1. Paying for Election Campaigns and Public Opinion
Political Process Unit 3
Lesson 4

2. Money=Support
Americans spend more than $3 billion on national, state, and local elections every four year period
It takes a lot of money to run for office so candidates must spend a lot of time trying to get contributions
Politicians need money to pay for advertising, staff, and campaign expenses
Campaign workers use several different techniques to raise money and support

3. Financing a Campaign
Federal Election Campaign Act: Law requires public disclosure of each candidate’s spending
Limits how much money an individual can give to a campaign; today $2,300 an election, no limit on how much candidates can spend of their own money
Public funding: taxpayers can designate $3 of their annual taxes to go to the fund for candidates; after the national conventions major party candidates can receive money from the fund if they agree not to accept any more contributions

4. Qualifying to Vote
Voting is an important right of American citizenship, responsibility
During our nation’s early years most voters were white, adult males who owned property; left out?
Today there is no property requirement and the Constitution states that no state can deny someone the right to vote based on race, gender, or age if the person is at least 18; criminals?
To be eligible to vote you must be at least 18, be a resident of the state for a specified period of time, a US citizen, and in most states you must register

5. Public Opinion
Public Opinion: includes the ideas and attitudes that most people hold about elected officials, candidates, government, and political issues
Politicians know that they need public opinion on their side to pass their agenda
Public Opinion in America can change rapidly and is not always easy to figure out

6. Influences on Public Opinion
Personal Background: a person’s age, gender, income, race, religion, job, and where they live can all influence a person’s opinion
Mass media: media that reaches a lot of people such as TV provide powerful images and political information that can help shape people’s opinions
Public officials: politicians can influence public opinion by giving speeches and news conferences, appearing on TV, and writing in papers and magazines
Interest groups promote the cause they support and distribute information
Michelle Obama on Sesame Street

7. Measuring Public Opinion
One way to measure public opinion is to look at election results
Most common way to judge public opinion is to conduct a poll, politicians use polls to gage their support and to adjust their positions
Pollsters use a sample of Americans to make their polls, include people from many different groups
Advantages/Disadvantages of polling?