Chapter Ten, Section Two-Four Electing Leaders Chapter Ten, Section Two-Four

Party Organization An effective party must be well organized. It has leaders, committees, and workers able to carry out the party’s program. It must be organized at the state, local, and federal levels. It must raise money to pay its expenses. The party must nominate its candidates for office and plan its campaign strategies to get these candidates elected.

Local Organization For elections, all counties, cities, and wards are decided into voting districts call precincts. In each precinct, all the voters vote at the same polling place. Each precinct has a chair or captain, which is the party leader in that precinct. They organizer volunteers to distribute literature. They arrange for individuals with disabilities to get to the polling place. They have party workers call voters and urge them to vote for their parties candidates.

Local Organization: Precincts Why does the size of precincts vary? Which probably has larger precincts rural or urban areas?

Financing Campaigns Running for political office is expensive. TV commercials Mailers Signs Buttons Travel Employees For example, the presidential candidates who ran in the 2004 election raised a total of more than $900 million for the campaigns.

Private Funding Private funding is donated by individuals (voters), business groups, labor unions, corporations, and other organizations. Many worry that big contributors to a candidate will receive special favors if that candidate won the election. To limit this corruption Congress passed the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) in 1972.

Private Funding Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), 2002. Requires every political candidate in federal elections to report the name of each person whom contributes $200 or more in a year. Law limits individual contributions to candidates to $2,100 for primary elections and another $2,100 for general elections. These laws are enforced by The Federal Election Commission. Individuals and groups can still make unlimited contributions to activities, such as advertisements about issues, that are not part of a federal candidate’s campaign-called “soft money”.

Public Financing Presidential Election Campaign Fund. To be eligible: By checking a box their federal income tax forms, Americans can contribute $3 of their taxes to the election fund. To be eligible: A candidate must first raise $5,000 from private contributions in each of at least 20 states. To receive public funds, however, candidates must agree to limit their spending in nomination campaigns After winning the nomination of their party, presidential candidates who accept public financing cannot accept private contributions, it must be paid for only with the public funds.

Becoming a Voter You must be 18 years old in order to vote. You must register to vote. You register as a member of your political party. Independent voters- are those that are not members of a political party.

Elections Most states hold two types of elections. Primary Elections: take place first and are usually held in the late spring or early summer. This election allows voters to choose the party candidates who will run in the later general election General Elections: Are where voters choose their leaders from the candidates offered by all the political parties.

Primary Elections Close Primary: When only those voters who are registered in a particular party can vote to choose the parties candidates. Those registered as Independents cannot vote. Open Primary: When voters may vote for the candidates of either major party, whether or not the voters belong to that party or not. In some states, political parties choose their candidates in a nominating convention.

Primary Elections Why do you believe most states hold closed primaries?

Voting 1800’s-Voice Voting: meant it was public knowledge. 1888- Secret Ballot: a paper ballot where you choose from a list of candidates. Today: mechanical level machines, punchcards, marksense, and direct recording electronic systems. Some people vote a straight ticket (all for the same party), while some vote a slit ticket.

The Electoral College Popular Vote: The vote of the citizens of a country. This is not what determines who is President. Electoral Vote: Are votes cast by electors. Electors: Are the people chosen from each state and the District of Columbia who formally select the president and vice president. The electors make up the Electoral College.

The Electoral College Before the presidential election, each political party in every state selects electors who promise to vote for the party’s presidential candidate. For example, if the Democratic candidate wins a majority of the state’s votes, the Democratic electors cast the state’s electoral votes. They are not required by law to vote for the party’s candidate. However, they rarely do otherwise.

The Electoral College There are 538 total electoral votes. It takes 270 to win an election . If not party candidate wins then the president is chose by House of Representatives and the vice president by the Senate.

The Nomination Process Each candidate must win the primary and then attend/win their party’s nomination at a political convention. Each party has a platform, a statement of that parties views and polices on major issues. Each part of the platform is called a plank. Vice presidents are usually nominated based on their ability to win votes.