1. The Election Process

2. National Level - Senators Each state elects 2 Senators for staggered 6-year terms. Senators represent the entire state. JOHN MCCAIN Next Election: 2016 Party: Republican JEFF FLAKE Next Election: 2018 Party: Republican

3. National Level – Congressional Representative Congressional District: A division of a state from which a member of the US House of Reps is elected. US is divided into 435 Congressional Districts Based upon the 2010 Census

4. National Level – Congressional Representative AZ has 9 Congressional Districts Each with a population of ~ 710,000 Rhodes JH & Dobson Ranch located in District 9 District 9

5. National Level – Congressional Representative Each district elects a rep to the US House of Representatives for a two-year term. Reps are also called Congressmen / Congresswomen 9 th District KYRSTEN SINEMA Party: Democrat District 9

6. National Level – President Requirements for a Presidential Candidate 1.Natural Born Citizen 2.Minimum Age: 35 yrs 3.US Resident: 14 yrs

7. National Level – President Step 1: Primary Election AKA “The Primaries” 1.There are many people who want to be President, each w/their own ideas about how gov’t should work. 2.People w/similar ideas belong to the same political party. (Democrats or Republicans or Independent 3 rd Parties)

8. National Level – President Step 1: Primary Election (cont) 3. Candidates from each political party campaign throughout the country to win the favor of their party members. 4. In a Primary, party members vote for the best candidate to represent their party in the General Election. I’m the Best so Vote for me!!

9. National Level – President Step 2: National Convention 1.Each political party holds a nat’l convention to select a final Presidential candidate. 2.At each political party’s convention, the Pres candidate chooses a running mate (Vice-Pres candidate).

10. National Level – President Step 3: The Campaign Trail 1.The Presidential candidates campaign throughout the country to win the support of the general population. 2.The campaign uses the media and often includes televised debates.

11. National Level – President Step 4: The General Election 1.People in every state across the country vote for one President and Vice-Pres. 2.When people cast their vote, they are actually voting for a group of people known as electors. 3.The group of electors pledge to vote for a specific candidate when the Electoral College meets (in Dec).

12. National Level – President Step 5: The Electoral College 1. Each state gets a certain number of electors based upon its representation in Congress: # of US Senators (2) + # of US Representatives Arizona has: 2 Senators + 9 Representatives = ____ Electoral Votes? 2. The grand total of Electoral Votes = 538

13. National Level – President Step 5: Electoral College 3. The presidential/vice-presidential pair who wins the popular vote in any given state receives all of that state's number of Electoral College votes. 4. Most states have a “winner-take-all” system that awards all electors to the winning presidential candidate. (Exception: Nebraska & Maine) Y X X X Y Z Democratic Candidate Republican Candidate

14. National Level – President Step 5: Electoral College 5. In the end, the winner of the race is the candidate who receives a majority of the Electoral College votes. (270 votes) 6. The Electoral vote results are officially counted & declared at a joint session of Congress held on Jan 6, the year after the election. 2012 Election Electoral Votes Obama 332 Romney 206

15. National Level – President Step 5: Electoral College 7. The newly elected President and Vice-Pres are inaugurated on Jan 20 th. 8. 12 th Amendment: When no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, the House of Representatives selects the President. Electoral College Brainpop Electoral College Brainpop (4:50)