Making it Easier to Vote vs. Guarding against election fraud Take notes on: Election fraud Democrats – making voter easier Republicans—Guard against fraud Voting fraud How common is election fraud? What is the battle over voter photo ID? Questions: Please answer these questions at the end of the reading. What do you think is more important: making it easier to vote or guarding against election fraud? Why? Why do you think Republicans and Democrats differ over the election fraud issue?

Wednesday 2/10 RAP Today: CE Finish Voting Who would be hurt by tougher voting laws? Explain. Does voter fraud justify enacting tougher laws to prevent voter fraud? Today: CE Finish Voting Debate felons have the right to vote Video on elections

Who cannot legally vote? 1. Those found to be mentally incompetent by a court. 2. Convicted of serious crimes (felonies). Different per state Arizona: People who have been convicted of one felony, served all their prison time, completed their parole or probation, and paid all their fees and fines, their voting rights are automatically restored People with more than one felony, must wait two years after they've paid all their debts to society, then they must apply to the sentencing court for the restoration of their rights.

Handout on Felons voting -- debate

What do you think? By voting for nobody (i.e. not voting) is a person indirectly choosing the winner? Is this a good idea?

Look in your notes: What are the requirements to vote in the U.S.? U.S. Citizen Resident of a state (subject to State definition of resident) Age – 18 years old What Amendment changed the voting age? 26th amendment

Thursday 2/11 RAP Watch the clip on campaign slogans. Which slogan was the catchiest? Why? Do you think slogans have an impact on elections? Why or why not? What are some of the campaign slogans from candidates today? With the people sitting near you, create a campaign slogan.  Today: Watch campaigns and complete Ch. 7 questions. DUE Friday

Interview and Ch. 7. Electoral Process Open your textbook to page 176-177 Read the quote on page 176-under the “Electoral Process” Do you agree with this statement? Explain. Watch Campaign essentials along with … You can work on this as you watch / listen to the video, ch. 7-Electoral Process and answer the questions on the handout I gave you.  DUE Friday

Friday 2/12 RAP What was the main candidate’s name from the video yesterday? Today: Finish video on campaigns Review Ch. 7 Begin video on Elections and the Media

Campaign and Elections video (add from hard drive)

Check Ch. 7 Questions Caucus- Iowa Convention- Direct Primary- Arizona A group of like-minded people who meet to select the candidates they will support in an upcoming election. Used in some places to make local nominees…New England. Caucus is open to all members of a party. Convention- As the caucus method collapsed the convention system took its place. 1831; and then in 1832 Democrats took up the practice and all major-party presidential nominees have been chosen by conventions ever since. By 1910, the direct primary replaces the convention in most states -- Arizona Direct Primary- Arizona An intra-party election; held within a party to pick that party’s candidates for the general election. Wisconsin adopted the first in 1903. Two basic forms: Closed primary: only the declared party members can vote, but independents can vote in that primary. Open Primary: any qualified voter can take part. Found in 24 states. (look on the map on page 183.) What is Arizona?

Runoff Primary Criticisms Ch. 7.2 : Elections If no one wins a majority in a race, a runoff primary is held a few weeks later. Top two vote getters face each other. Criticisms Many voters resent having to declare their party preferences Annoyed with the “bedsheet” ballot—long list Primary campaigns can be expensive Nominating process can be divisive on a party Uninformed voters Ch. 7.2 : Elections Absentee- cannot make it to the polling place for different reasons. Coattail effect – lesser known office seekers will “ride the coattails” of the well known office seekers. Precinct is a voting district Polling place: where the voters who live in a precinct actually vote. Ballot is the device by which a voter registers a choice in an election. Many states are moving in the direction of online voting. Good or bad idea?

Ch. 7.2: Elections PAC – Political Action Committee Political arms of special interest groups. Have a major stake in public policy Regulate campaign finance Began in 1907 Federal election commission (FEC) Set up by Congress in 1974 Independent agency in the executive branch Four laws Require the timely disclosure of campaign finance data Place limits on campaign contributions Place limits on campaign expenditures and Provide public funding (subsidies) for several parts of the presidential election process.

