1. Civics Unit 5 “Elections”

2. I. Funding Campaigns A. Private Funds- money from individual contributors, large corporations, or fundraisers 1. limit of $2300 per person 2. can fund own campaign w/o limit B. Public Funds- help by matching funds raised but has limits

3. C. PACs and Soft Money 1. Political Action Committees (PACs)- interest groups that try to elect candidates ($5000 limit) 2. lobbyist- activist for an interest group 3. Soft money- unlimited money not for campaign but may help one side a. Ex: Swift Boat Vets, MoveOn.org

4. 4.01-2 Review 1. Name and explain three different types of third- parties 2. What is an advantage of a multi-party system over a two-party system? 3. Give an example of a plank for both political parties 4. What is a way for PACs or other interest groups to get around campaign contribution limits? 5. What is the purpose of primaries in the election system?

5. II. Nominating Candidates A. Primaries- voting for party candidate for general election (diff. ways of counting votes- winner take all vs. divided) B. Caucuses- group of people meet and select candidate C. Conventions- Party members meet and pick candidate

6. III. General Election A. Campaign 1. Labor-intensive- volunteers, rallies, events 2. Media-driven- TV, radio, internet

7. B. Electoral College- 1. determined by number of representatives in state 2. need 270 of 538 to win; if no 270, House decides C. Inauguration- swearing in

8. Assignment  Option 1: Pick a party  Pick which of our two parties you most support. Explain why you support this party. What positions of the party do you agree with and why? Are there other factors like people in gov’t or the culture of the party that affect your affiliation?  Option 2: Pick a candidate  Who will you vote for in the 2012 election, who would you have voted for and why? Think about party, personal qualifications, positions on issues, etc.  We will work on this in class on Friday.  Length- 1-1.5 Double-spaced typed pages

9. Civics Unit 5 Media and Public Opinion

10. I. Media A. Propaganda- technique of persuasion to influence behavior 1. create belief good or bad 2. Mass media- tv, newspaper, radio, etc. 3. canvassing- targeting a group of people personally

11. B. Methods of propaganda 1. Glittering generalities- values w/o explanations 2. Bandwagon- everybody’s doing it 3. Stack Cards- show one side 4. Just Plain Folks- show as one of the people 5. Name Calling- accusatory generalizations 6. Transfer- combine ideas to transfer attitude toward one idea to the another 7. Endorsement-A celebrity or well- known individual advocates for a cand idate

19. A. Very important because reflects voting behavior B. Public Opinion polls- collect information by asking questions 1. straw poll- unreliable, no control over who responds (ex: internet polls, voluntary polls) 2. scientific polling- get accurate information (ex: Gallup Organization or Harris Survey) a. sample size about 1000 people b. margin of error +3-5%

20. “Interest Groups and Political Action”

21. A. Group of citizens coming together to effect public policy B. Protected by 1 st Amendment: speech, assembly, petition C. Public Interest Groups- support causes that affect Americans in general 1. ex: League of Women’s Voters: educates voters

22. A. Lobbying- representatives from interest groups contacting gov’t officials to further cause

23. B. Litigation- using courts to further cause 1. NRA stopping DC handgun law C. Protest- ex: Bus Boycott against segregation D. Recall- allow voters to remove an elected official from office