1. Campaigns, Elections and Voting Behavior
Chapter 8
Campaigns, Elections and Voting Behavior

2. Who Is Eligible to Run for Office ?
there are few eligibility requirements to run for most U.S. offices
President
must be a natural born citizen
must be 35 years old
must be a resident of the country for 14 years before inauguration
Vice President
must not be a resident of the same state as the presidential candidate

3. Who Is Eligible to Run for Office ? (cont.)
Senate
must be a citizen for at least nine years
must be 30 years old
must be a resident of the state from which elected
Representative
must be a citizen for at least seven years
must be 25 years old

4. The Modern Campaign Machine
longer campaigns than in past times
greater emphasis on funds
lesser emphasis on political parties
greater reliance on political consultants, who are hired to devise a campaign strategy
greater emphasis on candidate visibility, or name recognition
greater use of polls and focus groups

5. Regulating Campaign Finance
Federal Corrupt Practices Act of 1925
limited election expenses for candidates
required disclosures
was ineffective because of its many loopholes
The Hatch Act of 1939
prohibited groups from spending more than $3 million in a campaign
limited individual contributions to committees to $5,000
restricted political activities of civil servants
designed to end influence peddling

6. Regulating Campaign Finance (cont.)
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1972
restricted mass media expenditures
limited contributions by candidate and family members
required disclosure of all contributions over $80
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974
created the Federal Election Commission
provided public financing of presidential elections’
limited presidential election campaign spending
limited contributions
required disclosure of contributions and expenditures

7. Regulating Campaign Finance (cont.)
Buckley v. Valeo (1976) declared the 1972 limitation on what an individual could spend on his or her own election unconstitutional
The Bi-partisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 – bans soft, limits interest group advertising, increases individual contribution limit to $2000

8. Running for President Types of Presidential Primaries
closed primary – only voters who are declared party members can vote in that party’s primary
open primary – voters can vote in either party primary without disclosing their party affiliation
blanket primary – voters can vote in primary elections for candidates of more than one party (a Democrat for the presidential nominee and a Republican for the Senate nominee, for example)
run-off primary – if no candidate receives a majority in the first primary, some states require a second primary between the top two candidates

9. The Electoral College
Electors in the Electoral College actually elect the president and vice president of the United States
the numbers of electors in each state in equal to that state’s number of representatives in both houses of Congress
electors typically cast their votes for the candidate that receives the plurality of votes in that state
because of the winner take all system of the electoral college, it typically serves to exaggerate the popular margin of victory

10. How Presidents and Vice Presidents are Chosen
IF top presidential and vice-presidential candidates receive fewer than 270 electoral votes, decisions are made in the House and Senate. Each state gets one vote in the House, two votes in the Senate.
Presidential candidate receives 26 votes or more.
General Election
(first Tuesday in November)
Voters vote for electors
Electoral College
(1st Monday after second Wednesday in December)
Electors vote for president and vice president respectively
President elected
If no pres. Candidate receives 26 votes by Jan. 20, and v.p. has been elected, v.p. becomes acting pres. until pres. is elected by the House.
House
Representatives vote for president by state. Majority is needed to win.
If neither candidate is elected by Jan. 20, speaker of the House becomes acting pres. until pres. is elected by the House.
Senate
Senators vote for vice president (from top 2 candidates). Majority is needed to win.
Top presidential candidate receives 270 votes or more
Top vice-presidential candidate receives 270 votes or more
If no v.p. candidate is elected by Jan. 20, and pres. has been elected, a v.p. is appointed by the pres. and approved by Congress.
President elected
Vice
president
elected
Vice
president
elected
Vice presidential candidate receives 51 votes or more.

11. Factors that Influence Who Votes
age
educational attainment
minority status
income levels
two-party competition

12. Figure 8-2: Voter Turnout for Presidential and Congressional Elections, 1900 to Present

13. Hot Links to Selected Internet Resources:
Book’s Companion Site:
Wadsworth’s Political Science Site:
Federal Election Commission:
OpenSecrets.org:
Center for Voting and Democracy: