1. Chapter Seven Participation, Elections, and Parties

2. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-2 Campaigning This presentation will present some basics of campaigning for elected office. There are two key ingredients needed, and the more you have of each, the better are your chances of winning. But it is politics, and there can be some unexpected results.

3. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-3 Media This is the first key ingredient. You will need a way to reach your voters. Door-to-door campaigning is still effective, but as districts get more populated, knocking on doors is harder to do. Can choose to communicate with voters in other ways.

4. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-4 Controlled Media This is where the candidate (or your campaign staff) controls the message sent to the public. There are three basic ways: Advertising Media Events Mailings

5. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-5 Controlled Media - Advertising Advertising includes TV, radio, newspapers, and billboards. Candidates run various types of ads, depending on their message. Attack/Negative ads- degrade the opposition Support ads- rally the voters to your side Info ads- state your position on an issue

6. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-6 Controlled Media - Media Events These are events designed and timed to be covered by the news media. Includes speeches, rallies, tours, etc. that focus on the candidate. The media use the “sound bites” the candidate wants. It is free coverage for the candidate.

7. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-7 Controlled Media - Mailings Candidates will still send things through the mail to voters. The targeted voters are often voters from the candidate’s own party. The normal expectation is to reinforce the voter’s view of the candidate and to encourage them to vote.

8. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-8 Uncontrolled Media Occasionally things do not go as planned. Speeches may not go as expected, ads may backfire, or the candidate may do something illegal or immoral. Since the politician is a news item, it may be hard to avoid some negative press.

9. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-9 Money This is the second key ingredient. Advertising costs money. Traveling costs money. Staffing costs money. And there are various other expenses as well, but advertising will often be the number one expense.

10. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-10 Money Sources As a candidate, you can get money from three basic sources: Yourself Other individuals Political Action Committees (PACs) Texas has some campaign finance laws that are different from other states, and even from federal elections.

11. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-11 Money Sources (Cont’d) The candidate Generally allowed to use as much of your own money as you want. When Tony Sanchez ran for governor in 2002, he gave and loaned himself over $27 million. Most candidates are not that fortunate, so they have to ask for donations.

12. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-12 Money Sources (Cont’d) Individuals Individual people are allowed to give candidates money; candidate will need a treasurer to keep track of donations. There is no limit on how much one can give a candidate, but there are limits on how much they can loan to the campaign. Donations over $50 require a name and address, and donations over $100 in cash are not allowed.

13. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-13 Money Sources (Cont’d) Political Action Committees (PACs) Set up by businesses and labor unions since those two groups cannot donate directly to political candidates. Once again, there is no real limit on donations, but some PACs are limited because they participate in federal elections. Individual reporting requirements apply to PACs.

14. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7-14 Leftover Money What happens if there is money left after the election? State law has the answer: Title 15 of the Election Code, Section 254.204: The money may be put toward one of six areas, including: another political candidate, the person who originally gave the donation, or for creation of a college scholarship.