Section Outline 1 of 8 Voting and Elections Section 2: Influencing Your Vote I.Messages From the Candidates II.Messages From Interest Groups III.Recognizing Propaganda Techniques Section Reading Support Transparency IV.How News Media Report Elections

2 of 8 Voting and Elections Section 2: Influencing Your Vote Main Idea Candidates use many different methods to influence voters, including advertising, direct mail, bumper stickers, and personal appearances. Interest groups also campaign for candidates and issues they favor. The media also influences voters by the way it covers elections. Key Terms Direct mail Media Propaganda Bias

Messages From the Candidates Posters, Bumper Stickers, and Leaflets 3 of 8 Voting and Elections Section 2: Influencing Your Vote Personal Appearances and Debates Direct Mail —A way of sending messages to large groups of people through the mail The Internet Advertisements and the Media —Media includes: Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet

4 of 8 Voting and Elections Section 2: Influencing Your Vote Messages from Interest Groups Interest Groups put out their share of direct mail and media. Interest Groups endorse candidates and/or donate money to campaign funds. —Political Action Committees (PACs) Part of an interest group that carries out election activities PACs also give large amounts of money to campaigns for state and national office. U.S. senators running for reelection in 2002 received an average of $860,000 from some of the 4,000 PACs.

5 of 8 Voting and Elections Section 2: Influencing Your Vote Recognizing Propaganda Techniques Propaganda —A message that is meant to influence people’s ideas, opinions, or actions in a certain way —Propaganda can include lies, half-truths, information meant to appeal to the voter’s emotions, and information that is distorted. —Messages from candidates and PACs make use of many kinds of propaganda. —BE AWARE of these techniques; recognizing them will help you decide how to act on the messages.

Voting and Elections: Section 2 Analyze Diagrams: Propaganda Techniques 6 of 8

7 of 8 Voting and Elections Section 2: Influencing Your Vote How News Media Report Elections Election News —For the most part, the news media usually try not to show bias, or a favoring of one point of view. Opinion Polls —Polls can show which candidate voters favor at a certain time, why they like the candidate, and what issues they think are most important. The Impact of Television —Many voters receive their information from television; thus television has changed the way candidates run for office. —The “television candidate” must look good and be calm in front of the camera.

Voting and Elections: Section 2 Section Reading Support Transparency 8 of 8