Elections and Financing

Types of Elections 1.General Elections Held after primary elections Always 1 st Tues after 1 st Mon in Nov. Every even year: all House and 1/3 Senate seats are at stake Every 4 years ÷ 4: Presidential Election State and Local Elections every year Disputed Elections

2.Issue Elections Initiatives a procedure by which citizens can propose new laws or state constitutional amendments through propositions (a petition asking for a new law) Referendums a way for citizens to approve or reject a state or local law

3.Special Elections Runoff: a way to determine winner of state or local election Recall: way to remove a public official from office

Presidential Elections Qualifications: – Natural Born Citizen – Minimum Age 35 years – US Resident 14 years

Step 1: Primaries and Caucuses – Many people want to be president all with different ideas – People with similar ideas belong to same political party – Candidates from each political party campaign throughout the country – Caucus: party members select the best candidate through a series of discussions and votes – Primaries: party members vote for the best candidate that will represent them in the general election

Step 2: National Convention – Each party holds a National Convention to select a final presidential nominee – At each convention, the presidential candidate chooses a running mate (vice president candidate) – The presidential candidates campaign throughout the country to win the support of the general population

Step 3: General Election – People in every state across the country vote for one president and vice president – When people cast their vote, they are actually voting for a group of people known as Electors

Step 4: Electoral College – Each state gets a certain number of electors (member of E.C.) based on representation in Congress – List of electors pledged to each candidate – Winner-take-all system – Elector votes sent to Congress to be counted – Candidate with majority of votes (270) wins – The newly elected president is inaugurated in January

Running for Office Money is major part of election process Purpose of campaigns  convince public to vote for candidate Campaign Techniques: – Canvassing – Endorsement – Advertising right image

Financing a Campaign Legislation and judicial decisions have established rules for financing political campaigns – Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of 1971 – Federal Election Commission (FEC) – Buckley v. Valeo (1976): limit contributions; cannot limit own money

Public Funds Presidential Election Campaign Fund – Money from annual taxes – Major party candidates can receive – Third-party candidates can also qualify for funding Private Funds Individual citizens Corporations Labor unions Interest groups Political Action Committees (PACs)

2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act – a.k.a. McCain-Feingold Act – Set limits on who could raise soft money (donations given to political parties and not designated for a particular candidate’s election campaign) – Set time restrictions on campaign ads – Set new limits on hard money (direct contributions to a candidate’s campaign or political party)