Suffrage; the right to vote, is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution until the 15th Amendment. The Fifteenth Amendment (Amendment XV) to the United States Constitution prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Ratified on February 3, 1870

Since the 15th Amendment, who can vote is the subject of other Amendments 19th Amendment - The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. (1920) 24th Amendment - The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of people pay poll tax or other tax. (1964) 26th Amendment - The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age. (1971)

The Twenty-third Amendment (Amendment XXIII) to the United States Constitution permits citizens in the District of Columbia to vote for Electors for President and Vice President. The amendment was proposed by Congress on June 17, 1960, and ratified by the states on March 29, 1961. The first Presidential election in which it was in effect was the presidential election of 1964.

Campaign An organized, planned action for the purpose of getting a candidate elected. It may include campaign manager(s), political consultants, fund raisers, speech writers and speeches, press secretary, policy experts, lawyers and accountants, researchers, travel planner, events coordinator, image building, etc. It is how the candidate will become known to voters.

Platform A platform is the candidate’s or political party’s declaration of beliefs in areas such as crime, drug abuse, education.

Primary Election Is an election held before the general election in which candidates from the same party compete for the party nomination.

Primary Election In a primary election, Democrats run against Democrats and Republicans run against Republicans. The Democrat winner and the Republican winner face each other in the general election. There are two types of primaries; open primary and closed primary. In a closed primary only registered party members may take part in the election and vote for their party’s candidate. In an open primary any registered voter may vote for any Candidate running in the election.

General Elections Regularly scheduled statewide elections at which voters make the final selection for public office-holders

Run-off Election A repeat election between 2 front runners in a prior election when no candidate has received a majority of votes. Run-off elections are usually held in places where the law requires a majority vote.

All states have different election laws. How elections are run is a state right to decide. Majority vs. plurality election In a majority election one candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote usually in a two person race. Candidate A: 50.1% Candidate B: 49.9% In a plurality election the candidate that receives the highest percentage of votes wins the election Candidate A: 37% Candidate B: 32% Candidate C: 19% Candidate D: 12%

The only nationwide election in the country is the Presidential election. The election for president begins in January of the election year. A party primary is held in nearly every state from January till the summer months leading into the party convention where the party candidate is chosen. Some states may hold a caucus rather than a primary. A caucus is a meeting of members of a political party to coordinate members' actions, choose group policy, or nominate candidates for office.

Once all primaries and caucuses are held, the Candidate that has won the most delegates to the convention for their party will become the party nominee. On the first Tuesday of November an election is held for president between the Democrat candidate and the Republican candidate. Other parties may run candidates as well, these are 3rd parties. In December the electors from each state meet in their state capitols the cast their Electoral College vote for president based on the popular vote of the people.

Electoral College The group of electors who are selected by the voters in each state to officially elect the president and vice president. The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of each state’s representatives in both houses of Congress. Many people believe the Electoral College is an undemocratic way to elect the president. Do you think the Electoral College should be eliminated?

How the Electoral College works? Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of its U.S. senators plus the number of its U.S. representatives. Currently, the Electoral College includes 538 electors, 535 for the total number of congressional members, and three who represent Washington, D.C., as allowed by the 23rd Amendment. On the Monday following the second Wednesday in December, the electors of each state meet in their respective state capitals to officially cast their votes for president and vice president. These votes are then sealed and sent to the president of the Senate, who on January 6th opens and reads the votes in the presence of both houses of Congress. The winner is sworn into office at noon on January 20th.

How the Electoral College works? When a candidate wins the popular vote of a state on election day, that candidate wins the party electors for that state and those electors will vote in their respective state capitol for president. What makes the Electoral College democratic is that it is based on the popular vote of the state. A candidate may win the popular vote in the whole country but lose the Electoral College vote.

1980 Electoral vote, Reagan vs. Carter

1984 Electoral vote, Reagan vs. Mondale

1988 Electoral vote, Bush vs. Dukakis Bush was Reagan’s VP, notice the support change

1992 Electoral vote, Bush vs. Clinton

1996 Electoral vote, Clinton vs. Dole

2000 Electoral vote, Bush vs. Gore

2004 Electoral vote, Bush vs. Kerry

2008 Electoral vote, Obama vs. McCain

Analyzing the Electoral vote Which parts of the country consistently support the Republicans? Which parts of the country consistently support the Democrats? Which states have switched party support during the years? Which states have lost Electoral College votes over the years? Which states have gained Electoral College votes over the years? What would cause a state to gain or lose Electoral College votes?

What election is conducted with the Electoral College system? What is the number of electors in each state determined by?

Terms primary/general elections run-off elections Electoral College independent voter secret (Australian) ballot

Political Parties

What are political parties Organizations of people with similar ideas that are formed to win elections.

What are political parties Political parties can form from factions. Washington warned against factions tearing the country apart. Madison wrote in Federalist 10 that they were bound to develop.

Political Party History The 1st political party was the Federalists from 1789 -1815 began by Madison and Hamilton. The Democratic-Republicans began in 1792 by Thomas Jefferson

Democrats In 1828 the modern Democrat party began and elected Andrew Jackson as their first President.

Whigs The Whig Party began around 1834 and ended around 1852.

Republicans In 1853 the Republican Party grew from the abolition movement. The abolition movement was a started to end slavery.