Friday 2/12 RAP Today: Review Ch. 7 Video on Media and elections Ch. 9: due Tuesday or Wednesday –depending on time

Notes Ch. 7 Elections Caucus- Iowa Convention- Direct Primary- Arizona A group of like-minded people who meet to select the candidates they will support in an upcoming election. Used in some places to make local nominees…New England. Caucus is open to all members of a party. Convention- As the caucus method collapsed the convention system took its place. 1831; and then in 1832 Democrats took up the practice and all major-party presidential nominees have been chosen by conventions ever since. By 1910, the direct primary replaces the convention in most states -- Arizona Direct Primary- Arizona An intra-party election; held within a party to pick that party’s candidates for the general election. Wisconsin adopted the first in 1903. Two basic forms: Closed primary: only the declared party members can vote, but independents can vote in that primary. Open Primary: any qualified voter can take part. Found in 24 states. (look on the map on page 183.) What is Arizona?

Runoff Primary Criticisms Ch. 7.2 : Elections If no one wins a majority in a race, a runoff primary is held a few weeks later. Top two vote getters face each other. Criticisms Many voters resent having to declare their party preferences Annoyed with the “bedsheet” ballot—long list Primary campaigns can be expensive Nominating process can be divisive on a party Uninformed voters Ch. 7.2 : Elections Absentee- cannot make it to the polling place for different reasons. Coattail effect – lesser known office seekers will “ride the coattails” of the well known office seekers. Precinct is a voting district Polling place: where the voters who live in a precinct actually vote. Ballot is the device by which a voter registers a choice in an election. Many states are moving in the direction of online voting. Good or bad idea?

Ch. 7.2: Elections PAC – Political Action Committee Political arms of special interest groups. Have a major stake in public policy Regulate campaign finance Began in 1907 Federal election commission (FEC) Set up by Congress in 1974 Independent agency in the executive branch Four laws Require the timely disclosure of campaign finance data Place limits on campaign contributions Place limits on campaign expenditures and Provide public funding (subsidies) for several parts of the presidential election process.

Ch. 7.2 Limits on Contributions Today, An individual may give a maximum of: $2,700 per election to a Federal candidate or the candidate's campaign committee.2 Notice that the limit applies separately to each election. Primaries, runoffs and general elections are considered separate elections. $5,000 per calendar year to a PAC. This limit applies to a PAC (political action committee) that supports Federal candidates. (PACs are neither party committees nor candidate committees. Some PACs are sponsored by corporations and unions--trade, industry and labor PACs. Other PACs, often ideological, do not have a corporate or labor sponsor and are therefore called nonconnected PACs.) PACs use your contributions to make their own contributions to Federal candidates and to fund other election-related activities. $10,000 per calendar year to a State or local party committee. A State party committee shares its limits with local party committees in that state unless a local committee's independence can be demonstrated. $33,400 per calendar year to a national party committee. This limit applies separately to a party's national committee, House campaign committee and Senate campaign committee. $100 in currency (cash) to any political committee. (Anonymous cash contributions may not exceed $50.) Contributions exceeding $100 must be made by check, money order or other written instrument. Presidential: you may contribute up to $2,700 for the entire primary campaign period--not $2,700 for each State primary in which the candidate participates

PAC contributions Political action committees are the arms of special interest groups who try to influence government policies. (Ch. 9) Business Labor Professional Cause No PAC can give more than $5,000 to any one federal candidate in an election, or 10,000 per election cycle—primary -general. 15,000 a year can be given to a political party. PAC’s were estimated to have put in $400 million in the 2000 election campaign.

Loopholes Soft money -money given to state and local party organizations for such “party-building activities” -- registration, party mailings, ads, etc. Can easily be put in to presidential and congressional campaigns. Hard money – money that is subject to regulation by the FEC. Both major parties have figured out how to filter money into campaigns. Should there be better regulations on campaign spending?

Politics and Media We will take PPT notes on Ch. 8 next week. Handout for Ch. 9 – due next Tuesday It is homework or you can work on it while you watch Politics and Media