Candidates must be officially nominated to run in any general election to ensure that only one candidate per political party enters the race.

 First, candidates declare their candidacies and begin campaigning for the state-by- state primary race. Primary Elections  Run by state governments  Elections to determine the number of delegates allotted per candidate  Some winner take all Caucuses  Run by political parties  Conventions or private meetings to determine delegates for each candidate

Direct Primaries  Goal: To choose representatives to the National Convention who will select the candidate Closed PrimaryOpen Primary ONLY registered party members may vote in that party’s primary election. Semi-closed: Independents may choose ONE party on the day of the election without formally “registering” with the party (LIKE IN OHIO!) Any registered voter can vote in any party’s primary election—but only one. Blanket primaries, where all primary votes were conducted on a single ballot, were ruled unconstitutional in 2000.

Caucuses, or the “Convention Method”  Goal: To choose representatives to the National Convention who will select the candidate

Let’s Caucus! 1. What is your favorite Girls Scout Cookie flavor? 2. Stand near the sign of your favorite cookie flavor. 3. The group(s) with the lowest number of votes is out. 4. The remaining groups will nominate one person to make a 30 second speech as to why those in the groups that out should join that group. 5. The group with the highest number wins the caucus!

 Self-Announcement or Petition Write-in candidates or third party nominees must officially self-declare their nomination. At the local level of government, many candidates get on the ballot by way of petition. States set the number of signatures needed.  Fun fact! Ohio requires 5,000 signatures for candidates seeking nomination for U.S. Senate or Governor. Examples:  Ross Perot in 1992

Each political party holds a national convention every four years to formally select its Presidential nominee and to establish a party platform.

 Each party hosts a convention to: Officially select a Presidential nominee.  It’s mostly a formality (“image”, not “scrimmage”) Choose a Vice Presidential nominee  Usually chosen by the Presidential nominee and approved by the convention  VP candidate may balance the ticket Develop the official party platform Reconcile and unify the party after a long primary season

 How is the nominee selected? Primaries and caucuses allotted pledged delegates to support the voters’ chosen candidate Superdelegates are unpledged convention attendees who may support any candidate  The Republicans allot three unpledged delegates per state, and they are required to vote with the popular vote of their state  About 15% of Democratic convention attendees are superdelegates, and they are NOT required to vote with the popular vote for their state  Confused? Rachel Maddow to the rescue!

In the fall, candidates enter campaign season and try to win over voters for the general election in November.

 Campaign finance is closely regulated. Candidates may spend unlimited amounts of their own money (First Amendment). Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules dictate how much anyone can spend on someone else’s campaign.  Individuals are limited to donating $2,700 in the primary and in the general election.  Corporations cannot donate to campaigns, but their Political Action Committees (PACs) can.  Individuals are limited to donating $5,000 per year to any PAC. Super-PACs are independent PACs that can spend unlimited funds, but cannot donate directly to any one candidate or party.

HARD MONEYSOFT MONEY  Contributions given directly to candidates to run their campaigns  Limited and regulated  Must be reported  Contributions given to political parties, organizations, or PACs  Used for “party-building activities” like voter registration drives Section 1—The Nominating Process

It all comes down to the popular vote….right?

 Citizens vote at a polling place in a precinct based on where they live. State law dictates the number of voters per precinct.  Ohio: eligible voters

 Voter behavior Non-VotersCannot-Voters “Idiot”: Derived from the Greek word (idiotes) for citizens who chose not to vote Ballot Fatigue: Offices further down the ballot have lower voter turnout than those that appear at the top More common for state and local elections and in non-Presidential years People who cannot physically or legally vote Immigrants Those with disabilities The incarcerated Victims of new, racially- motivated voter ID laws

 The Electoral College “It was equally desirable that the immediate election should be made by men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the station and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of al the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice. A small number of persons, selected by their fellow citizens from the general mass, will be most likely to possess the information and discernment requisite to so complicated an investigation.”  Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper 68

 The Electoral College Electors meet in December to officially cast ballots for a Presidential nominee. The popular vote in each state allots Electors to the winning candidate using a winner-take-all method. Each state has a designated number of Electors based on population. Number of Representatives + number of Senators Every state has at least 3 Electors. The winner needs to win 270 Electoral votes!

Electoral Votes = # of Representatives + # of Senators

 PA 55% Rep45% Dem.. 20  NY. 48% Rep. 52% Dem 29  OH 47% Rep. 53% Dem. 18  TX 65% Rep. 35% Dem. 38 The Republican win ___ electoral votes. The Democrats win ___ electoral votes.

 Observations? Frustrations or victories?  What are some tips for success in winning Electoral votes?  What are the benefits of using this system to elect our President?  What are the flaws in the system?  What do you think—is the Electoral College system the way to go?

(1) Nothing in the Constitution, nor in any federal statute, requires the electors to vote for the candidate favored by the popular vote in their State. (2) If no candidate gains a majority in the electoral college, the election is thrown into the House, a situation that has happened twice (1800 and 1824). In this process, each State is given one vote, meaning that States with smaller populations wield the same power as those with larger populations. (3) It is possible to win the popular vote in the presidential election, but lose the electoral college vote. This has happened four times in U.S. history (1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000).

 In the district plan, electors would be chosen the same way members of Congress are selected: each congressional district would select one elector (just as they select representatives), and two electors would be selected based on the overall popular vote in a State (just as senators are selected). The proportional plan suggests that each candidate would receive the same share of a State’s electoral vote as he or she received in the State’s popular vote.  A commonly heard reform suggests that the electoral college be done away with altogether in favor of direct popular election. At the polls, voters would vote directly for the President and Vice President instead of electors. The national bonus plan would automatically offer the winner of the popular vote 102 electoral votes in addition to the other electoral votes he or she might gain.