Elections & Campaigns

The constitution sets up conditions & requirements for elections The states individually decide how they are going to hold elections They print the ballots They decide on the polling locations They decide when the polls open & close

Scheduling Elections The constitution gives Congress the power to regulate the election dates. Most offices have fixed terms, so the elections are set on a regular schedule

Polling Places & Ballots Precincts An election district of a city or town, often the smallest voting district Congress requires the use of secret ballots in elections Macomb County Precinct Map - http://www.macombcountymi.gov/clerksoffice/apportionment/2010-map-detail.pdf http://www.macombcountymi.gov/clerksoffice/pdf/electPollingLocations.pdf

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Congress01-state-E_43697_7.pdf

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Types of elections

Primaries First used in the late 19th & early 20th century The role of a primary is to nominate candidates. Primary rules are left up to the parties and the states. Election of 1912 – TR’s Bull Moose/Progressive Party was formed when the Republican national convention refused to give the nomination to Roosevelt. Roosevelt felt that since he had won in the primary, he deserved to be the Republican’s candidate. But the party wasn’t willing to have power taken away from them, in the form of primaries, and went with Taft for their candidate. Roosevelt and his supporters stormed out of the convention & formed their own party based on the Progressive ideas.

Direct Primary A nominating election in which all part members may vote to choose the party’s candidate for the general election. Held the spring before the general elections (a regularly scheduled election in which all voters select the winner for each office) There are two main forms of primary's Show - http://uselectionatlas.org/ 2008 primary results

Closed Primary A type of direct primary in which only registered party members may vote. An individual must declare a political affiliation before they vote. This prevents a situation where members of the rival party vote for a weaker candidate, as known as a cross-over vote. Cross-over vote – a vote in which a member of one party votes in the other party’s primary.

Open Primary A type of direct primary in which voters may choose on election day the party primary they want to vote in. Any qualified voter can participate Blanket Primary – a type of open primary in which voters may vote for candidates of more than one party on an office-to-office basis. Runoff Primary – a second primary between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first primary. New Hampshire election law states that they can move up their election date by 7 days to ensure that they are the first priamry.

Caucuses A meeting of leaders of a political party to select candidates. In a congressional caucus, party leaders & members meet to decide party strategies & conduct party business. Common in early American history, by 1840 caucuses had been replaced by the party conventions (for the most part) Still used today for Presidential, local and state elections. There are only a handful of states that participate in caucuses. Iowa is always first to hold their caucus.

General Election By law, candidates for Congress must be selected on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even numbered years. State & local elections may occur in odd numbered years.

Ballots