Elections and Voting

Election Day USA Federal elections are held on the first Tuesday in November of every even numbered year Every federal election we vote for our _______________ and 1/3 of the Senators Every 4 years we vote for ______________

3 Special elections Initiatives ___________________ Recalls Ideas that come from the ________ and are voted on during elections ___________________ Ideas that come from lawmakers that are voted on directly by the public Recalls A special election called to _________ an elected official from office

Elections _______________ Elections Purpose: to determine who will represent the party in the General election Ex: Hillary Clinton v. Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination Purpose: vote between the nominees of the different party Ex: Mitt Romney(R) v. Barack Obama (D)

Open and Closed primaries ____________ primary: Only registered party members can vote __________ primary: Any registered voter can vote, regardless of party Runoff: In most states, a candidate needs a ______________ In some, candidate needs a majority

Presidential Elections LO 13 Presidential Elections LO 13.2: Outline the electoral procedures for presidential and general elections. Primaries and Caucuses Delegates to convention chosen by election or caucus. Elections may be _____-____-___ or proportional. Caucuses are better for the party organization. Trend toward front-loading. Distinguish between a winner-take-all primary, a proportional representation primary, and caucuses. Note that over the past 50 years, most states have switched from caucuses to primaries. Discuss the impact on party organization. Click the hyperlink to analyze the effects of front-loading: the benefits to the front-runner and the candidates who are able to raise the most money prior to the nomination season. Photo caption: Where are party caucuses held? While voters go to polling places located in buildings such as schools and community centers to vote in primary and general elections, caucuses can be held in living rooms, high school gyms, or even in casinos. Here, union members supporting Senator Hillary Clinton rally for their candidate at a casino before caucuses in Nevada. To Learning Objectives

Figure 13.1: When do states choose their nominee for president? These pie graphs show when Democratic Party caucuses and primary elections have been held in the last three election cycles. The trend toward front-loading is evident. Back To Learning Objectives

The Electoral College The framers created the electoral college because they were afraid voters would be uninformed on national elections How does it work? Each state has a set number of electoral votes (# of ____ + # of ___________) Whichever candidate gets the most votes in a state gets ________ of the electoral votes You need ________ to win If no one gets 270, the ____________________ picks the President

Electing a President: The Electoral College LO 13.2 Representatives from each state who select president. Electors equivalent to senators plus representatives. Framers favored system to remove ____________________. The 1876 and 2000 elections raised concerns about system. Click the link to find out how voting power was apportioned by state. Explain that three major proposals have been made to reform the electoral college: Select the president by popular vote. Each congressional district has a vote. Keep the College, abolish the electors. Have students debate whether and how the electoral college system should be changed. To Learning Objectives

Figure 13.2: How is voting power apportioned in the Electoral College? This map visually represents the respective electoral weights of the fifty states in the 2008 presidential election. For each state, the projected gain or loss of Electoral College votes based on the 2010 Census is indicated in parentheses. Back To Learning Objectives

The Big Question… Do we still need the electoral ____________? Many argue that with modern elections and vote counting, the person who earns a plurality of the votes should win ___________________ don’t campaign in states they don’t think they can win What do you think?

Voters and Voting Behavior Def: Electorate The electorate is defined as all eligible registered voters Def: __________ Voting If you will be out of your voting area on election day, you can file an absentee ballot

Congressional Elections LO 13 Congressional Elections LO 13.3: Compare and contrast congressional and presidential elections, and explain the incumbency advantage. The ___________________ Advantage Support from a paid staff. Incumbents are more visible. “Scaring off” other challengers. name recognition _______________________ free constituency mailings Previous campaign experience When discussing incumbent visibility, students might be surprised to learn that almost one in four people have met their representatives at local ceremonies, community meetings, and other events. To Learning Objectives

LO 13.3 Why Incumbents Lose _______________ can pit incumbents against one another. Scandals. Presidential coattails. Midterm elections. Using a concrete example, such as Eric Massa (pictured above), to illustrate how scandals can force incumbents to opt out of reelection. Click the hyperlink to use Table 13.1 to discuss how midterm elections often result in the president’s party losing seats. Discuss why this is the case. Photo caption: What role do scandals play in congressional elections? Many members of Congress who are implicated in scandals, such as former Representative Eric Massa (shown below), choose to resign from their seats rather than lose a contentious reelection bid. To Learning Objectives

Patterns in Vote Choice LO 13 Patterns in Vote Choice LO 13.4: Identify seven factors that influence voter choice. Many factors impact voter choice. __________________ Ideology Race and ethnicity ________________ Issues Explain how each of this factor’s impact what party voters will support. Click the hyperlink to use Figure 13.3 to determine whether the results of the 2008 elections support these generalizations. To Learning Objectives

What influences how people vote? In general: ______________________ Less = D More = R Gender Female = D Male = R Race White = R Af Am = D Lat = ?? ___________________ Lower = D Higher = R Religion Protestant = R Catholic, Jewish = D _____________________ South = R Northeast = D West Coast = D Heartland/West = R Midwest = ???

Voter Turnout LO 13.5: Identify six factors that affect voter turnout. States regulate voter eligibility. Factors that affect voter turnout: Income and _________________ Race and ethnicity ______________ Age ____________________ Interest in politics Click “States regulate voter eligibility” to view a table listing policies that regulate ballot access and voter eligibility. Click “Race and ethnicity” to view a bar graph showing how the racial and ethnic composition of voters has changed over time. Photo Caption: Who turns out to vote? Demographic factors can predict voter turnout. Here, voters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida stand in a long and winding line to cast a ballot. To Learning Objectives

Toward Reform: Problems with Voter Turnout LO 13 Toward Reform: Problems with Voter Turnout LO 13.6: Explain why voter turnout is low, and evaluate methods for improving voter turnout. Voter turnout in the United States is low. Why? Other commitments: People are too busy. Difficulty __________________________ Number of __________________ Voter attitudes: ___________, satisfaction, lack of a pressing issue Weakened influence of political parties To Learning Objectives

Analyzing Visuals: Why people Don’t Vote Analyze the graph to figure out some reasons why people don’t vote. Back To Learning Objectives

Ways to Improve Voter Turnout LO 13.6 Ways to Improve Voter Turnout Make Election Day a ________________ Enable Early Voting Permit Mail & __________ Voting Make Registration Easier Modernize the _________ Strengthen Parties Photo Caption: What does an absentee ballot look like? This absentee ballot from the state of Virginia was used during the 2008 presidential election. To Learning Objectives