Elections in the United States

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Elections in the United States
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Campaign Finance Terms

• Matching Funds money from the public (i.e.
  actually, this comes from the 3 check-offs on
  personal-income tax returns) that the Federal
  Election Commission (FEC) dispenses to primary
  candidates
• Hard Money Monies given to candidates
  campaigns and subject to federal campaign finance
  regulations
• Soft Money Funding given to political parties
  for party-building purposes
• Self-financing Monies put up by candidate to
  fund his/her own campaign
• Independent Organizations No limit on
  contributions to independent organizations (e.g..
  527s) that then use the funds to run issue ads
• Issue Ads No limit on funds to pay for an ad,
  but there must be no coordination with the party
  or candidate

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Money Matters in Elections
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Ideological Activists vs. Moderate Party Masses
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Trends in the Funding of Presidential Elections
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Voters Mind Made Up Prior to Election?
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Red-Blue America in the 2004 Presidential Election

• http//www-personal.umich.edu/mejn/election/

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Who Votes For Which Party?
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Decreasing Democratic Party Identification
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Black-White Attitudinal Differences over Race
Relations and Policy
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Gender Gap in Voting