1. Chapter 10 Section 3

2. Voter Qualification  Each state determines qualifications for registering to vote and voting  States must follow certain guidelines 1. Can not deny right to vote to those over 18 2. Can not deny right to vote based on race, color, or sex. 3. Can not require voter to pay a tax before voting

3. Voter Registration  Most states require voters to register before voting -Name, address, date of birth  Names of registered voters placed on voter roll.  Makes sure no one votes more than once.  Voters can register as members of a political party or as independent voters

4. Elections  Two types pf elections 1. Primary Elections - allow voters to choose which party candidates will run in the later 2. General Election - where voters choose their leaders from candidates offered by all the political parties

5. Primary Elections Two types of Primary Elections 1.Closed primary - only voters who are registered members of a particular party are allowed to choose their parties candidate.  Independent voters can not vote 2.Open Primary - voters can vote for candidates from any party, whether or not they belong to that party

6. Primary Elections  In most states, the candidate with the most votes wins the primary elections  Some states require a candidate to receive a majority of votes to win a primary -If no candidate receives a majority, the top 2 candidates will have a run-off election.

7. Independent Candidates  If a candidate does not belong to a party, they can have their name placed on the ballot if enough supporters sign a petition  Some state allow voters to write in the name of candidates

8. Early Presidential Primaries  Before the presidential elections, voters from all 50 states hold primary elections to choose their candidate of choice  Candidates try to gain momentum by winning early primary elections

9. Which states hold early primary elections?

10. Early Primaries  Candidates who win these election receive media attention and are better able to raise money  Candidates who fail to win the Iowa Caucuses or the New Hampshire primary often drop out of the election.

11. Early Primaries  Iowa Caucus -Population 3 million -94% white  New Hampshire Primary -Population 1.3 million - 96% white  US Population 304 million  79% white

12. Is it fair that such small states, with populations that do not represent the U.S., hold so much influence in presidential elections?

13. What would be a more fair way to decide which state(s) hold early primaries?

14. Warm Up:  How do political parties decide which candidate will represent them in the general election?

15. General Election  1 st Tuesday following 1 st Monday in November  Presidential every 4 years  Congressional every 2 years  Even numbered years

16. Casting the Ballot  Voting was initially done viva voce, by voice.  Paper ballots began to be used in the mid-1800s. Australian Ballot Also known as the secret ballot Printed at public expense Printed at public expense List names of all candidates in an election List names of all candidates in an election Given out only at polls to qualified voters Given out only at polls to qualified voters Marked in secret Marked in secret

17. Voting  Straight ticket voting - voting for all of the candidates in one political party  Split ticket voting - choosing candidates from more than one party

18. Office-Group and Party-Column Ballots

19. Sample Ballots  Some states, including California, provide sample ballots before an election  Lists all candidates and measures on ballot  Candidates are allowed space to present qualifications  Supporters and opponents of ballot measures are allowed space to present arguments

20. Voting Machines and Innovations  Early voting machines used levers  Electronic vote counting. Punch-card ballots punch holes in paper to indicate voter choice. -“Hanging chads”  Help America Vote Act has called for elimination of punch card ballots  States now using optical scan (scantron) ballots and touch screen ballots (DRE).

21. Voting Machines and Innovations  Vote-by-mail elections have come into use in recent years. -Oregon does all elections by ail  Online voting is a trend that may be encountered in the near future What are potential benefits and problems with online voting?