Elections and Personal Finance 1

 Ways that citizens can participate in their government & politics: 1. VOTE 2. Join a political party and become active in local and state politics. 3. Contributing money to a candidate or political organization. 4. Campaign for individuals or become candidates for public office themselves. 2

 Must be at least 18 years old.  Citizen of the US.  Must be a legal resident of Georgia and the county in which they vote.

 The GA Secretary of State is the chief election official  They make sure candidates are qualified to run for a position.  Schedule elections  Oversee ballots  Provide election materials  Count votes & decide on winners!

 Political parties are organized groups of people who share common ideals.  Try to influence government by electing members of their party to government offices.  The 2 main parties in the US are Republican and Democrats.  Those who are not a part of either are considered independent.

 GA was traditionally Democrat – until the Civil Rights Movement.  GA Democrats began voting Republican in the 1950’s and the trend has continued.

General ElectionSpecial Election  A normal, planned election where citizens vote for national, state, and local offices.  These are held on Tuesdays after the first Monday of November in even- numbered years.  Can be held at almost any time.  Used to fill elective positions that become vacant when the officeholder dies or resigns from office. 7

 Referendum is where citizens vote on questions directly rather that going through their elected representative.  Examples of a referendum: Sales Tax, State Flag Issue, Sunday Alcohol Sales 8

 A state wide election held by a political party to choose its candidates for the general election.  GA is an open primary state- A person is able to participate in a primary of another party.

 There are no rules governing the general election.  Voters can choose all democrats, all republicans, or a mixture of the two parties and independent parties.  Runoff elections are held between the two candidates with the highest vote totals.  These are scheduled three weeks after the general election. 10

 In GA, a candidate needs to win a majority of the votes.  When no candidate receives a majority, then the top two vote “getters” compete in a two person runoff.

Independent CandidatesThird Party Candidates  A candidate not associated with any political party  A candidate which represents one of the smaller political parties.  Libertarian  Green

Unit 13 – Georgia Produces; Georgia’s Trade; Starting a Business; Sources of State Revenue; Personal Money Management 13

 Colonial trade was with Native Americans and shipping goods back to Europe.  Antebellum trade involved wagons, river boats, steam ships and trains. 14

 Free Trade is trade between countries that is unrestricted by tariffs. 15

 Poultry  Cotton  Tobacco Leaf  Peanuts  Peanut Products  GOLD KIST – nation’s 2 nd largest poultry company is in GA. 16

 Soft drinks, carpet, transportation equipment, & forest products 17

 Coca-Cola – most recognized GA product  Shaw Industries – largest manufacture of carpet in the world 18

 Lockheed-Martin in Marietta makes C-130 aircraft for global customers  Georgia-Pacific: Worldwide supplier of forest products: pulp, paper, & building products 19

 Both help move Georgians and cargo across the globe every day.  Shipyard at Savannah & Brunswick also play a role in international shipping. 20

21  John Pemberton – invented a headache remedy in 1886 – called it Coca-Cola  Asa Candler marketed Coca-Cola as a refreshing drink  Robert Woodruff bought the company and made it world-wide sensation.  Coca-Cola is now one of the most recognized product on the earth!

 Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank  Started in 1978  Home improvement supply company  Now a national company  Owen Cheatham  Started in Augusta in 1927  Largest supplier of building products in North American  Second largest producer of paper products. 22 Home DepotGA Pacific

23  S. Truett Cathy  Opened in GA in 1967  By 2004, $1.7 billion in profits.  Nation’s most prosperous restaurant franchise

 Entrepreneur: A person who takes a risk to produce goods and services in search of a profit. 24

 A profit is a company's earnings after all expense are paid.  Profit provides incentive for entrepreneurs. 25

 Entrepreneurs invest personal resources and risks losing those resources if the business fails.  They share the risk when borrowing from banks or a wealthy investor.  Entrepreneurs are good for the economy. 26

 Delta Airlines  Coca-Cola  Georgia-Pacific  Home Depot 27

 Money is the medium of exchange to buy goods and services.  Your income provides you with money to spend on whatever you choose. 28

 People use CREDIT to buy something now and pay for it later.  When you use CREDIT, you have to pay the amount you borrowed plus and additional amount of interest. 30

 Banks make money from interest payments – interest is a fee paid for the use of someone else’s money. 31

 Putting money in a bank or credit union can make you EARN interest.  Saving money allows you to increase your money by INVESTING. 33

 Ways to Invest Your Money:  Stocks and Bonds  Real Estate  Natural Resources  Collectibles  Business (your own or someone else’s) 34

 The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was created in the New Deal by FDR in the Great Depression.  The FDIC provides insurance for Americans who have money in banks. 35

 The FDIC insures banks in case of bank failure.  If a bank fails, $100,000 of your money is insured by the Federal Government.  Since the FDIC was created, no American has lost money to a bank due to bank failure. 36

 401K – Retirement account through employers  IRA – Individual Retirement Account  CD: Certificate of Deposit  Social Security