Election Campaigns

Types of Elections Primary Elections: used to select a party’s nominee for office; open v. closed General Election: used to decide who will serve in office Elections on issues: voters decide an issue Special Elections: runoffs or recalls may be called from time to time

General Elections General Elections always take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November All seats in the house and 1/3 of the seats in the Senate are voted on every even numbered year Presidential elections occur every four years Other state and local offices may also be voted on KY is unusual since it elects its state officials on odd numbered years; 2011 Except for the president, the candidate that wins a plurality of the votes wins David Williams v. Steve Beshear

Voting on Issues In some state and local elections voters may decide on issue Initiative: citizens propose new laws or state constitutional amendments by getting people to sign a proposition; 2004 LexTran tax The federal government and the state of KY do not use initiatives Referendum: citizens approve or reject a state or local law Advantages, disadvantages?

Special Elections In some states and cities runoff elections occurs when the winner of the election does not receive a majority of the votes, runoff is held to determine the winner Recall: citizens can vote to remove a public official from office, reasons why?

Presidential Elections Presidential elections have three major steps: nomination, the campaign, and the vote Presidential hopefuls start campaigning in primaries for their party’s nomination a year or more before the election, winner is nominated at the national convention Presidential campaigns are usually in full swing by Aug. or Sept.; candidate travel across the country giving speeches, appearing on TV, and holding news conferences and debates Campaigning is important to motivate voters and to change minds

Electoral College Presidents are not chosen by direct popular vote, they are chosen through the Electoral College In every state a list of “electors” are pledged to each candidate, the winner of the state usually receives all of the states electoral votes Each state has one elector for each of its U.S. Senators and representatives, total number is 538; need 270 to win Electoral college was a compromise at the Constitutional Convention Advantages/Disadvantages? Obama: Blue Romney: Red