1. Magruder’s American Government
C H A P T E R 7 The Electoral Process
© 2001 by Prentice Hall, Inc.

2. Three Ways to Nominate 2 3
Chapter 7, Section 1

3. Types of Direct Primaries
The Direct Primary
Types of Direct Primaries
Closed Primary
Only declared party members can vote.
Open Primary
Any qualified voter can take part.
Blanket Primary
Qualified voters can vote for any candidate, regardless of party
Runoff Primary
If a required majority is not met, the two people with the most votes run again
Nonpartisan Primary
Candidates are not identified by party labels 2 3
Chapter 7, Section 1

4. Primaries Across the United States2 3
Chapter 7, Section 1

5. Petition
Candidates must gather a required number of voters’ signatures to get on the ballot by means of petition.
Minor party and independent candidates are usually required by State law to be nominated by petition.
Petition is often used at the local level to nominate for school posts and municipal offices. 2 3
Chapter 7, Section 1

6. The Administration of Elections
Elections are primarily regulated by State law, but there are some overreaching federal regulations.
Congress has the power to set the time, place, and manner of congressional and presidential elections. Congress has chosen the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every even-numbered year for congressional elections, with the presidential election being held the same day every fourth year.
States determine the details of the election of thousands of State and local officials.
Most States provide for absentee voting, for voters who are unable to get to their regular polling places on election day. Some States within the last few years have started to allow voting a few days before election day to increase voter participation. 1 3
Chapter 7, Section 2

7. Precincts and Polling Places
A precinct is a voting district.
Precincts are the smallest geographic units used to carry out elections.
A precinct election board supervises the voting process in each precinct.
Polling Places
A polling place is where the voters who live in a precinct go to vote.
It is located in or near each precinct. Polling places are supposed to be located conveniently for voters. 1 3
Chapter 7, Section 2

8. Casting the Ballot History of the Ballot
Voting was initially done orally. It was considered “manly” to speak out your vote without fear of reprisal.
Paper ballots began to be used in the mid-1800s. At first, people provided their own ballots. Then, political machines began to take advantage of the flexibility of the process to intimidate, buy, or manufacture votes.
In the late 1800s, ballot reforms cleaned up ballot fraud by supplying standardized, accurate ballots and mandating that voting be secret. 1 3
Chapter 7, Section 2

9. Office-Group and Party-Column Ballots1 3
Chapter 7, Section 2

10. Campaign Spending 1 2
Chapter 7, Section 3

11. Private and Public Sources of Campaign Money
Sources of Funding
Private and Public Sources of Campaign Money
Nonparty groups such as PACs
Small contributors
Temporary fund-raising organizations
Wealthy supporters
Candidates
Government subsidies 1 2
Chapter 7, Section 3

12. Regulating Campaign Financing
Early campaign regulations were created in 1907, but feebly enforced.
The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971 was passed to replaced the former, ineffective legislation.
The FECA Amendments of 1974 were passed in response to the Watergate scandal.
Buckley v. Valeo invalidated some of the measures in the FECA Amendments of Most significantly, it also stipulated that several of the limits that the 1974 amendments placed on spending only apply to candidates who accept campaign money from the government, not those who raise money independently.
The FECA Amendments of 1976 were passed in response to Buckley v. Valeo. 1 2
Chapter 7, Section 3

13. Loopholes in the Law 1 2 “More loophole than law…” —Lyndon Johnson
Soft money—money given to State and local party organizations for “party-building activities” that is filtered to presidential or congressional campaigns. $500 million was given to campaigns in this way in 2000.
Independent campaign spending—a person unrelated and unconnected to a candidate or party can spend as much money as they want to benefit or work against candidates.
Issue ads—take a stand on certain issues in order to criticize or support a certain candidate without actually mentioning that person’s name. 1 2
Chapter 7, Section 3

14. Magruder’s American Government
C H A P T E R 8 Mass Media and Public Opinion
© 2001 by Prentice Hall, Inc.

15. What is Public Opinion?
Public opinion can be described as those attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of government and politics.
Different Publics
The United States is made up of many groups, or publics, who share common news.
Public Affairs
Public affairs are those events and issues that concern the public at large. In its proper sense, public opinion includes only those views that relate to public affairs.
Public Opinions
More than one public opinion can exist at the same time, because there are many publics. A view or position must be expressed in the open in order to be a public opinion. 2 3
Chapter 8, Section 1

16. The Political Spectrum
People who have similar opinions on political issues are generally grouped according to whether they are “left,” “right,” or “center” on the political spectrum. 2 3
Chapter 8, Section 1

17. Family and Education
Many factors influence our political opinions and political socialization over the course of a lifetime.
The Family
Children first see the political world from within the family and through the family’s eyes.
The strong influence the family has on the development of political opinions is due to the large amount of time children spend with the family.
The Schools
Children acquire political knowledge throughout their time in the classroom.
Students are taught about political systems, patriotism, and great Americans. Some are even required to take a course on government in high school. 2 3
Chapter 8, Section 1

