Voting and Elections Campaigning and Voting and Media OH MY!

It is your responsibility !!! A. Voting is a basic responsibility of citizenship. In order to participate in our democracy, citizens must vote on issues and who should represent them in our government. B.Every vote is important.

It is your responsibility!!! C.Not all citizens vote, this is a major concern in protecting the principle of consent of the governed. Citizens fail to vote because: 1.Lack of interest 2.Failure to register

D. Factors in predicting which citizens will vote are: – 1.Education – more educated people vote because they tend to follow elections and research the candidates. – 2.Age – younger people do not vote as much as older people. – 3.Income – wealthier people vote more than impoverished people. It is your responsibility!!!

E.The percentage of voters who participate in presidential elections is usually greater than the percentage of voters who participate in state or local elections. F.Citizens must first register with their state in order to participate in primary, general and special elections

Who Can Vote and How to Register A.Qualifications to register and vote in Virginia: 1. You must be a citizen of the United States. 2. You must be a resident of Virginia. 3. You must be 18 years old by the day of the general election. 1.You cannot be registered to vote in another state at the same time 2.You cannot be declared mentally incompetent 3.If convicted of a felony you must have the right to vote restored by the court system

Who Can Vote and How to Register B.How to register in Virginia: 1. In person at the registrar’s office, the DMV or other designated sites (libraries, military recruitment offices.) 2. Online 3. By mail application 4. Registration is closed 29 days before the election. Must be registered before closing.

How do people 18 and under participate in the democratic process. 1. Participate in campaigns. 2. Influence other young voters/parents. 3. Participate in online /school polls. Who Can Vote and How to Register

The steps to the voting process 1- Register to vote. Registration is closed 29 days before elections 2-Be informed about upcoming elections. Research candidates and issues, know when the next Election Day is. 3-On Election Day, go to your assigned polling location (normally a school) and check in with your ID and registration card.

The steps to the voting process 4-Vote in a booth! You will be given a ballot to fill out your choices. Absentee Ballots: Approved excuses like military leave or being out of town on business or education allow you to vote using an absentee ballot, which you can complete at least seven days before an election. 5-The popular vote is counted and the candidate with the majority vote wins!!

F. The Presidential election process has an added step – 1.The electoral college. In this process a state is assigned a number of electors who use the state’s popular vote to base their own vote on. 2.The state’s number of electors is based on the state’s Congressional representation. (# of Representatives + # of Senators (2) = # of electorates) Total votes in Electoral College: 538

Electoral College Even though the popular vote of all people may give a large percentage to another candidate, the winner by majority gets all electoral votes from a state in a winner-take-all system : The winning candidate of the popular vote for the state gets ALL electoral votes issued to the state. i.e. VA has 13 electoral votes so all 13 votes would go to the majority winner.

Electoral College Because of the way the electoral college is run, candidates focus on larger states instead of smaller states where campaigning might make the difference in tight elections. It is possible for a candidate to lose with more popular votes! A candidate needs 270 of 538 electoral votes to win

Legit or Bogus? ****It is possible for a candidate with more popular votes to lose a presidential election! ****A candidate needs 270 or more of 538 electoral votes to win! What do you think?

How do campaigns influence voting process? A.Candidates run campaigns to increase their visibility to the public and influence more electorates to vote for them. B.Running for political office has become expensive. This has changed how candidates campaign.

Campaigns can include: A.Holding events and speeches for specific groups and voters B.Making public appearances with photo opportunities C.Going door-to-door meeting and talking to the voters D.Creating signs, bumper stickers, etc. to advertise the candidate E.Using the media to place ads for yourself or against your opponent. F.Getting endorsements from celebrities and special interest groups

Problems of campaign costs include: campaign finance video campaign finance video Candidates needing to have fund-raising activities Limiting opportunities for people to run for public office Gives an advantage to wealthy people who run for office Encourages development of Political Action Committees (PACs) who raise money for candidates Gives extra influence to special interest groups who can use their money to support a candidate willing to support their issue

Campaign Finance Reform To try and limit these problems, campaign finance reforms have been created. These limit the amount of money candidates can accept from groups or individuals.

Roles of the MEDIA in the voting process The media plays an important role in the political process by: 1. Helping citizens make informed choices in elections 2. Giving candidates and special interest groups a forum to advertise for themselves or against other candidates and inform the public about their view on issues

The Media Fills their role by: Identifying candidates Emphasizing selected issues Writing editorials and opinion pieces Creating political cartoons Broadcasting different points of view

How citizens can evaluate campaign information for truth and accuracy Separate fact from opinion. Detect bias – a one-sided, possibly unfair, opinion on an issue. Evaluate sources – who is the message about a candidate coming from? their opponent? An impartial group? A celebrity? Identify propaganda - information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

A Brief History of Political Parties Politics: the process through which groups make decisions. Political Party: a group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office. –Groups form based on common beliefs and principles of government … WHY?

A Brief History of Political Parties They want to bring about the adoption of certain public policies and programs. Parties have existed in America almost since the founding of the country. Examples: Federalists, Anti-Federalists, Whigs, Anti-Masonic, Know- Nothings, Populists, Dixiecrats

TODAY Two-party system Republicans and Democrats! As a result, it is extremely hard for third party candidates to be taken seriously.

What roles do political parties play in the American political process? Functions of a political party: Recruiting and nominating candidates Educating the electorate (people) about campaign issues Helping candidates win elections Monitoring actions of office holders

Current political parties, or “platforms”, in America include: 1.Democratic Party – traditionally focus on domestic issues (welfare, health care, etc.) and will raise taxes as necessary to fund these programs. Presidential examples: Roosevelt, Kennedy, Clinton, Obama

Current political parties, or “platforms”, in America include: 2. Republican Party – traditionally focus on foreign and business affairs (military, stimulating economy, etc.) work to lower taxes, especially for wealthy ****Presidential examples: Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan, Bush

Current political parties, or “platforms”, in America include: 3. Third Parties (often Independent) – introduce new ideas or press for a particular issue (environment, freedoms for specific groups, special interests, etc.) often select a political personality (ex. Bull Moose Party of Teddy Roosevelt Examples – Green Party, Libertarian Party, American Reform Party, Communist Party

Our Old Friend, The Political Spectrum Liberal Conservative Moderate

So, What’s The Difference? Democrat Believes in using government to fix the problems of society Beliefs naturally lead to large bureaucratic government Republican Believes in small government “Hands off” when it comes to business Little government interference in society and the economy

C. Similarities between parties Organize to win elections Influence public policies Reflect both liberal and conservative views Define themselves in a way that wins support of the majority by appealing to the political center, or greatest number of people!!!!