1. Elections: Basic Structure

2. Learning Objective
Articulate the major rules and procedures of American Elections

3. What is an Incumbent?

4. Jerry Nabours, our Current Mayor, is the incumbent running against Coral Evans

5. In House and Senate elections – explain the two stages of election.

6. House and Senate elections
Primaries, candidates of the same party run against each other to earn their party’s nomination
Open Primaries - where any registered voter can participate
Closed Primaries - where only registered party members can vote
General Election - voting for members of the House and Senate, and every four years

7. General Elections
Presidential Elections- Every 4 years (2008, 2012, 2016)
President elected (4 year term)
All House seats (2 year terms) up for grabs
1/3 of senate Seats up for grabs
Higher turnout
Mid Terms- years when the president is not running for election or reelection
1/3 of senate Seats up for grab
Lower turn out

8. Voter Turnout

9. What are Constituencies?

10. Constituencies The people an elected official is representing
the elected official usually represents the demographics of the area
Ann Kirkpatrick represents AZ Congressional district # 1

11. Voting What are the different ways states can decide who won?
Plurality
Majority
Runoff

12. Presidential Nomination
How does the presidential nomination process work?
Caucus vs. primary (Chart page 178)
Proportional allocation v. winner take all

13. What is the difference between proportional allocation and winner takes all in presidential elections?

14. Presidential nomination state allocations
Proportional Allocation: splits each state’s electoral votes in accordance with their popular vote percentages.
a candidate who come in second place in a state with 45% of the popular vote would receive 45% of the electoral votes from that state, instead of 0%. 
Winner Take All: Where the state gives 100% of he state’s electoral votes to a single candidate
allowing 50.1% of voters to win 100% of representation.

15. The National Convention

16. What is the Electoral College? (Chart on page 201)

17. Electoral College
The body of people chosen to vote for the President and Vice President, based on the popular vote of each state
form of indirect democracy
Ballot is cast for for electors NOT a presidential candidate the president but rather

18. Electoral Votes per state
Each state gets a number of electors equal to the number of representatives + senators
DC gets 3 votes
Most states use a winner take all strategy.
Maine and Nebraska divvy out via congressional district
There are 538 electoral votes and it takes 270 to win

20. Swing states (Chart page 199)
Source:

21. Electoral College
Maps
Interactive NYT Map
Current Event