Elections

1. Elections Chapter 7

2. Why are elections important? • Elections are an essential part of democracy. • They allow citizens to have a say in who represents them in government. • Voting in elections is part of every citizen’s rights and responsibilities.

3. Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections • Voter turnout is higher in presidential elections than mid-term elections, but it is still usually less than 50% of all registered voters in America.

4. Nomination • The nominating process narrows the field of candidates running for a particular government office.

5. How are Presidential candidates chosen? • Caucuses and primaries are held at the state levels from January to June of presidential election years to select candidates. • Caucus: are groups of like minded people, usually only members of a certain party. Only 19 states still use the caucus system. Iowa is one of the most popular presidential caucus states.

6. How are Presidential candidates chosen? • Primaries: Direct primaries are the most widely used today. There are two types of direct primaries-open and closed primaries. • Open primaries: all voters may participate • Closed primaries: only registered members of a political party may vote • In most primary states, a candidate needs a plurality (more votes than the other candidate) to win. If no candidate receives a majority, a run off primary is held between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first primary.

7. How are Presidential candidates chosen? • State laws govern primaries. • Presidential Primaries descriptions: *Primaries may be a delegate selection process or a presidential preference poll, or both. *Either the candidate who wins the primary gets all the state’s convention delegates, or each candidate gets delegates based on how many popular votes he or she receives in the primary. *Delegates selected on the basis of popular vote may be required to support a certain candidate at the national convention, or they may be uncommitted.

8. How are Presidential candidates chosen? • Political parties hold their national conventions during the summer of presidential election years. • Each party’s national committee tells each state how many votes it will have at the national convention. When delegates from the states many are already pledged to a particular candidate. • The candidate who wins the majority of the delegate votes from all the states is the party’s presidential nominee.

9. Presidential Election Process after the Political Parties Select their Candidates • Presidential debates are held in October and in early November of presidential election years. • The people vote for a presidential candidate during the general election (regularly scheduled election). This is set as the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even numbered years.

10. Presidential Election Process after the Electorate Votes • December: The electoral college meets to formally select the president. Each state has as many votes in the electoral college as they do representatives in Congress. Example: MS has 2 Senators and 4House Reps. so we have 6 electoral college votes. A candidate must receive the 270 majority of the 538 electoral college votes to win the election.

11. Presidential Election Process after the Electoral College Meets • January: Congress counts and certifies the electoral college votes. • January 20th: is the date for presidential inauguration according to the 20th amendment.

12. Two Types of Elections • Some elections have more of an impact than others. There are two ways to classify these: *A critical election is when voters come out in large numbers to often vote to remove a candidate from a particular party that is holding an office. *A landslide election is when winners come to office with an overwhelming amount of public support.

13. Election Law While the election process is largely governed by State law, federal law regulates the dates and some other aspects of both presidential and congressional elections.

14. Voting in Elections • Absentee voting, or voting by those unable to get to their regular polling places, is usually allowed. • Some States allow early voting—casting ballots over a period of days before an election.

15. Voting in Elections • A precinct is a voting district. • A polling place, the place where voters actually vote, is located somewhere in or near a precinct. Open and close times for polling locations are set by state law. In MS polls are open from 7am to 7pm.

16. Voting in Elections • A ballot is the device by which voters register their choices in an election. • Most States use a form called the Australian ballot. • It is printed at public expense; lists the names of all candidates in an election; is given out only at the polls, one to each voter; and is marked in secret.

17. Voting in Elections • An office-group ballot lists candidates in a group by office, while a party column ballots lists them by party. • The coattail effect occurs when a strong candidate running for an office at the top of a ballot attracts voters to other candidates on the party’s ticket.

18. Money in Elections • The amount of money spent in races varies, but presidential campaigns collect and spend the most. • Incumbents often have the advantage in elections. They often receive the most money from PACs. They also have the franking privilege.

19. Money in Elections • Parties and their candidates draw their money from two basic sources-private contributions and public treasury. • Most campaign money comes from private sources, including individuals, families, candidates themselves, and political action committees (PACs). • PACs are the political arms of special-interest groups.

20. Money in Elections • Presidential candidates receive public subsidies, which are grants of money from federal and/or State treasuries. • Federal campaign laws are administered by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). • These laws apply only to presidential and congressional elections. • They require timely disclosure of campaign finance data and limit campaign contributions.

21. Money in Elections • Loopholes in campaign finance laws allow candidates to avoid some rules. • For instance, federal law neither limits nor requires the reporting of soft money, or money given to State and local party organizations for such “party-building activities” as voter registration or party mailings and advertisements. This has been largely banned by the McCain-Feingold Act. • Money that is subject to reporting requirements and amount limits is called hard money. Ex.- money raised through fundraising efforts