The Election Process

The Nominating Process The Critical First Step Nomination General elections Self-Announcement Caucus Originally very practical Closed & unrepresentative

Conventions Hierarchical structure Local County State National

Why did conventions decline Corruption Criminals Disreputable individuals

Types of primaries Direct Primary Closed primary Open primary Party members only Declaration at registration Open primary Any qualified voter can take part Private or public declaration of party Blanket primary Can perform straight or split ticket voting

Closed v. Open Closed Open It prevents one party from nominating weaker candidates in the other party Makes candidates more responsive to the party, platform and members It helps make voters more thoughtful because they must choose between the parties to vote. Compromises secrecy Excludes independents. Voters don’t have to make party known Independents are included Permits raiding of parties Reduces party loyalty

Other Primaries Run Off Non Partisan Held when there is no winner of majority vote Two top vote getters face each other Non Partisan Candidates – no labels

Evaluation of the primaries Declaration of party Long ballots (bedsheet) Expenses Name familiarity

Elections

Elections Administration Federal control When elections are held Early voting Absentee voting Coattail Effect

Precincts and polling paces Precinct: voting district Polling place – where voters actually vote Precinct Board Supervises voting process Precinct lines Fixes locations Picks members

Casting the Ballot-types of ballots How a voter registers a choice in an election. Now secret ballot Historically viva voce until 1800 Austrailian Ballot Printed at public expense Lists names of all candidates Polls/qualified voters

Types of ballots continued Office Group Ballot Party Column Ballot Sample Ballots Bedsheet Ballots

Voting Machines Electronic Vote Counting Vote by Mail Elections Online Voting

Money and Elections

Campaign Spending and Funding Sources of funding Private and public sources Small donors Wealthy donors Candidates Non party groups Temporary organizations Why do they give money?

Regulating Campaign Finance Federal laws Federal Election Commission Disclosure requirements Limit on contributions PAC Contributions Limits on expenditures Public Funding of Presidential Campaigns

Hard Money Soft Money Money spent to elect Money spent for candidates party building activities