General election- is an election in which voters make final decisions about the candidates and issues.
The Basics of voting- in order to vote in the United States you must be a citizen an at least 18 years of age.
Registration- the process of signing up to be a voter.
When and where to vote- an act of congress set the Tuesday after the first Monday in November as the day for federal congressional and presidential elections.
How to cast a vote- you go to the polling place and check in with an election official who looks up your name to see that you are registered to vote there, then you cast your vote intelligently.
Ballot measures- you should know all about the ballot you are voting for. Having a complete picture of the ballot is very important.
Why vote- because your vote does matter, elections are almost never won by one ore even by one hundred votes.
Posters, bumper stickers, and leaflets are all things you will see months before election time because people running for office want to make their names known to the voters.
Direct mail- a way of sending messages to large groups of people through the mail.
The internet is a good place to gather political information.
Media- television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the internet.
Propaganda- a message that is meant to influence peoples ideas, opinions, or actions in a certain way.
Bias- a favoring of one point of view
Opinion polls- the news media also present the results of opinion polls. Polls can show which candidate voters favor at a certain time, why they like the candidate, and what issues thy think are most important.
The impact of television- today many voters receive most of their information by watching the television news.
Campaign manager- helps plan the broad outlines of the campaign where to go, what issues to discuss, and what image of the candidate to put forth.
Campaign press secretary- makes certain that the media show the candidate in the best light.
Campaign finance law out lines the rules for how campaigns for federal office can be financed. No one person may give more than 2000 dollars and candidates must report the name of anyone who has given them more that 200 dollars.
Incumbent- someone who already holds the office for which he or she is running, has a very good chance of winning again,
Electors- people who promise to cast votes for the candidate selected by the voters.