Warm-ups (10/19)  Unit IV Warm-ups  List & Describe the 4 types of Third Parties

Chapter 7 The Electoral Process

7.1 – The Nominating Process  1st Step: Nomination – the naming of those who will seek office  5 Ways to Nominate 1. Self-Announcement – oldest form of the nominating process in American politics.  Example: Ross Perot (1992)

The Nomination Process 2. Caucus – a group of like-minded people who meet to select the candidates they will support in an upcoming election.  Past: private meeting consisting of a few influential figures in the community  Present: open to all members of a party 3. Convention – party members meet on the local level  then, county level  then, state level  then, national level

The Nominating Process 4. Direct Primary – an intra-party election; within a party to pick that party’s candidates for the general election  Closed Primary: party nominating election in which only declared party members can vote  Open Primary: party nominating election in which any qualified voter can take part 5. Petition

7.2 - Elections  Early Voting Absentee Voting: voting by those unable to get to their regular polling places on election day  3 Groups of Absentee Voting: too ill, traveling on election day, and those serving in the armed forces  Process: apply for the ballot, mark the ballot, seal it, and send it

Elections Early Voting: casting ballots over a period of several days before the election (not absentee)  Texas is the most liberal on this issue. You can cast your vote up to 17 days before a primary or presidential election

Elections  Coattail Effect: occurs when a strong candidate running for an office at the top of the ballot helps attract voters to other candidates on the party’s ticket. Referred to as “riding the coattails.”  Voting Machines and Innovations  Electronic Vote Counting  Vote-by-Mail Elections  Online Voting

7.3 – Money & Elections  Campaign Spending  In 2000, the total presidential campaign spending came to $1.5 billion  Imagine…bumper stickers, buttons, mass mailings, websites, travel, etc.  Television advertisements are the costliest of all items - $150,000-$500,000 for one T.V. Spot  The biggest drawback of the need for large amounts of money to campaign is that people who cannot raise the money are denied a chance to be elected.

Money & Elections  Sources of Funding  Private & Public Contributions Small Contributors: $5-10 Wealthy Families & Individuals Candidates: Ross Perot holds the record for the largest amount spent…$65 mil. Various nonparty groups: from Political Action Committees (PAC’s) Temporary Organizations

Money & Elections  Regulating Campaign Finance  PAC’s CAN… Give money to those candidates who are sympathetic to their goals Give no more than $5,000 to any one federal candidate in an election Give no more than $15,000 a year to a political party  Campaign Finance Laws A person/group can contribute unlimited funds to a “voter education” campaign, “issue ads,” and to oppose a candidate