Voting and Elections

LSWYK Questions Directions: You have 7 minutes to answer the following questions ON YOUR OWN. Write answers only. Which right is considered by many outside of this country to be our greatest freedom? What are 3 aspects of our lives that affect our political socialization? (political thoughts, attitudes and behaviors) What are 2 qualifications you have to meet in order to vote in the U.S.? Which Constitutional Amendment changed the voting age in the U.S.? What are voting districts called? (HINT: Police Stations)

Why Should I Vote? The right to vote is considered to be our greatest freedom People should exercise their right to vote because it allows citizens to Choose their govt. leaders Elect new leaders if dissatisfied with performance of current leaders Express their opinions on public issues Smoking Ban in GA Rests.

Political Socialization “Study of the developmental processes by which children of all ages (12 to 30) and adolescents acquire political cognition, attitudes, and behaviors” Family School Mass Media Religion Political Parties Employment

Voting Qualifications In order to vote in U.S. elections you must be 18 years old Resident of the state you’re voting in Citizen of the U.S. Registered to vote

Registering to Vote Deadline: For Utah, 30 days for mail in and 15 days for walk-ins http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting/Register.shtml When to re-register: Moved Name Changed (Andrews>Preece)

Who Votes? People eligible to vote are called the electorate People’s voting rights may be denied if They have been convicted of a felony They do not meet the residency requirements in their state or live in a territory.

Where Do I Vote? Precincts Each address is assigned to a specific precinct number Each precinct has specific locations where its residents go to vote (polling stations) https://secure.utah.gov/voterreg/index.html www.Rockthevote.com

How Do I Vote? Polling stations open as early as 5AM and close as late as 8 or 9 PM Each voting precinct decides the method of voting to use: Mechanical Machine - Levers Electronic Voting – Touch Screen / Optical Scan Paper Ballot – Paper/Punch Card

When Do I Vote? General Election Day 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in Nov. Could be voting for President of the U.S. Governor Senators Representatives State Legislators Any state, federal, or local officials Mid-term Elections (Same Day as Above) Elections in which members of Congress and some Governors are being elected, but not the President

Voting Types Absentee Voting Voters who cannot get to the polls on Election Day can use an absentee ballot Can be requested from the local election board as early as 180 days before Election Day Ballots opened and counted in your precinct on Election Day

Voting Types Advance Voting Allows any registered voter to cast a ballot in person at the county voter registration office during normal business hours on the Monday through Friday of the week prior to an election.

Counting the Votes Election workers count votes after polls close Ballots then taken to election board and they count votes again News media and party workers try to predict winners as soon as possible through exit polls also used to deter voter fraud