1. Your Essay is Due
Please get out your completed 5-paragraph essay, along with your writing folder.
Staple in this order:
1) (top) My Writing Piece Form
2) Rubric
3) Essay
4) Works Cited Slip
5) Outline
6) Concept Maps
7) Notebook Paper (with “mini-tasks”)

2. Part B of “My Writing Piece”
Name: Your Name English Teacher’s Name (current grade level): Your English Teacher Describe the writing assignment: Type (e. g. article, letter, speech, etc.)? Essay Audience? American Citizens Purpose? (circle one) Inform Analyze Narrate Assigned in Integrated Social Studies by Mrs. Cartner

3. Bellringer Complete each statement below:
1 advantage of a two-party system is…
1 disadvantage of a two-party system is…
Bellringer

4. Actual Political Party Your Made-Up Political Party
Political Party Breakdown Create a poster that presents the following information
Actual Political Party
Your Made-Up Political Party
Party Name:
Party Symbol:
Party Platform:
5 statements about what they're for and/or what they're against.
Party Demographics
(What groups of people in the United States will vote for your political party?):

5. The Federal Election Process
Objective:
Students will understand that the development and ongoing functions of a political system (e.g., elections, political parties, campaigns, political identity and culture, the role of the media) is necessary for a democratic form of government to be effective.

6. The Parties
Minor political parties -- generally referred to as "third parties" - occasionally form, but their candidates are rarely elected to office.
Minor parties often serve to call attention to an issue that is of concern to voters.
When this happens, one or both of the major parties may address the matter, and the third party disappears.
Americans exercise their democratic rights by voting in elections, participating in political parties
Today, there are two major political parties in the US:
The Democratic Party evolved from the party of Thomas Jefferson, formed before 1800.
The Republican Party was established in the 1850s by Abraham Lincoln and others who opposed the expansion of slavery.

7. Nominating a Candidate (choosing who will run for each party)
Self Announcement: a person simply announces that they’ll be running. This is the oldest form of nomination. Caucus : a group of like-minded people meet to select the candidates they will support in an upcoming election. Petition: candidates gather a required number of signatures by qualified voters in the election district. This occurs often at the local level.

8. Nominating a Candidate
Primary: an election to choose a party’s candidate or nominee.
open primary: open to any voter
closed primary: only open to the party members

9. Primary Season
The outcomes of primaries held early in the year greatly influence who wins in later primaries.
As a result, candidates spend more time and money in states with early primaries. More states, in turn, are scheduling their elections earlier than in previous years.

10. National Convention
Special members of each political party (delegates) meet to officially nominate/announce their candidates for political office.

11. Voter Qualifications
You must be a registered voter to vote in local and federal elections. You can register to vote when you renew license, on the internet, and at the post office.
Universal Voter Qualifications –
Must be a Citizen
Age (18+)
Can only vote in the state where you live
To keep corrupt politicians from bribing outsiders to vote in local elections
To allow new voters time to become familiar with the local issues and candidates.

12. General Election
Election in which voters actually select government officials.
Most government officials are elected by popular vote (each and every vote is counted and the person with the most votes wins).
The President/VP are elected through the electoral college.

13. What principle of the constitution does voting best reflect?
Limited Government
Separation of Powers
Popular Sovereignty
Checks and Balances
Federalism

14. Presidential Election
Originally, some wanted the president to be elected by Congress. Some wanted it to be a popular vote by the people.
The Electoral College was created as a compromise.
Written in the 12th and 23rd Amendments, the “College of Electors” has served as the nation’s method for selecting its highest official for over 200 years.

15. Electoral College
“Electors” are a group of politically important people in each state.
# Electors (in each state) =
# of U.S. Senators + its # of U.S. Representatives.
To become President, a candidate must have at least 270 electoral votes (majority of the 538).
Electors are expected (but NOT required) to vote in response to the popular vote.

16. Electoral Votes per State:

17. What the heck ?
2008 Election
Red = McCain
Blue = Obama

18. Why would it be so hard to change the Electoral College?
Because the electoral college process is part of the original design of the Constitution; a constitutional amendment would need to be passed in order to change this system.

19. Electoral College Video
(3 mins)
(7mins)

20. Complete on the back of your electoral college notes
1) Describe an advantage of the Electoral College (p.384) 2) Describe a disadvantage of the Electoral College (p.379)

21. 3) Examine this political cartoon:
What do you believe it is saying about the Electoral College?
How is it saying this?

22. Advantages of the Electoral College
It is a known process – other options might have unforeseen problems
It identifies the winner quickly and certainly.

23. Disadvantages of the Electoral College
The winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed the presidency.
(Example: In 2000, Bush won 48.84% of Florida’s vote, compared to Gore with 48.83%. Bush got all 25 of the FL electoral votes. The popular vote winner has lost the presidency in 4 out of 56 elections.)
Electors are not required to vote in accord with the popular vote.
Any election could potentially have to be decided in the House of Representatives.
(This has happened twice, the last time in 1824)