The Electoral Process Ch 7

In the United States, the election process occurs in two steps: 1. Nomination: field of candidates is narrowed. 2. General election: regularly scheduled election where voters make the final choice of officeholder.

Five ways to nominate Form 5 groups Each group will be assigned a nomination method Tasks: List the pros and cons of the method, in terms of ease of use, fairness to candidates and whether it supports the basic principles of democracy. Present your conclusions to the class

Five Ways to Nominate 1.) Self-Announcement – A person who wants to run for office announces their candidacy. Whenever a write-in candidate appears on the ballot, the self-announcement process has been used. 2.) The Caucus – Originally a private meeting of local bigwigs, the caucus as a nominating device fell out of favor in the 1820s. 3.) The Convention – Considered more democratic than the caucus, convention delegates were selected to represent the people’s wishes. Party bosses soon found ways to manipulate the system, however, and the convention system was on its way out by the early 1900s.

Nonpartisan Primary: Candidates are not identified by party labels. 4.) The Direct Primary Types of Direct Primary Nonpartisan Primary: Candidates are not identified by party labels. Runoff Primary: If a required majority is not met, the two people with the most votes run again Open Primary: Any qualified voter can take part. Blanket Primary Qualified voters can vote for any candidate, regardless of party Closed Primary: Only declared party members can vote.

5.) Petition Candidates must gather a required number of voters’ signatures to get on the ballot by means of petition. Minor party and independent candidates are usually required by State law to be nominated by petition. Petition is often used at the local level to nominate for school posts and municipal offices.

What is a Primary Election?

Closed! Open!

My Nominating Process is Better Than Your Nominating Process… Form into groups of four! You will be assigned either the open primary or the closed primary. Using information from the notes and supplementary material from the book (such as how many States use the method, historic precedents, specific arguments in favor of it, etc.) prepare a short, positive description of your method and why it’s better than the alternative. (Each group member should retain a copy with all members’ names and the assigned method listed at the top.)

Hold caucuses, then conventions to choose a representative… After preparation, representatives of both methods will face off in a debate with each arguing the advantages of their method and the disadvantages of the other. Whichever side “wins” the debate will receive extra points.

The Administration of Elections Elections are primarily regulated by State law, but there are some overreaching federal regulation Congress has the power to set the time, place, and manner of congressional and presidential elections. Congress has chosen the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every even numbered year for congressional elections, with the presidential election being held the same day every fourth year States determine the details of the election of thousands of State and local officials. Most states provide for absentee voting, for voters who are unable to get to their regular polling places on election day.

Precincts and Polling Places A precinct is a voting district. Precincts are the smallest geographic units used to carry out elections. A precinct election board supervises the voting process in each precinct. Polling Places A polling place is where the voters who live in a precinct go to vote. It is located in or near each precinct. Polling places are supposed to be located conveniently for voters.

Office-Group and Party-Column Ballots

Voting Machines Electronic vote counting has been in use since the 1960s. Punch-card ballots are often used to cast votes. Vote-by-mail elections have come into use in recent years. Online voting is a trend that may be encountered in the near future.

Help Increase Voter Turnout Through Voter Education! Many Americans may not vote because they are simply unprepared for or uninformed about how the process works. In groups, create a tri-fold pamphlet to educate potential voters on the voting process. Include the basics: when, where, and how people vote. See handout for details…

Sources of Funding Private and Public Sources of Campaign Money Nonparty groups such as PACs Small contributors Temporary fund-raising organizations Wealthy supporters Candidates Government subsidies

The Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) enforces: the timely disclosure of campaign finance information. limits on campaign contributions. limits on campaign expenditures. provisions for public funding of presidential campaigns.

Political Action Committee An organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation

Connected PAC established by businesses, labor unions, trade groups, or health organizations Receive money from managers, shareholders, union members or other interest groups Types of PACs

Non-Connected PAC Groups w/ideological mission or single issue groups Can accept money from any person or connected PAC or organization

Leadership PAC Can be set up by elected officials or political parties Spending is unlimited as long as it is not coordinated w/candidate

Super PAC May not make contributions to a campaign May spend unlimited $ independent of campaigns Can get funds from anywhere w/o limits

On PACs (political action committees) Limits on Contributions On Individuals $2,300 in primary or general election campaigns. $5,000 to PACs per year. $28,500 to any national party committee per year. $108,200 in any election cycle. On PACs (political action committees)

Loopholes in the Law Soft money—money given to State and local party organizations for “party-building activities” that is filtered to presidential or congressional campaigns. $500 million was given to campaigns in this way in 2000. Independent campaign spending—a person unrelated and unconnected to a candidate or party can spend as much money as they want to benefit or work against candidates. Issue ads—take a stand on certain issues in order to criticize or support a certain candidate without actually mentioning that person’s name.