the opportunity
  to donate as much as they want.

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Financing a Campaign

• Another way around the limits is political action
  committees (PACS)
• These are political organizations established by
  corporations, labor unions, and other special
  interest groups designed to support candidates by
  contributing money
• PACs support candidates who favor their position
  on issues by contributing to their parties

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Financing a Campaign

• In a democracy, government should represent all
  the people, even those without money or power.
• Critics of the current system argue that wealthy
  donors may receive special favors not available
  to the average citizen.

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Financing a Campaign
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