1. Election Process

2. How Do We Vote Straight-Ticket Voting Split-Ticket Voting Issue Voting
Party-Centered Voting
Split-Ticket Voting
Candidate-Centered Voting
Issue Voting
Prospective Voting
Retrospective Voting

3. Election Process Party Nomination General Election
Process that each party goes through to decide which candidate will represent their party in the general election. Generally called the PRIMARY.
General Election
Process in which the candidate from each party compete against each other. Winner of this process wins the office.

4. Primary Election Closed Primary Open Primary Three types of primaries
An election by which each party selects the ONE candidate that will
Represent their party in the general election.
The winner of this election simply gets to represent their party in the
General election, they DO NOT win the right to hold any elected office.
Three types of primaries
Closed Primary
Open Primary

5. Closed Primaries
Primaries in which members must declare a party (be a registered
member of that party) , and by doing so they are limited to voting
ONLY in their party’s primary
This type of primary prevents independents from voting.
New York, Florida and Pennsylvania are some of the states that
use this type of primary.

6. Open Primaries
In these primaries individuals may request a ballot for either party.
Individuals no not register as a member of any party.
Missouri uses the OPEN PRIMARY method.
The type of primary that is used can greatly influence the outcome
of some primary contests.
Example:
2000 Primaries and Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

7. Caucus
The term caucus is frequently used to discuss the procedures used by some states to select
 presidential nominees such as the Iowa caucuses, the first of the modern
 presidential election cycle. Since 1980 such caucuses have become,overall, an important component of the nomination process.

8. Midterm elections
A midterm election refers to a type of election where the people can elect their representatives in the middle of the term of the executive or of another set of members.

9. Congressional Elections
Incumbent The person currently holding an office. Open Seat A Congressional election in which there is no INCUMBENT. Safe Seat A Congressional district that is certain to vote for the candidate of one party.

10. The Election of Members of Congress
US Senate
Currently 100 Members – 2 from each state
Term is 6 years
1/3 (approx. 33) up for re-election every 2 years
The Class (I, II & III)of the Senator determines when they are up
For re-election.
Until passage of the 17th Amendment in 1913 Senators were in-directly elected.
Members must be at least 30 years old.
US House of Representatives
Currently 435 Members – Number from each state based on population
Term is 2 years
All 435 up for re-election every 2 years
Members of the House of Reps were always directly elected.
Members must be at least 25 years old.

11. The Election of The President of the United States
The General Election Process
In order to be elected president you must be at least 25 years old.
Presidents serve 4 year terms with a maximum of 2 full terms or 10 years.
The president is elected by the ELECTORAL COLLEGE, an indirect process in which individuals cast votes but they do no directly elect the president.
The following slides will describe the ELECTORAL COLLEGE PROCESS.

12. Presidential General Election
Once each party has identified the person that
will be their nominee
the general election campaign begins.
It is the winner of this election that will
become the President of the United States.
The general election is always held on the
first Tuesday after the first Monday in
November.

13. Presidential General Election
Originally, the President would be the person
that won the majority
of the votes in the ELECTORAL COLLEGE,
and the Vice-President
would be the person that won the second most.
(This was changed with the passage of the 12th
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1804)

14. Electoral College
The electoral college is a method of indirectly electing the President
And Vice-President of the United States.
It is based on the idea that the registered voters of each state will
elect ELECTORS (members of the Electoral College).

15. Electoral College (Cont.)
Those electors then meet in their respective State Capitals in early December to cast their Vote in two separate elections for President & Vice-President.
The
Certificate of
Votes for President
And Vice-President
Is signed by the
State Sec. of State
and it is sent to the
U.S. Senate.

16. Electoral College (Cont.)
On January 6th, the President of the Senate opens each of the “CERTIFICATES” from each state, reads and counts the votes.
The individual receiving the absolute majority of the electoral votes,
currently 270 of 538, for president becomes president and the
individual receiving the absolute majority of the electoral votes
For vice-resident becomes vice president.

17. Current Electoral Vote Distribution
The number of electoral votes each state has is based on the number
of members of Congress that they have.
For example:
Missouri has 9 members of the U.S. House of Representatives
and
Two (2) members of the U.S. Senate.
Therefore, the State of Missouri has a total of
eleven (11) ELECTORAL VOTES.
CAN THE NUMBER OF ELECTORAL VOTES A STATE HAS CHANGE?
YES.
It can change every 10 years when Congress reapportions the seats
based on the U.S. Census.
California gained 8 electoral votes between 1981 and 2001
New York lost 5 electoral votes between 1981 and 2001