Voting Ch. 10

Vocab - voting Polling place Precinct Ballot Absentee ballot Incumbent Exit poll apathy Initiative Proposition Referendum Recall Political action committees

Warm up 2. What do you learn about by reading a party platform? 1. What kind of political party system do many democracies have? 2. What do you learn about by reading a party platform? 3. What is a political parties stance on a single issue called? 4. What is the main purpose of a political party? 5. What country is governed by a one party system 6. What can 3rd parties be based on? 7. What is an alliance with another political party called? 8. What is the purpose of the ‘watchdog’ role?

Eligibility to Vote 18 years old Resident of the state for a specific time Citizen of the U.S. No felonies Register a person is assigned to a district National Voter Registration Act “Motor Voter Act” allows voters to register when they renew their driver’s licenses. You can only vote once! Register at the county office and in some states you can register by mail.

Voting Process Gather information Newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, internet, websites of candidates & political parties Go to polling place & receive a ballot Cast your ballot – fill out your choices Straight ticket – voted for all candidates in one political party Split ticket – choose candidates from both parties Absentee Ballot – a way to vote if you will be unable to vote on election day Wait for returns – reporting of election results Exit Poll – way of predicting the winner before all of the votes are counted by asking people as they leave who they voted for

Voting Process

North Carolina Sample Ballot

Citizens who vote - Have positive attitudes toward government and citizenship Higher education Middle-aged Higher incomes

Not Voting Electorate – people eligible to vote Apathy – lack of interest. #1 reason why people don’t vote Following can’t vote Felons Those in mental hospitals People who do not meet state requirements Registration is not a problem – states allow people to register when they renew their driver’s license. Presidential elections – 50% of electorate vote Elections without Presidential candidates – between 7% and 20% vote

The right to vote belongs to every U. S citizen The right to vote belongs to every U.S citizen. In your opinion, what do citizens forfeit if they do not exercise their right to vote?

Political Cartoon Voter apathy is a big issue in the U.S. I want you to draw a political cartoon that depicts a reason or several reasons people give for not voting.

Election Campaigns 2 part process Primaries – to narrow down the field of candidates General elections – voters choose candidates for various offices There are also elections on issues, and special elections

Special Elections Runoff – In some states a clear majority is needed to win an election. Usually states only require that you win a plurality Recall – special election where voters can vote an official out of office before their term is up prohibited on the federal level. Only 18 states allow it to remove statewide officials. Majority of states allow it in local jurisdictions Runoff election – chapter 9 – vote again for the top vote getters from the general election

Voting on Issues Initiative – a way citizens can propose new laws or state constitutional amendments. a petition is signed with enough signatures from qualified voters, to put an issue on the ballot Proposition – (the proposed law). It is put on the ballot at the next general election Referendum – a way for citizens to approve or reject a state or local law. people can gather signatures to review a law passed by the state legislatures and have it sent back to the voters for their approval at the next general election Usually with very controversial issues

Campaigning Creation of a positive image for a candidate Convince the voters to like and trust the candidate Television is the most common means of campaigning Incumbents – win 80% of the time Name recognition, franking privilege Need about $500 million to run a successful campaign

Tools and Tactics of Campaigning Canvassing Grassroots – small level – Walking around neighborhoods and making phone calls – cheap but time consuming – the voters get to personally know the candidate and the candidate gets to know the voters Endorsements – a famous or popular person supports a candidate This is a type of propaganda – to promote a specific idea or person

Advertising and Image Molding - Ads help create a candidate’s image, present their views and attack their opponents Newspaper ads – used more by local candidates TV ads – used more by national candidates Campaign Expenses – pay for ads, airfare, workers salaries, consultants, computers, phones, postage and printing costs, speech writers, handlers for the family, clothes, staff to pick out your clothes .

Financing Campaigns The Federal Election & Campaign Finance Act of 1971 Established rules for campaign finance Public disclosure of candidate spending Established federal funding of presidential elections Limits how much individuals & groups could spend Created the FEC (Federal Election Committee)

Public Funding Presidential Election Campaign Fund Taxpayers check a box on their federal income tax returns to designate $3 of their taxes to the fund Candidates can get the money for primary elections if they have raised $100,000 on their own 3rd party candidates qualify IF their party received more than 5% of the popular vote in the previous presidential election

Private Funding Soft Money Donations Donations given to political parties & not designated for a particular candidate Most goes to TV ads for the parties’ candidates Elaborate dinners with individual donations Political Action Committees (PACs) Organized by special interest groups Funds candidates who favor their position on issues Hard money vs. Soft money Hard money – directly to a candidate Soft money – general purpose Soft money gives wealthy people the opportunity to donate as much as they want Critics argue that wealthy donors may receive special favors not available to the average citizen. In a democracy, the gov’t should represent all the people, those with and w/out money or power.

Campaign Finance Reform 2002 McCain-Feingold Act Sets rules for 2004 elections and beyond Prohibits national political parties, federal officeholders, and federal candidates from raising soft money Bans corporations, unions, and interest groups from running ads aimed at a candidate for federal office 60 days from the general election and 30 days from a primary election Limits hard money contributions; candidate may collect up to $2000 per donor in each election (hard money); political parties can collect $25,000 per donor each year (soft money) Emphasis now shifts to getting many small donations rather than a few large ones Internet web pages are an inexpensive way to reach millions of people who might be willing to make small contributions

How do you think the internet has affected campaigns, or might affect future campaigns?