18. Other Factors Influencing Public Opinion
Mass Media
The mass media include those means of communication that reach large, widely dispersed audiences (masses of people) simultaneously. The mass media has a huge effect on the formation of public opinion.
Peer Groups
Peer groups are made up of the people with whom one regularly associates, including friends, classmates, neighbors, and co-workers.
Opinion Leaders
An opinion leader is any person who, for any reason, has an unusually strong influence on the views of others.
Historic Events
Historic events can have a major impact on public opinion. The Great Depression is one event that shaped the political views and opinions of a generation. 2 3
Chapter 8, Section 1

19. Measuring Public Opinion
Elections
Candidates who win an election are said to have a mandate, or a command from the electorate, to carry out campaign promises. In reality, however, election results are seldom an accurate measure of public opinion.
Interest Groups
Interest groups are private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy. Interest groups are a chief means by which public opinion is made known.
The Media
The media are frequently described as “mirrors” as well as “molders” of opinion.
Personal Contacts
Public officials rely on frequent and wide-ranging contacts with their constituents, such as reading their mail, answering calls, and meeting people in public. 1 3
Chapter 8, Section 2

20. Polls—The Best Measure
Public opinion is best measured by public opinion polls, devices that attempt to collect information by asking people questions.
Straw Votes
A straw vote is a method of polling that seeks to read the public’s mind simply by asking the same question of a large number of people.
The straw-vote technique is highly unreliable, however.
Scientific Polling
Serious efforts to take the public’s pulse on a scientific basis date from the 1930s.
There are now more than 1,000 national and regional polling organizations in this country, with at least 200 of these polling political preferences. 1 3
Chapter 8, Section 2

21. The Media and Politics 1 2 The Public Agenda Electoral Politics
The media play a very large role in shaping the public agenda, the societal problems that political leaders and citizens agree need government attention.
It is not correct that the media tell the people what to think; but it is clear that they tell the people what to think about.
Electoral Politics
Today, television allows candidates to appeal directly to the people, without the help of a party organization.
Candidates regularly try to use media coverage to their advantage.
Newscasts featuring candidates are usually short, sharply focused sound bites—snappy reports that can be aired in 30 to 45 seconds. 1 2
Chapter 8, Section 3

22. Magruder’s American Government
C H A P T E R 9 Interest Groups
© 2001 by Prentice Hall, Inc.

23. The Role of Interest Groups
Interest groups are private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy.
Public policy includes all of the goals a government sets and the various courses of action it pursues as it attempts to realize these goals.
Interest groups exist to shape public policy. 2 3
Chapter 9, Section 1

24. Political Parties and Interest Groups
Political parties and interest groups differ in three striking respects: (1) in the making of nominations, (2) in their primary focus, and (3) in the scope of their interests.
Nominations
Political parties are responsible for the nominating process, while interest groups hope to influence those nominations.
Primary Focus
Political parties are interested in winning elections and controlling government, while interest groups are interested in influencing the policies created by government.
Scope of Interest
Political parties concern themselves with the whole range of public affairs, while interest groups tend to focus on issues that their members are concerned about. 2 3
Chapter 9, Section 1

25. Valuable Functions of Interest Groups
Interest groups raise awareness of public affairs, or issues that concern the people at large.
Interest groups represent people who share attitudes rather than those who share geography.
Interest groups provide specialized information to government agencies and legislators.
Interest groups are vehicles for political participation.
Interest groups keep tabs on various public agencies and officials.
Interest groups compete. 2 3
Chapter 9, Section 1

26. Criticisms
Some groups have an influence far out of proportion to their size or importance.
It can be difficult to tell who or how many people are served by a group.
Groups do not always represent the views of the people they claim to speak for.
In rare cases, groups use tactics such as bribery, threats, and so on. 2 3
Chapter 9, Section 1

27. Public-Interest Groups
A public-interest group is an interest group that seeks to institute certain public policies that will benefit all or most of the people in the country, whether or not they belong to that organization. 1 3
Chapter 9, Section 2

28. Influencing Public Opinion
Interest groups reach out to the public for these reasons:
1. To supply information in support of the group’s interests
2. To build a positive image for the group
3. To promote a particular public policy 1 2
Chapter 9, Section 3

29. Propaganda
Propaganda is a technique of persuasion aimed at influencing individual or group behaviors.
Its goal is to create a particular belief which may be true or false.
Propaganda disregards information that does not support its conclusion. It is not objective. It presents only one side of an issue.
Propaganda often relies on name-calling and inflammatory labels. 1 2
Chapter 9, Section 3

30. Lobbying
Lobbying is any activity by which a group pressures legislators and influences the legislative process.
Lobbying carries beyond the legislature It is brought into government agencies, the executive branch, and even the courts.
Nearly all important organized interest groups maintain lobbyists in Washington, D.C. 1 2
Chapter 9, Section 3

31. Lobbyists at Work 1 2 Lobbyists use several techniques:
They send articles, reports, and other information to officeholders.
They testify before legislative committees.
They bring “grass-roots” pressures to bear through , letters, or phone calls from constituents.
They rate candidates and publicize the ratings.
They make campaign contributions. 1 2
Chapter 9, Section 3