The Electoral Process Chapter 7

The Nominating Process Section One

Nomination—the selecting of candidates for office—is a critical step in the American democratic system as it narrows the field of possible candidates. It precedes the general election, when voters select the officeholders. In the United States, nominations are made in five ways. By self-announcement, a person who wants to run for office simply announces the fact. Nominations may also be made in a caucus, or a group of like-minded people. Another option is nominating at a convention, or a meeting of the party’s members.

Most States now nominate candidates through a direct primary—an election held within a party to pick its candidates—of which there are multiple kinds. In closed primaries, generally only registered party members may vote. In open primaries, any voter may vote in one party’s primary. Until 2000 when it was ruled unconstitutional, three States used a blanket primary, in which voters could choose among all contenders, regardless of party.

In some States a candidate must get more than half the votes to win a primary. If no candidate does, the two top vote-getters hold a runoff primary to determine the winner. In most States, nearly all elected school and municipal offices are filled through nonpartisan elections, in which candidates are not identified by party. Also common is nomination by petition, by which a candidate gets a certain number of qualified voters to sign a petition.

Elections Section Two

While the election process is largely governed by State law, federal law regulates the dates and some other aspects of both presidential and congressional elections. Most States hold elections for State offices on the same day Congress has set for national elections: The Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years. Absentee voting, or voting by those unable to get to their regular polling places, is usually allowed.

Some States allow early voting—casting ballots over a period of days before an election. A precinct is a voting district. A polling place, the place where voters actually vote, is located somewhere in or near a precinct. A ballot is the device by which voters register their choices in an election. States require that ballots be secret—that no one may see them but the voter. Most States use a form called the Australian ballot. It is printed at public expense; lists the names of all candidates in an election; is given out only at the polls, one to each voter; and is marked in secret.

An office-group ballot lists candidates in a group by office, while a party column ballots lists them by party. The coattail effect occurs when a strong candidate running for an office at the top of a ballot attracts voters to other candidates on the party’s ticket.

Money and Elections Section Three

Money plays a key role in politics, but it presents serious problems to democratic governments. The amount of money spent in races varies, but presidential campaigns collect and spend the most. Parties and their candidates draw their money from two basic sources. Most campaign money comes from private sources, including individuals, families, candidates themselves, and political action committees (PACs). PACs are the political arms of special-interest groups.

Presidential candidates receive public subsidies, which are grants of money from federal and/or State treasuries. Federal campaign laws are administered by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). These laws apply only to presidential and congressional elections. They require timely disclosure of campaign finance data and limit campaign contributions. Loopholes in campaign finance laws allow candidates to avoid some rules.

For instance, federal law neither limits nor requires the reporting of soft money, or money given to State and local party organizations for such “party-building activities” as voter registration or party mailings and advertisements. Money that is subject to reporting requirements and amount limits is called hard money.