 Electing the President  Election days are held the Tuesday after the first Monday in November  Elections  Every 4 years a president is elected  1/3 rd of Senate is re-elected every two years  All representatives are elected every two years

 Electoral votes and the states- to be elected the president must win 270 out of 538 electoral votes  The electoral vote is equal to the number of reps and senators from all states added together plus three from the District of Columbia.

Electoral College  The number of electoral colleges from Michigan is the number of Senators and Representatives added together.  To win a Presidency a candidate must pay extra attention to states such as TX, CA, NY, FL who have the most electoral votes

 They plan how to capture states with slogans, ads, and money  A Campaign manager is responsible for strategy and planning  Using Television- most important campaign tool (political commercials)- television debates can also have a large impact on voters

 Candidates use the internet for contributions, support, and to get their name out there  Social media is the key to fundraising and getting votes Financing Campaigns  2008 election cost $4 billion- need money for travel, staff, TV Ads, office space, and salaries

 The (FECA) Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 provided regulations that apply to campaign financing- this requires public disclosure of candidates spending and how much and who are contributing  The FEC was created (Federal Election Committee) to administer election laws- they keep records on any contributions of $100 or more

 1974 Campaign Law- established public funding for presidential Campaigns  Private Funding- in every election most money comes from private sources (political Parties, corporations, interest groups, PAC’s)

 Bi Partisan Campaign Act (BRCA)-target issue advertising and soft money donations political parties  Soft Money- is given directly to the party and not the candidate for general purposes Campaign Law and Internet  The FEC has issues ruling on how election laws apply to the Internet

Early Voting Limitations  Before the American Revolution only 5-6 % of the population could vote (no blacks, women, white men if they didn’t own property.  Voting was left up to the rich

 Early 1800s the government got rid of property, poverty, wealth, and religious requirements  Late 1800s- all white males could vote  Women Suffrage (vote)- the 19 th Amendment (1920) gave women the right to vote  African – American Suffrage- the 15 th amendment gave black men the right to vote (based on race/ color)

 Despite the 15 th Amendment, Southerners put up several roadblocks to stop African- Americans from voting  African- Americans had to take a literacy test and pay a poll tax- kept many from voting  this was ruled unconstitutional

 Literacy Test- used to keep African Americans from voting- they were hard- had to explain the constitution- the voting rights act of 1965 and 1970 outlawed the literacy tests.  Poll Tax- African Americans had to pay money ($1-2) to vote. The 24 th amendment outlawed Poll Tax

The Voting Rights Act of helped to register voters because the federal government took over the election process- they also appointed poll watchers to make sure the elections were fair.  - Helped to double the number of African Americans voters’ registration.  -Led to the election of many African American Mayors

 26 th Amendment- lowered the voting age to 18 year old- because many were fighting in the war so it was only fair that they be able to vote

5 Factors that influence voting choice First, Personal background-  Upbringing  Family  Age  Income  Occupation

 Example if you are 23 you might be against paying social security but if you are 68 then you would be all for it.  Other background issues- education and religion  Cross-pressured voters- voters face conflicts and feel pressure from different elements of their identity to vote in a certain way.

 Second, Loyal to Political Parties- most people are Democrats or Republicans- sometimes people think that their parties are more important than the issues or candidates Straight party ticket- always choose the candidate of your party

 Third, Issues in Election Campaigns- many voters are not well informed about all of today’s issues but are better informed than they used to be because of TV, internet, more education, and more impact on our lives.

 Fourth, The Candidates Image- Most Americans want a President that is a strong and trustworthy leader but image and qualifications matter.  Fifth, Propaganda- involves using ideas, information, or rumors to influence opinion- using information to support an objective

 Profiles of Regular voters- education, age, income are most important factors  Profile of non- voters- they don’t care or don’t believe that they meet the requirements for voting (US citizenship, registration, and residency) Voter Participation  62% 1950  50% 2000