1. Electoral Process, Mass Media, Public Opinion, Interest Groups
Chapters 7-9

2. Chapter 7
Election Campaigns

3. How to Nominate a Candidate
Self-announcement
Caucus
Convention
Direct Primaries
Petition

4. When are Elections held?
1st Tuesday after the first Monday

5. Administration of Elections
Election laws are mostly made by states.
Absentee voting
Coattail effect
Precinct
Polling place
ballot

6. Money & Elections

7. Spending & Funding Running for office = lots of $$$$
30 seconds of primetime = $150,000
Two ways to draw $
Private contributors
Public treasury
(small contributors, wealthy, candidates, temporary organizations, parties, subsidy PACs)
Subsidy: grant of $ from federal or state
PAC: political action committees, political arms of special-interest groups, register w/ FEC

8. Regulating Campaign Funding
1907: fed gov’t began regulations
Today’s regulations
FECA (Federal Election Campaign Act)
FEC (Federal Election Commission)
FECA Amendments 1974
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 2002

9. FEC:1974 Administers all federal laws dealing with campaign finance
Independent agency of Executive Branch
Laws that they enforce
Timely disclosure of campaign finance data
Place limits on campaign contributions
Place limits of campaign expenditures
Provide for federal subsidies

10. Disclosure Requirements
$5,000 Contributions must be notified within 48 hrs.
No cash gifts of more than $100
No foreign source contribution
Sum of $1,000 or more within last 20 days must be reported

11. Limits on Contributions
No more than $2,000 by person (primary & general election)
No more than $5,000 by person in a year to a PAC
No more than $25,000 to a political party
Person’s total contribution to committees and candidates cannot exceed $95,000

12. PAC Contributions Raise campaign money and give friends contributions
4,000 PACs
SARAHPAC
National Education Association’s PAC
Members pay money, PAC distributes to candidates
No more than $5,000 to one candidate ($10,000 in general election)
Up to $15,000 to political party

13. Limits on Expenses
More limits came after the Supreme Court Case Buckley vs. Valeo (1976)
Limit campaign expenditures by Reps/Senators
Limit how much of candidate own money

14. Hard Money, Soft Money hard money soft money
political contributions which are made directly to a specific candidate
may only come from an individual or a PAC, and must follow the strict limits set forth by the FEC
soft money
political contributions which are made indirectly to parties and committees
funds can come from individuals and PACS
or corporations
The law says that this money can only be used for "party-building activities"
2000- $500 mil

15. Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 2002
AKA McCain-Feingold Act
Aimed at soft money
Banned soft money contributions to political parties

16. Mass Media & Public Opinion
Chapter 8
Mass Media & Public Opinion

17. What is Public Opinion? Attitudes held by people in regards to issues
What affects public opinion?
Family and Education
Mass Media (TV, radio, internet)
Peer groups (friends, coworkers)
Opinion Leaders (ppl who hold public office)
Historic Events

18. Measuring Public Opinion
What are people’s opinions on particular issues?
How do we measure them?
Elections
Interest groups (groups who share same goal and shape public policy)
Media
Polls

19. Polls How good are they? Fairly reliable Always margin for error
Face to face, online, phone

20. Mass Media Means of communication Linkage between gov’t and people
Forms of Mass Media TV
Newspapers
Radio
Magazines

21. Media and Politics Media influences
public agenda (societal problems that political leaders and ppl agree need attention)
Electoral politics: media lets candidates appeal to people
Build an image

22. Chapter 9
Interest Groups

23. What are interest groups?
Private organization that tries to persuade public officials to respond to their attitudes
Fortune Magazine "Power 25 Survey for 2001“ The Top 25 Interest Groups
1.  National Rifle Association 2.  American Association of Retired People (AARP)

24. Role of Interest Groups
1st amendment gives the right to assemble
AKA: special interests, organized groups
Influence public policy
Are they good or bad?
Good: provides political participation,
Bad: push their own interest (not All Americans)

25. Types of Interest Groups
Agricultural Groups
Labor Groups
Labor Unions
Professional Groups
Religious Groups

26. How they influence Public Opinion and Campaigns
The use of propaganda: posters, TV ads
NRA: gun safety signs
Lobbying: way groups pressure the government
Persuade legislators about their point of view