Republicans In 1860 Abraham Lincoln became the 1st Republican president. He ran on the issue to end slavery.

Third Parties Over time Third Parties have formed in an effort to challenge the Dems and Repubs

Some 3rd Parties Anti-Masonic Constitutional, Southern Democrats Populist Progressive States’ Rights Socialist-Labor American Independent Libertarian Green Communist

Structure National Committee State Central Committee County Committees Precinct Level Party Workers

Political Parties Nominate candidates Pick the best person to run Governs Acts as a watchdog

Political Parties A multi-party system brings a broader and more diverse electorate but it also causes instability. A one-party system is the same as a no-party system.

Political Parties Democrat electorate usually consists of Catholics, Jews, African-Americans, high-school graduates single, younger. Republican electorate usually consists of Protestants, business people, college graduates, married, older.

Political Action Committees Political Action Committees, commonly called "PACs," are organizations dedicated to raising and spending money to either elect or defeat political candidates.

Political Action Committees Most PACs are directly connected to specific corporations, labor groups, or recognized political parties.

Political Action Committees Examples of these PACs include Microsoft (a corporate PAC) and the Teamsters Union (organized labor).

Political Action Committees PACs solicit contributions from employees or members and make contributions in the PACs name to candidates or political parties.

Political Action Committees Non-connected or ideological PACs raise and spend money to elect candidates -- from any political party -- who support their ideals or agendas

Political Action Committees Non-connected PACs are made up of individuals or groups of U.S. citizens, not connected to a corporation, a labor party or a political party.

Political Action Committees Examples of non-connected PACs include the National Rifle Association (gun owner rights) and Emily's List (abortion, pro-choice). A non-connected PAC can solicit contributions from the general public of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Political Action Committees A third type of PAC, called "leadership PACs" are formed by politicians to help fund the campaigns of other politicians.

Political Action Committees Politicians often create leadership PACs in an effort to prove their party loyalty or to further their goal of being elected to a higher office.

Political Action Committees Under federal election laws, PACs can legally contribute only $5,000 to a candidate committee per election (primary, general or special). They can also give up to $15,000 annually to any national party committee, and $5,000 annually to any other PAC.

Lobbyists Someone who tries to persuade legislators to vote for bills that the lobbyists favor

Lobbyists A lobbyist is one who is professionally employed to lobby on behalf of clients or who advises clients on how to lobby on their own behalf.

What Are Interest Groups? An interest group (special interests) is an organization of people with similar policy goals that try to influence the political process to try to achieve those goals. Interest groups try to influence every branch and every level of government.

The Roots and Development of American Interest Groups Interest groups have been part of the American political landscape since the country’s founding.

What Do Interest Groups Do? The most common and effective interest group technique is lobbying or seeking to influence and persuade others to support a group's position.

What Do Interest Groups Do? Lobbyists are hired by a college or university, businesses, foreign countries, trade associations, and anyone else wanting their voice heard on policy matters.

Important Points to Think About Interest Groups: Promote interest in public affairs Provide useful information Serve as watchdogs Represent the interest of citizens

Interest Groups and PACS

The Media and Public Opinion Public opinion is a dominant force in American politics and especially so during the long electoral process. If a presidential candidate fails to hit it off with the media at the first primary, then that presidential candidate is likely to have a political mountain to climb up to the November election. National television has ensured that candidates pitch every word that they say with great care. What a candidate does, what a candidate will do on a campaign trail and what he says is usually determined by the availability of television coverage. It is the primary purpose of a campaign manager to ensure that a candidate gets this. Speeches have now become orientated to television and 30 seconds sound bites have become the norm rather than a classic speech. Short, sharp quotes are far more media friendly than a long speech on financial reform, welfare reform etc

In the modern United States, four types of groups, known as  "LINKAGE" INSTITUTIONS, play a vital role in connecting citizens to the government. They are not officially a part of the government, but without them, a democracy would be very difficult to maintain. These groups in American politics include the following: Political parties Media Campaigns and elections Interest groups

POLITICAL PARTIES represent broad points of view — or IDEOLOGIES — that present people with alternative approaches to how the government should be run. Each party seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy. For example, both the Republican and Democratic candidates for President present competing plans for solving a wide array of public issues. People, then, link to their government by identifying themselves as "Democrats," "Republicans," or "Reform" party members

CAMPAIGNS and elections involve citizens by reminding them of their ultimate power — the vote. Campaigns today are increasingly elaborate and long, costing millions of dollars, and attracting the public's attention in any way they can. For all the expense and glitz, the process of electing government officials provides citizens with vital information regarding issues and candidates' qualifications for office.

INTEREST GROUPS organize people with common interests and attitudes to influence government to support their points of view. They generally represent only one issue or a closely related set of concerns. So, people can organize according to their profession, business, corporation, or hobby — yet another way to "link" to government.

The MEDIA play an important role in connecting people to government The MEDIA play an important role in connecting people to government. Most of us find out about candidates for office, public officials' activities, and the burning issues of the day through television, newspapers, radio, and the Internet. The media's power to shape the American mind has often been criticized, but it also allows people to give feedback to the government.

Political process: political parties two-party system third parties campaign platform national conventions (Republican, Democratic) role of media special interest groups and associations PACs Lobbyists Political spectrum reactionary conservative moderate liberal radical hawk dove