E LECTIONS Mr. Westerfeld 4/27-28/09

E LECTORAL C OMPOSITION American voter turnout is low Disenfranchisement, not given the right to vote Registration- enacted between during progressive era. Felons and ex-felons -“according to some unofficial estimates, Alabama has disenfranchised ¼ of young African American men.” Not required Countries like Australia require voting Should we do this here? Why or Why not? Journal Writing

H OW V OTES C HOOSE A W INNER Majority System- type of electoral system in which to win a seat in a representative body, a candidate must receive a majority (50 % +1) of all the votes cast in the relevant district. Plurality System- a type of electoral system in which victory goes to the individual who gets the most votes in an election, but not necessarily a majority of votes cast. (think of if there are 3 or 4 candidates) Proportional System- a multiple-member district system allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the vote.

J OURNAL W RITING W HICH DO YOU THINK SEEMS MOST FAIR ? Majority Plurality Proportional

E LECTORAL D ISTRICTS Every 10 years after the census reapportionment House of Representative seats to each state. In a plurality system, how these district lines are drawn in each state can go a long way in determining who will win with a plurality of the vote Gerrymandering - the apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one political party.

“I NSULATING D ECISION -M AKING P ROCESSES ” The Electoral College- The presidential electors from each state who meet in their respective state capitals after the popular election to cast ballots for the president and vice president. Technically a candidate must win a “majority” in the electoral college to be declared president. What happens if no candidate receives a majority? “Corrupt Bargain”

E LECTION F REQUENCY 2 years House of Representatives-changes every 2 years 4 years President-Changes every 4 years 6 years Senator-Changes every 6 years (1/3 of the senate is up every 2 years)

T HE B ALLOT Australian Ballot- an electoral format that presents the names of all the candidates for any given office on the same ballot. Introduced at the end of the 18 th century, the Australian ballot replaced the partisan ballot and facilitated split- ticket voting (voting for multiple parties) Caused a more diverse group of officials

D IRECT D EMOCRACY IN A MERICA Referendum - the practice of referring a measure proposed or passed by a legislation to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection. 24 States Initiative -a process by which citizens may petition to place a policy proposal on the ballot for public vote. 24 States Recall -the removal of a public official by popular vote. 18 States

H OW DO PEOPLE CHOOSE ? Partisan Loyalty- many people vote for their party’s candidate because the identify with their party strongly. Psychological attachment Informational shortcut Issues Prospective voting Retrospective voting Economy Candidate Characteristics Have become more important since media has become more personal

C AMPAIGN F INANCE Modern campaigns are fuelled by millions of dollars Sources Individual Donors-George Soros PACs and 527 PACs- organizations formed to channel contributions of members of corporations, labor unions, or interest groups 527 groups -committees set up to with unlimited contributions to campaigns with soft money to address issues Swift boat veterans for truth The Candidates-Kerry’s Heinz money Independent Spending- NRA, ACLU Public Funding- Matching funds by a certain date for a campaign Reform? Video

S HOULD CAMPAIGN SPENDING BE REDUCED ? Free speech issues Bribery Special Interests Unequal impact of constituents

D O E LECTIONS M ATTER ? Voter turn-out It has become easier with the motor voter bill and loosened restrictions on absentee ballots Is it rational? The US has more elected officials per capita than any other democracy Costs are high- Lots of time invested Vigorous campaigns produce more voters. So resources are shifted to closer races.

W HAT DO E LECTIONS DO FOR US ? Socializes political activity Helps to create a population which is politically active They bolster the government’s authority Gives government a mandate Reinforce popular influence over government Hold public officials accountable to people