Copyright, 2000 © Prentice Hall Magruder’s American Government C H A P T E R 7 The Electoral Process

The Electoral Process C H A P T E R 7 The Electoral Process SECTION 1 The Nominating Process SECTION 2 Elections SECTION 3 Money and the Election Process Chapter 7

Chapter 7, Section 1 The Constitution and the Right to Vote S E C T I O N 1 The Constitution and the Right to Vote The nominating process is critically important to democratic government. Five major nominating methods are used in American politics: (1) self-announcement (2) the caucus—a group of like-minded persons meeting to select the candidates they will support in an election (3) the delegate convention—representatives of voters from one district who support their candidates at a State or national convention (4) direct primary—voters select the candidate through the balloting process (5) petition—voters canvas towns and cities to gather signatures to place their candidate(s) on the ballot. The direct primary, either closed or open, is the most widely used nominating method. Presidential primaries are elections in which voters express candidate preferences or select delegates to the national convention.

Elections S E C T I O N 2 Elections The election process, for the more than 500,000 locally elected offices, is minimally controlled by the Federal Government and largely regulated by the State. Presidential and congressional elections are held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. Voting takes place in local precincts, and polling places using voting machines or ballots. Chapter 7, Section 2

Chapter 7, Section 3 Money and the Election S E C T I O N 3 Money and the Election Money plays a key role in politics. Most campaign money comes from private sources. The main sources are: (1) small, individual contributors (2) wealthier persons and families (3) the candidates themselves (4) nonparty private organizations—special interest groups (5) temporary party organizations (6) party fund-raising events Presidential elections are partially subsidized with public funds, as are some other campaigns. Federal campaign finance laws are administered by the Federal Election Commission and apply only to presidential and congressional elections. Federal campaign laws: (1) require timely disclosure of campaign finance data; (2) limit campaign contributions; (3) limit campaign expenditures; (4) provide public funding for some of the presidential election process.