November 25- December 1, 2014 Objective: Students will examine the voter demographics and the election process in order to complete guided notes and create a political cartoon reflecting demographic trends. Warm Up: Take out your Campaign Media HW 1. Should the President have given deportation deferrals and work permits to undocumented immigrants whose children are American citizens? 2. Should the President have taken action without Congress to legalize some immigrants? Homework: - Complete your Thanksgiving Break BCRs

Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Voter Turnout = The percentage of people who show up to vote in an election 1. Why do you think that voter turnout was higher in 2008 than in previous years? 2. Do you think voter turnout in this 2014 mid-term election was higher, lower, or the same as 2008? Why? YEAR TURN OUT 55%49%51%55%62.5% Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections

Voter Turnout in the USA * Voting is not mandatory  You don’t have to vote if you don’t want to * People who usually vote: - wealthy - more educated - older people *People who usually don’t vote: - poor - less educated - younger people * Why do you think wealthy and more educated people tend to vote at higher rates compared to poorer and less educated people?

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Practice HSA Question #2 Some groups are lobbying to permit citizens to register and vote on election day. Which of these is an argument against such a measure? A.Citizens lack the time to register to vote. B.Present law allows voters to vote in any precinct. C.Officials cannot quickly verify a voter's identity. D.Transportation is available to polling places.

Practice HSA Question #1 Which one of the following statements is accurate when it comes to describing voter turnout in US elections? A. the least educated people vote more than the most educated people B. young people vote with higher frequency compared to senior citizens C. wealthy people vote with higher frequency compared to poor people D. men tend to vote for candidates that are more liberal

Today’s Activities 1.With a partner, create a political cartoon demonstrating 1 trend in Voter turnout. – USE DEMOGRAPHICS, CHARTS, AND NOTES TO COME UP WITH IDEAS FOR YOUR IMAGE. – USE LABELS AND COLORS TO MAKE A CLEAR CONNECTION TO VOTING TRENDS. 2.When you are finished… complete the Election Process guide on the opposite side of your cartoon.

The Election Process

Election Process Timeline BasicsBasics I. People declare candidacy for office - Candidates campaign to win Primary Elections held in each state II. II. Citizens vote in the Primary (Party) Election - Winners represent their political party - Winners campaign to win the General Election III. Citizens vote in the General Election * Presidential Elections Only  Electoral College chooses the PresidentOnly

1. Person Declares Candidacy * Candidate: A person who seeks political office - Candidates need to get people to sign a petition (written request) in order to be on a state’s voting ballot

2. The Primary Elections * Primary Election: voters decide who should represent their political party in the general election - Primaries = Political Party Elections

1. Before Barack Obama became the Democratic nominee in 2008, who did he need to beat in the primary elections? 2. Before John McCain became the Republican nominee in 2008, who did ne need to beat in the primary elections?

3. Campaign for Votes * The “Campaign”: candidates attempt to persuade people to vote for them A. Requirements to run a Successful Campaign: 1. Money (most important item) 2. Strategy 3. Organization 4. Positive public image B. Funding Campaigns: - People can give up to $2,500 per candidate - Companies & unions cannot give money directly to candidates - Political Action Committee (PACs): organizations that collect money and give funds to candidates - $5,000 limit per candidate

2008 = over $1.3 billion spent by presidential candidates! Then, in 2012…2012

Top PACs in 2008

Discussion: Money Limits? *What is the similarity between donating money to a candidate and wearing a t-shirt that supports a candidate? * Is there a difference between donating money to a candidate and bribing a candidate with money? * Should the government limit how much a person can give to a candidate?

TV Advertisements: Where the Money Goes… * THE MOST EXPENSIVE PART OF A CAMPAIGN = TV ADVERTISING! * Candidates must pay to create the ad and pay each TV station to show the ad many times 1. Hillary Clinton Political Ad (2008)Ad 2. Herman Cain Ad (2011)Ad 3. Obama Ad in Spanish (2008)Ad

4. The General Election * General Election: Voters pick the candidate who they want to win from any political party  Winner = person who wins a plurality of votes (more votes than anyone else

If each state has the same number of Senators…then how do we determine how many representatives each state sends to the House of Representatives?

REPRESENTATION in the Senate & the House of Representatives: Reapportionment & Redistricting

Timeline Making US House of Representatives Districts 1. The national govt. takes a census every 10 years 2. Using the census data, the national govt. performs the process of reapportionment (determining how many seats each state will receive in the House of Representatives) reapportionment 3. Using the reapportionment info, states must create US House of Rep. districts of equal population for each seat 4. Many states redistrict using controversial methods to help the majority political party in their state’s legislature  a process called Gerrymandering

Congressional Reapportionment * Review : Representation in the House of Representatives is based on a state’s population Therefore the National Government does the following: (1) Takes a census (population count) every 10 years census  2010 was the latest Census (2) National govt. reapportions  divides how many seats each state receives in “ the House ” reapportions - The bigger the state ’ s population, the more seats in the House of Representatives - Why is having more seats important?