Voting and Elections Chapter 10

Daily Agenda (10/22/07)  Appetizer  Homework review  Groups (3 rd Period Only)/1 st Period (Tomorrow)  Notes

Objectives: 4.06 Describe the benefits of civic participation Analyze costs and benefits of jury service, voting, seeking office, and civic action at the local, state, and national level Participate in civic life, politics, and/or government.

Qualifying to Vote In order to vote you must be:  18 years old  A resident of a state for a specified period of time  Citizen of the US  You must be registered to vote

Qualifying to Vote  Only convicted felons or prisoners can not vote.  You can not be denied the right vote regardless of:  Your race  Color  Gender  Age (After you turn 18)

Voter Registration  You must meet the qualifications and register to vote before you can actually vote  Some states require you register at least 25 days in advance. Others, 10 days or less.  Registration Requirements vary from state to state.

Voter Registration  Some States use different methods for Voter Registration:  Snail Mail  In-person registration (Voter Registration Rallies, High Schools, Libraries, On the Street)   Welfare Agencies  DMV (Motor Voter Act)

Motor Voter Act  Passed in 1995  Also known as the National Voter Registration Act  Allows voters to register when they renew their drivers licenses.

Voter Registration Continued  Requires you to fill out a few forms.  On the forms they ask for:  Your Name  Address  Age  Phone Number  Party Preference (Republican, Democrat, Independent, unaffiliated, Third Party)

Voter Registration  If you register as a Democrat or Republican you can vote in a primary election.

There ’ s a first time for everything  If you register for the first time you must show:  Proof of Citizenship  Address  Age  (Birth Certificate or Driver ’ s License) Once registered you are assigned an election district based on your address.

At the polls  Polls are usually open between 7 am and 7pm in North Carolina.  Once you arrive a clerk asks for your voter id, drivers license and a signature on an application.  Note there should always be a sample ballot posted somewhere for you to see it.

Ballots  Ballots are lists of candidates on which you can cast your vote.  Ballots can also list issues or proposals on county ordinances.

Types of Ballots  Paper  Scantron  Hole-Punch  Electronic Lever  Computer

Sample Ballot Exercise  The following slides contain a sample ballot similar to those found on a computer ballot. On a quarter sheet of paper (Share with your neighbors) you are going to vote on a Candidate running for office or on a proposal  Remember you can write-in a candidates name that does not appear on this ballot

Sample Ballot *Your Choice for President of the United States Fred Thompson (R) Hillary Clinton (D)

Sample Ballot Continued  Your Choice for Vice President of the United States Mike Huckabee (R) Barack Obama (D)

Sample Ballot *Choose one for US Senate Elizabeth Dole (R) Carl Levin (D)

Sample Ballot Choose one for NC Governor Beverly Perdue (D) Roy Cooper (R)

Sample Ballot Choose one for NC Superior Court Judge Howard Manning (R) Jane Doe (D)

Sample Ballot Proposal: Schools in Robeson County should adopt a uniform policy. (Choose One) Yes No

Sample Ballot  Proposal: There should be a.2% raise in county taxes to help pay for a new Lumberton High School. (Choose One) Yes No

Sample Ballot Proposal: I-95 shall be converted into a toll road. (Choose One) Yes No

Absentee Voting  Absentee Ballots are ballots that are sent out to be people who can not make it to a polling place.  Generally these people are in the military or are temporarily outside the voting district they live in.  Absentee Ballots are usually mailed in and counted on Election Day or a day after.

Returns, Exit Polls, and Counting  Returns- results from the elections.  Exit Polls are polls taken from voters as they leave the polling places.

Calling the Election Although polls close around 7:30 in the eastern time zones, voting continues in other time zones. Networks such as CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, ABC, NBC cover the election all night.

Calling the Election  They used computerized projections based on the Election History to call races.

Election 2004

Your Vote Matters  Your Vote is important!  In order to be informed about issues read newspapers, watch TV, listen to radio ads.  TV Networks such as Fox News, CNN, Headline News, MSNBC they run political coverage 24/7.

My Vote Matters!  As you become an educated voter read carefully!  Know fact from fiction. Visit sites such as the GOP (Republican Website) and the Democrats Homepage.GOP Democrats

My Vote Matters Questions to Consider  Does the Candidate stand for things I think are important?  Is the candidate reliable and honest?  Does the Candidate have relevant past experience?  Will the Candidate be effective in office?  Does the candidate have a real chance of winning?

Citizens who do vote:  Have positive attitude towards government and citizenship.  The more education that a person has the more likely they are to vote in future elections.  The higher the income, the more likely a person is to vote.

Final Thoughts  Voting gives you a chance to choose your government leaders  It gives you a chance to voice your opinion on current government leaders  You can elect new leaders or express your opinions on new issues.

Assignment (Honors and Law and Justice)  On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph about issues that are important to you as a voter. Some issues that you may want to think about are (Energy, Healthcare, Social Security, the War in Iraq) and what you would like your ideal candidate to do about these issues. *Due at the end of the Period)

Election Results- President 1 st Period  Hillary Clinton (D) 8  Fred Thompson(R) 11  Independent 3 Winner: Fred Thompson 3 rd Period Hillary Clinton (D) 10 Fred Thompson (R) 7 Independent: 7 Winner: Hillary Clinton

Election Results V.P. 1 st Period Barack Obama (D) 13 Mike Huckabee (R) 6 Independent 3 Winner: Barack Obama 3 rd Period Barack Obama (D) 16 Mike Huckabee (R) 6 Independent 2 Winner Barack Obama

Election Results- NC Governor 1 st Period Beverly Perdue (D) 13 Roy Cooper (R) 6 Independent 3 Winner: Beverly Perdue 3 rd Period Beverly Perdue (D) 16 Roy Cooper (R) 5 Independent 3 Winner: Beverly Perdue

NC Superior Court 1 st Period Howard Manning (R) 10 Jane Doe (D) 9 Independent: 3 Winner: Howard Manning 3 rd Period Howard Manning (R) 21 Jane Doe (D) 3 Independent 0 Winner: Howard Manning

US Senate 1 st Period * Elizabeth Dole (R) 12 Carl Levin (D) 7 Independent 3 Winner: Elizabeth Dole 3 rd Period Elizabeth Dole(R) 17 Carl Levin (D) 6 Independent 1 Winner: Elizabeth Dole

Proposal A 1 st Period: Proposal A: Yes7 No 15 Measure Did Not Pass 3 rd Period Proposal A: Yes 3 No 21 Measure Did Not Pass

Proposal B 1 st Period: Yes 9 No 13 3 rd Period Yes 3 No 21

Proposal C 1 st Period Yes 1 No 21 3rd Period Yes 5 No 19

The People Have Decided  Hillary Clinton (D) President-Elect  Barack Obama (D) Vice President-Elect  Governor Elect (D) Beverly Perdue  Superior Court Judge: Howard Manning (R)  US Senate: Elizabeth Dole (R)  Proposals (None Passed)