1. Voting and Elections

2. VS. Voting and Elections I. Voting II. Elections
A. Types of Participation
B. Turnout Trends
C. Who Votes?
II. Elections
A. The Election Process
B. Money and Elections
C. Variations in Federal Elections
D. How Voters Decide
VS.

3. What does Voting Involve?
The Right to vote…
Registering to vote and paying attention to political agendas for each candidate.
Voting for Multiple Offices at different Levels
Primary elections – voters choose party candidate to run in General election
General elections – voters choose leaders from the candidates offered by the two parties.
Types of elections…
Presidential – every 4 years
Congressional – every 2 years
Congressional and Presidential elections occur in even numbered years.

4. Who Votes? Q: What’s most important to you as a young citizen?
Q: Why is turnout so low?
– Difficulty in Registration
– Number and Frequency of Elections
– Weak Political Parties / Weak Candidates
–Voter Apathy – “My vote doesn’t count/matter.”
Q: What is voting related to?
– Age
– Income
– Education
– Race
Q: What’s most important to you as a young citizen?
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5. Voter apathy…

6. Elections Basic Election Rules:
Regularly scheduled elections
Fixed, staggered, and sometimes limited terms
Primaries – Where party candidates win the party nomination for Presidential Candidate.
The electoral college – The body of electors from each state that actually select the Presidential winner (and Vice President).

7. The Electoral College

8. Campaigns and Funding For 2006, House campaigns averaged
about $1.2 million; Senate averaged $9.6
million, but varies by state size
NY 2004 (Clinton and Lazio) spent $69 million
Jon Corzine (NJ) spent $60 million (mostly own money) to win Senate seat in 2000
Presidential candidates needs about $25 million to start a credible campaign.
Obama spent roughly 88 million in 2008
McCain spent roughly 100 million in 2008
– Most ever? = 700 million total in 2004

9. Should there be Limits to Campaign spending?

10. Campaign Spending Should Campaign spending be limited?
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