1. Voter Qualifications Universal Requirements (3) Citizenship
Not Constitutionally required, but applies across states
Residence
States do have laws against
transients voting
Do college students count?
Age

2. Other Qualifications Registration 49 states require you to register
Why do we have voter registration?
How do you lose voter registration? Move, die, commit felony (only lose it for prison and probation in NC), or be committed to an institution
Motor Voter Law 
North Dakota eliminated registration for voters altogether.

3. Literacy & Poll Taxes No state has literacy tests today
Often used to discriminate against certain groups
Oregon v. Mitchell (1970) finally banned literacy tests
Poll taxes: Pay special tax to vote
Eliminated with the 24th Amendment (1964)
Upheld in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966)

4. Voting Rights Legislation
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlaws discrimination in jobs, in elections
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Prevents voting discrimination in ALL elections
Extended in 1970, 1975, 1982
Only states still covered by this law: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas

5. Presidential Election process
Unit 2

6. Once the candidate has announced their intentions for the Presidency…
Step 1
Self-Announcement
Step 2
Primary/Caucus
Step 3
National Convention
Success!
Party’s Nomination!
Self-announcement is the first step in the process!
A person who wants to run, simply announces it.

7. Caucuses vs. Primaries
Primary elections are run by state and local governments…
Cost North Carolina approx. $9 million
Caucuses are private events run by the political parties themselves
Are definitely NOT typical elections, more like meetings
What is a Caucus? - Unlike the privacy of a voting booth, a caucus is a gathering of members of a political party - either Democrats or Republicans - in which they choose the candidate they wish to nominate. The political party announces the date, time and location of a meeting at which the candidates will be discussed. Any voter registered with the party may attend. The candidates are discussed and debated, and delegates are usually chosen to represent the state's interests at the national convention. Most will commit to support one of the candidates, but some will remain undecided.
In the 2008 election cycle, the Iowa caucuses were the first to occur. The Democrats in that state decided to support Barack Obama as their candidate in these caucuses. On Super Tuesday on February 4, 2008, the state of Idaho also held caucuses and the Democrats nominated Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton.
In 2012, Iowa was once again the first state to hold caucuses, on January 2, Republican candidate Mitt Romney narrowly edged out Rick Santorum by a mere handful of votes! Of course, the presumed Democratic nominee in 2012 is President Obama.
Each state makes its own decision as to whether to hold a caucus or a primary. Some have difficulty making up their mind. In Washington State, the state legislature decided that the state would change from a caucus system to a primary. However, the Washington State Democratic Party steadfastly decided to choose their delegates through caucuses, instead. Confusingly, votes cast for a Democratic candidate in the state primary will not count toward the delegate selection because the delegates will be selected by the caucuses. With Democratic races so tight, the confusion factor will likely be frustrating to voters and the candidates alike.

8. Primary Elections
Primary Elections: an election in which party members or voters select candidates for the General Election.
Closed primaries…
Voters cannot vote for a candidate in the opposite party.
EX: If you are an identified Democrat, you can only vote for a Democratic candidate.
Open primaries…
Voters can vote for a candidate in any party. Only one vote can be cast.
No party affiliation needed.
“Indirect Election”?

9. Each state has a portion of these delegates (sort of like electors but for the party’s primary election) given to them to give to the candidates…
In American politics, a "superdelegate" is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for whom they want to vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up just under 15% of all convention delegates) include elected officials and party activists and officials. Democratic superdelegates are free to support any candidate for the presidential nomination. This contrasts with convention "pledged" delegates who are selected based on the party primaries and caucuses in each U.S. state, in which voters choose among candidates for the party's presidential nomination. Moreover, superdelegates are permitted to participate in the primary elections as regular voters.
At least in name, superdelegates are not involved in the Republican Party nomination process. There are delegates to the Republican National Convention who are seated automatically, but they are limited to three per state, consisting of the state chairsperson and two district-level committee members. Republican Party superdelegates are obliged to vote for their state's popular vote winner under the rules of the party branch to which they belong.[1]
Although the term superdelegate was originally coined and created to describe a type of Democratic delegate, the term has become widely used to describe these delegates in both parties,[2] even though it is not an official term used by either party.
As each state holds their primary or caucus, delegates are awarded to the competitors in relation to how they finish

10. Other types of primaries
“Blanket” – any registered voter can vote in all parties’ primaries, not just one.
“Run-off” (Round two) – the two top candidates go through another round of voting with just them as the options.
Non-partisan election – for things like judges where the party doesn’t really (or shouldn’t really) matter

11. The National Convention
The National Convention is the final step in the nomination process…
Purpose of the convention is to officially nominate a candidate in an upcoming U.S. presidential election!
Signifies the end of primary season and the start of campaigning for a general election.
In recent years, the nominee has been known well
before the convention…
Historically, the convention was the final determinant of the nomination, and often contentious as various factions of party insiders maneuvered to advance their candidates. Since the almost universal adoption of the primary election for selecting delegates in the last quarter of the 20th century, however, the convention's significance has diminished. The national party focuses on the convention as a unity point to bring together a party platform and state parties.

12. Campaigns Are in full swing by September
Travel country, talk to people, advertisements, kiss babies, etc.
Debates (between Presidential candidates & between VP candidates)

13. General Election
Date: first Tuesday following first Monday of November
Presidential candidates in addition to….
HoR & Senate seats
State offices (governor, state legislature, etc.)
Local offices (county, city, etc.)

14. The Administration of Elections
•Elections are run by State law, with the exception of some federal intervention.
Provisions of the election are very detailed
Voter qualifications
Voter registration

15. Voting At A Precinct •A precinct is a voting district.
•Precincts (political boundaries) are occasionally redrawn by the county registrar of voters
•When you register to vote you are assigned to a precinct based upon where you live

16. Electoral College
Group of electors (538 ppl) that actually select President & VP
Individual votes by citizens make up POPULAR VOTE, but vote that actually determines winner is ELECTORAL VOTE (vote cast by electors)
Technically it is in early December

17. Inauguration  New president takes oath of office
Date: January 20 or 21 (if 20th is Sunday)
Used to be in March, but date adjusted by the 20th amendment
Friday January 20, 2017