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the presidential selection process

League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund. 2. Winning the vote is only an opening wedge, but to learn to use it is a bigger task." [Voting is] "a tool to build a better nation

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the presidential selection process

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    1. The Presidential Selection Process A Race For the White House

    2. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 2

    3. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 3 League of Women Voters Founded in 1920 Nonpartisan Encourage informed and active participation in government Voters Service & Voter Education

    4. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 4 What you will learn during this presentation How does a candidate get on the ballot? Who can vote in a Primary? What is the role of political parties in determining nominees? Who chooses the VP candidates? What is the Electoral College? Why does the popular vote not necessarily elect the president?

    5. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 5 Campaigning Debates Pre-primary Pre-election Sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates established in 1987 to ensure that debates are a permanent part of every general election. Internet – Ads – Direct Mail - Blogs

    6. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 6 Steps in the Process 1. Campaigning and fundraising 2. Caucuses and Primaries 3. Political party conventions 4. Election Day 5. Vote of the Electoral College

    7. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 7 Fundraising $1.2 Billion spent in presidential race in ‘04 www.fec.gov/disclosure.shtml www.opensecrets.org - Who is giving to candidates? - Who is receiving the largest campaign contributions? - What is the money spent on?

    8. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 8 Five Types of Delegate Nomination Delegate nomination narrows the field of contenders for the nomination. There are six types of Primaries: Open Primaries Closed Primaries Semi-closed – MA uses this type Semi-open Blanket Run-off There are Caucuses in some states.

    9. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 9 Voting in the MA Primary MA Presidential Primary was February 5, 2008. Turnout was approximately 38.7% of the eligible voting population of 4,496,320.

    10. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 10 Massachusetts Primary You do not have to be registered in a political party to vote in the Primary. If you are unenrolled, you select whichever party’s ballot you chose. If you are enrolled in a political party, you can only vote in that party’s primary. If you are enrolled in a party and wish to vote in a different party’s Primary, you must change your enrollment status by the voter registration deadline.

    11. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 11 Narrowing the Field During and after the primary elections, many candidates are forced to drop out because of lack of support. National conventions serve to nominate their party’s candidate for president and vice president.

    12. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 12 National Conventions Delegates attend the National Conventions to cast their votes for a candidate. Democratic Party Convention August 25, 2008 in Denver, CO Republican Party Convention September 1, 2008 in St. Paul, MN Candidate with a majority of delegate votes wins that party’s nomination for President. Vice Presidential candidates are chosen by the Presidential nominee and are nominated at the National Convention.

    13. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 13 Republican Party Convention 2,439 delegates are selected by state primaries to the winning candidates 662 delegates are unpledged. The convention floor will seat approximately 5,500 delegates and alternates.

    14. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 14 Democratic Party Convention 3,515 pledged delegates selected by primary voters and caucus participants 852 unpledged delegates, known as superdelegates (DNC members, Members of Congress, Governors, and other important people in the party. Pledged delegates are allocated among the states in rough proportion to the votes each state gave the Democratic candidate in the last three Presidential elections and the percentage of votes each state has in the Electoral College.

    15. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 15 Now What?? Primaries and national conventions require fundraising. Candidates fundraise and campaign during the entire race until Election Day. Watch the debates and listen to advertisements with a discerning ear so that you know which candidate shares your views

    16. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 16 Email Reminders for Election 08 www.votinginfo.info Subscribe to the League of Women Voters’ electronic Election 2008 reminder service Important election dates and deadlines Debates reminders Absentee ballot information and more

    17. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 17 Election Day- Nov. 4, 2008 Be a part of American democracy and get out and vote. Register to vote by October 15, 2008. You don’t have to be enrolled in a party to vote in the Presidential Election. Even if you are enrolled in a party, you can vote for any candidate, regardless of their party affiliation.

    18. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 18 Electoral College When you vote for President, you’re actually voting for a slate of electors. Each state’s electors gather in their own state capital to cast their votes for President and Vice President (December 15, 2008). Congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes January 6, 2009.

    19. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 19 Electoral College Defined in the Constitution Article II, section 1 The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress….

    20. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 20 Why the Electoral College was Established People were widely dispersed with limited transportation and communication. Suspicion that people could not be trusted to vote wisely. Fear that direct elections would cause long delays in electing the president. To reconcile differences between state and federal interests; give less populous states additional leverage by not apportioning electoral votes in strict proportion to state population; and preserve the independence of the presidency from the Congress.

    21. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 21 There are total of 535 Electoral from states and 3 from DC. 270 + Electors required to win the presidency.

    22. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 22 States and the E.C. Each state is awarded electors equal to their number of US Senators plus their number of US Representatives. Massachusetts has 12 electors. Maine and Nebraska are the only states that don’t use the “winner-take-all” system for awarding votes

    23. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 23 Electoral Votes by State

    24. League of Women Voters of Massachusetts Citizen Education Fund 24 Faithless Electors The Constitution did not bind Electors to vote for the candidates to whom they were pledged. Now most states have laws that bind electors in some way. Massachusetts law requires electors to sign a form pledging they will vote for their party’s candidates. Electors have broken their pledge on several occasions. It has never changed the outcome of an election. They are called “Faithless Electors.”

    25. The Presidential Selection Process League of Women Voters of MA Citizen Education Fund 133 Portland Street Boston, Massachusetts 02114 617.523.2999 800.882.1649 www.votinginfo.info

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