1. Ch. 10 Civic Responsibilities and Duties
Voting
Ch. 10
Civic Responsibilities and Duties

2. Vocabulary Civic Duties – things you are legally required to do
Civic Responsibilities – things you should do but are not required to do
Political Party – association of voters who want to influence government by getting their candidates elected to office
Apathy – general feeling of not caring
Electorate – people eligible to vote
Incumbent – person who already holds the office they are running for
Canvassing – going door to door to get voters

3. People from a representative’s district are called his/her:
Lobbyists
Constituents
Representees
Electors

4. Civic Duties Civic Responsibilities
Obey the law
Pay taxes
Defend the nation – Selective Service
Jury Duty
Attend school
Be informed
Vote
Respect others
Tolerate diversity
Contribute to the common good

5. Volunteering
Government doesn’t have time or money to cover everything that everyone needs so people must volunteer
Helps reduce the cost of government
Volunteers can give time or money
Benefits
Community is uplifted
Deductions from taxes
Intrinsic value

6. What amendment gave 18 years olds the ability to vote?
23rd amendment
24th amendment
25th amendment
26th amendment

7. Eligibility to Vote 18 years old
Resident of the state for a specific time
Citizen of the U.S.
No felonies

8. Voting Process Gather information
Newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, and internet
Websites of candidates & political parties
Political parties
Go to polling place & receive a ballot
Cast your ballot – fill out your choices
Wait for returns – reporting of election results
Absentee Ballot – a way to vote if you will be unable to vote on election day
Exit Poll – way of predicting the winner before all of the votes are counted by asking people as they leave who they voted for

9. Voting Process

10. North Carolina Sample Ballot

11. Not Voting Apathy - #1 reason why people don’t vote
Following can’t vote
Felons
Those in mental hospitals
People who do not meet state requirements
Registration is not a problem
Presidential elections – 50% of electorate vote
Elections without Presidential candidates – between 7% and 20% vote

12. What is the election on the first Tuesday of November called?
Primary Election
General Election
Presidential Election
Campaign Election

13. Special Elections
Initiative – a petition is signed with enough signatures to put an issue on the ballot
Proposition – once an initiative is on the ballot
Referendum – people can gather signatures to review a law passed by the state legislatures
Usually with very controversial issues
Recall – special election where voters can vote an official out of office before their term is up

14. Campaigning Creation of a positive image for a candidate
Television is the most common means of campaigning
2 types
Mass Campaigning – TV, Rally & Mail – less time consuming but more expensive
Grass Roots – small level – Canvassing or making phone calls – cheap but time consuming – the voters get to personally know the candidate and the candidate gets to know the voters
Incumbents – win 80% of the time
Name recognition
Franking privilege
Endorsements – a famous or popular person supports a candidate

15. Obama’s Endorsements People Newspapers
Examples
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter
Senator Ted Kennedy
Newspapers
Examples: Charlotte Observer, The Boston Globe
Others include and not limited to labor organizations, scientists, other political figures, entertainers, athletes, and Native American tribes

16. Financing Campaigns
The Federal Election & Campaign Finance Act of 1971
Established rules for campaign finance
Public disclosure of spending
Established federal funding of presidential elections
Limits how much individuals & groups could spend
Created the FEC (Federal Election Committee)

17. Private Funding Soft Money Donations
Donations given to political parties & not designated for a particular candidate
Most goes to TV ads for the parties’ candidates
Elaborate dinners with individual donations
Political Action Committees (PACs)
Organized by special interest groups
Funds candidates who favor their position on issues
Hard money vs. Soft money
Hard money – directly to a candidate
Soft money – general purpose
McCain-Feingold Act

18. Public Funding Presidential Election Campaign Fund
Taxpayers check a box on their federal income tax returns to designate $3 of their taxes to the fund
Candidates can get the money for primary elections if they have raised $100,000 on their own
Barack Obama did not take any public money for the 2008 Presidential Election