The Electoral Process

1
The Electoral Process

• Magruder Chapter Seven

2
The Nominating Process
3
The Importance of Nominations

• The nominating process is important because the
  United States has a strong two-party system,
  which means that there are usually only two
  viable candidates for any office
• There are five major ways in which nominations
  can be made

4
Self-Announcement

• Self-announcement is the oldest form of the
  nominating process
• It is often used by people running in small towns
  or rural areas
• It is also used by people at higher levels who
  fail to get their partys nomination or are
  unhappy with its choice

5
The Caucus

• A caucus is a group of like-minded people that
  meets to select the candidates it will support in
  an upcoming election
• Early caucuses were private meetings made up of a
  few influential figures
• Caucuses are still used to make local nominations
  in some areas, but they are now open to all
  members of a party

6
The Convention

• Nominating conventions were first used in the
  1830s and quickly caught on as the only way to
  select presidential candidates
• In each local area, party members elect delegates
  to represent them at county conventions county
  conventions elect delegates to State conventions

7
The Convention

• State conventions elect delegates to the
  national convention who select the partys
  presidential and vice-presidential nominees
• The process was corrupted by party bosses and
  fell out of favor in the late 1800s

8
The Direct Primary

• The direct primary is an election held within a
  party to pick the partys candidates for the
  general election
• The Closed Primary in a closed primary only
  declared party members can vote to decide which
  candidate the party will support

9
The Direct Primary

• The Open Primary in an open primary any
  qualified voter may vote to decide which
  candidate a party will support
• The Closed vs. the Open Primary Americans make
  strong arguments for and against both types of
  primary

10
The Direct Primary

• The Runoff Primary in States that demand that
  the winning candidate of each party holds an
  absolute majority of that partys votes, runoff
  primaries are held in which voters must choose
  between the two top vote-getters

11
The Direct Primary

• The Nonpartisan Primary most school and
  municipal officials and, often, State judges, are
  chosen from ballots that do not identify
  candidates by party affiliation
• Evaluation of the Primary Primaries are costly
  and divisive and many voters neither recognize
  their importance nor inform themselves
  sufficiently to make wise choices

12
The Direct Primary

• The Presidential Primary in these elections,
  voters declare their preference for a particular
  candidate and/or elect delegates to a partys
  national convention

13
Nomination by Petition

• At the local level, this process is commonly used
  for nonpartisan posts
• In some States, election laws require that
  minor-party or independent candidates get a
  certain number of signatures before they are put
  on the ballot

14
Elections
15
The Administration of Elections

• The Extent of Federal Control
• Most election law is State law
• Congress sets the time, place, and manner of
  congressional elections
• It has also passed laws designed to protect the
  right to vote and prevent election fraud

16
The Administration of Elections

• When Elections are Held
• Most States hold elections for State offices in
  November of every even-numbered year
• Some States hold certain elections at other
  times, usually in the spring

17
The Administration of Elections

• The Coattail Effect
• A popular candidates at the top of the ticket
  helps other candidates form the same party
• Some argue that State and local elections should
  be held at different times than presidential
  elections in order to lessen this coattail
  effect

18
Precincts and Polling Places

• State law restricts the population size of voting
  districts, or precincts
• Precinct election boards ensure that elections
  are held in an orderly manner, and each political
  party sends poll watchers to watch for election
  fraud

19
The Ballot

• The Australian Ballot this secret ballot,
  printed at public expense and given out only at
  polling places, was a reform introduced in the
  late 1800s
• The Office-Group Ballot this form of the
  Australian ballot groups candidates for each
  office together

20
The Ballot

• The Party-Column Ballot this form of the
  Australian ballot lists each partys candidates
  in a column under the partys name
• Sample Ballots clearly marked sample ballots
  are mailed to voters in many States and appear in
  newspapers to help the voters prepare for an
  election

21
The Ballot

• The Long and Short of It traditionally,
  Americans prefer to elect, rather than appoint,
  large numbers of local officials on the theory
  that the greater the number of elected officials,
  the more democratic the government

22
Voting Machines and Innovations

• Invented by Thomas Edison, voting machines were
  first used in 1892
• Electronic Vote Counting Electronic data
  processing techniques are now in use in many
  States
• Vote-by-Mail elections mail-in ballots are
  allowed in some local elections, and on at least
  one occasion, in elections for national office as
  well

23
Money and the Election Process
24
Campaign Spending Amounts

• Observers estimate that about 750 million was
  spent on the 1996 presidential election
• Money is used for many purposes staff and
  office costs, polling, television time, and so
  forth

25
Sources of Campaign Funding

• Private Givers the candidates themselves,
  individual citizens, PACs, and temporary campaign
  organizations all contribute money to political
  campaigns
• Why People Give Some give to support candidates
  and policies they believe in others want access
  to government in return for their financial
  support

26
Regulating Campaign Finance

• The Federal Election Commission (FEC) the FEC
  is an independent agency whose members set limits
  on campaign contributions and spending, require
  prompt disclosure of campaign finance data, and
  administer public funds for part of the
  presidential election process

27
Regulating Campaign Finance

• Disclosure Requirements Strict laws govern who
  can contribute to political campaigns, how much
  each person can give, and how campaign funds may
  be spent
• The Role of PACs PACs, which have grown rapidly
  in recent years, may contribute up to 5,000 to
  any presidential candidate

28
Regulating Campaign Finance

• Limits on Contributions Federal law limits
  contributions by individuals, unions, national
  banks, and corporations
• Limits on Expenditures Federal law limits
  spending in presidential campaigns
• Public Funding of Presidential Campaigns Monies
  for public funding of campaigns are contributed
  by individual citizens at income-tax time

29
Regulating Campaign Finance

• Preconvention Period The FEC provides public
  funds to candidates by matching private,
  individual contributions
• National Conventions Each party automatically
  receives a grant of public funds to pay for its
  national convention
• Presidential Campaigns Major-Party nominees
  automatically qualify for a public subsidy to
  cover campaign costs

30
(No Transcript)