US Government and Politics October 19, 2015

Unit 5: Lesson 4 Elections and Campaigns •Elections are held at every level of government. •Due to our government set-up – there are many more state and local representatives elected. •Our Constitution gives authority to the states to set-up, run, and officialize elections. Federal Government State Governments Local Governments

Unit 5: Elections and Campaigns The Constitution, however gives the federal government important powers over elections. Congress had the power to establish the "times, places, and manner of holding elections" for its members. It also has the power to oversee various aspects of presidential elections. The federal government has also passed several laws relating to the uniformity and fairness of elections held across the U.S. There are also laws regarding the issue of campaign funding. But most of election laws are mostly managed by state law so elections vary in each state.

Type of Elections Elections by purpose: Elections by the level of government: Primary elections General elections Special elections Local State National Elections

Primary Elections The purpose of primary elections is to select candidates to run in the general election. To select their candidates, parties hold primary elections. The winner is nominated by the political party to run in the general election. There could be many candidates running in a primary election. When one does not win a clear majority, the top two finishers may participate in another runoff election against each other in a Special Election.  

General Elections The purpose of general elections is to choose people to hold elected offices. Each party’s nominee is on the ballot. Nominees who are “independent” of a political parties can be on the ballot too. In some cases, voters can write the name of the person on the ballot they would like to see hold office.

Other Voting Items Other items, such as proposed local and state legislation and bond issues will be on the ballot. If approved by the voters, these bond issues allow a local or state government to borrow money. The loan will be repaid over many years through increased taxes.  Another item on ballots can be amendments - citizens or legislators may want to amend the state constitutions. Referendums or a proposed law may also be on the ballots - allows voters to bypass the legislature and governor and pass laws directly. 

Elections National primary and general elections are held in even-numbered years. During election years, all seats in the U.S. House of Representatives run in the election because representatives serve two- year terms and about one-third of the seats in the U.S. Senate are up for reelection because senators serve six-year terms. The president serves a four-year term so every other even-year election includes a presidential election. The election years also have many elections for officials for local and state government positions. Elections for federal office are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. This is known as Election Day State and local governments determine the dates on which most elections are held. Why do you think most state elections and local elections are also held on Election Day too?

The Australian ballot This ballot and voting procedure has become the norm for voting. The ballot printed at public expense and not by the political party as before. Lists all the choices available to the voter which many earlier, party-provided ballots did not. The ballot is not released until election time and at the polling place. It is filled out in a private booth. Candidates are required to fulfill conditions such as being officially nominated by the party or collecting enough signatures in order to appear on the ballot. Which one of these do you think is most important in helping to make the election unbiased and fair?

Other Voting Methods Absentee voting is available to people who are too sick to attend the polls or who must be out of town on Election Day. Early voting gives voters a span of time to cast their ballots, typically several days before the actual election. Voting by mail is also allowed, to some degree, in a few states. In this case, voters receive their ballots through the mail, mark them, and mail them in to be counted. 

Voting Machines Pros Cons Faster and consistent Machines are not very good at making sense of poorly marked ballots.

Paying for Elections The government pays for the actual elections with tax dollars. Campaigns are paid for by the individuals running. Running for office is expensive, especially at the state and federal level. Corporations, parties, and private groups contribute money to individual’s campaigns. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) currently regulates a system of general contributions called soft money, and specific campaign funds or hard money to a particular candidate.

New Ruling on Campaign Funding In 2012, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The Court ruled that the government could not limit political spending by corporations and unions on "electioneering communications" such as ads and films because such limits violate First Amendment free speech rights.