Elections, Voting, and Political Parties

1. Elections, Voting, and Political Parties Influences on Voters (Chapter 17, Section 3) Nominating Candidates (Chapter 16, Section 3) Election Campaigns (Chapter 17, Section 1)

2. REVIEW • What did we find out on Wednesday? • Our political identification – a citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other • Republican, Democrat, or Independent

3. PERSONAL BACKGROUND OF VOTERS What influences a person to vote the way that they do? • Age • What things would a 68 year old be interested in? • What things would a 23 year old be interested in? • Education • Religion • Race / Ethnicity Do voters’ backgrounds always forecast how they will vote? • Cross-pressured voter – a voter who is caught between conflicting elements in his or her own life

4. PARTY COALITIONS

5. LOYALTY TO POLITICAL PARTIES Straight-party ticket: You vote for... STRONG PARTY LOYALTY • Straight-party ticket – people who vote for the candidate from their party only. WEAK PARTY LOYALTY • Split-party ticket – Voting with one party on some issues and with another party on other issues. • Independent voters (people who think of themselves as neither Republicans nor Democrats) usually vote a split ticket Either this or this Split-party ticket: You vote for... Both

6. SPLIT TICKET VOTING

7. ISSUES IN ELECTION CAMPAIGNS HOW INFORMED ARE TODAY’S VOTERS? • Poorly informed, but better than in earlier years because: • Television • Better educated • Issues that effect our lives (Social Security, health care, taxes, education, affirmative action, abortion, gun rights, and the environment) Political Issues

8. THE CANDIDATE’S IMAGE WHAT DO WE LOOK FOR IN A LEADER? • Trustworthy • Smart, but not too smart • Good looking, but not too good looking • Image • Peacemaker or war hawk? • Competent • Presidential, Mayoral, Senatorial, etc. • (the X factor) President Sarah Palin?

9. DUKAKIS AND THE TANK

10. VOTERS AND NONVOTERS WHO VOTES? • The three most important factors predicting the likelihood of citizens to vote are: • Education • Age • Income • Voters are typically: • Well educated • Middle-aged • Financially well off

11. VOTERS AND NONVOTERS WHY DON’T PEOPLE VOTE? • They don’t meet the requirements : • Age • Must be 18 or older • Citizenship • Must be a citizen • Residency • Must be a resident of the state they live in • Registration • Must register to vote • They are lazy • They are apathetic / uninterested • They move around a lot • They feel disenfranchised Vote or Die! Love, P. Diddy

12. VOTER APATHY

13. NOMINATING CANDIDATES Chapter 16, Section 3

14. REVIEW WHAT DO WE LOOK FOR IN A CANDIDATE?

15. HOW CANDIDATES ARE SELECTED 4 WAYS TO SEEK NOMINATION FOR PUBLIC OFFICE • Caucuses • Nominating Conventions • Primary Elections • Petition THESE ARE NOT REPUBLICAN AGAINST DEMOCRAT OR DEMOCRAT AGAINST REPUBLICAN • During this time, politicians are trying to figure out who will represent their party, so it is really Democrat vs. Democrat and Republican vs. Republican.

16. DEMOCRAT VS. DEMOCRAT

17. HOW PRESIDENTS ARE SELECTED HOW CAN PRESIDENTS SEEK NOMINATION? • The same 4 ways other candidates do • Typically through primaries and caucuses These (primaries, caucuses, nominating conventions, and petitions) are things that happen BEFORE a general election

18. CRITICISMS OF PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS AND PRIMARIES • The process extends over too long a period. • The primaries focus on the image of a candidate more than on the issues. • Relatively few people vote in primaries, thus the winner may not be as popular as the victory would indicate. • Primaries often result in one-sided conventions that become rubber stamp operations.

19. YOUR TASK! • The class will be split into groups of four • Each person in the group will be responsible for: • Creating 1 illustration and 1 description for one of the four ways to seek nomination for public office (caucus, nominating conventions, primary elections, or petition, pg. 464 - 466). • Creating 1 illustration and 1 description for one of the four criticisms of presidential primaries (pg. 467 – 468). • These descriptions should include definitions, examples, and additional vocabulary words. • After the illustration and descriptions are done, each person in the group will be responsible for teaching both of their illustrations and descriptions to their group. • You should add information to your notes as your group members are presenting. • Do a good job! Your classmates are counting on you!

20. THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN GAME Chapter 17, Section 1

21. ELECTING THE PRESIDENT FROM BEGINNING TO END: 4 STEPS TO THE PRESIDENCY

22. STEP 1: THE IDEA, “I WANT TO RUN” • If you are a serious candidate, you will begin organizing OVER ONE YEAR before the election. • This is so you can compete in the PRIMARY ELECTIONS. • You will announce an EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE to see how much support you might get if you decide to run. Right: Headline from Huffington Post: “Ron Paul 2010 Exploratory Committee Launches”

23. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE FOUND THAT THERE IS ENOUGH SUPPORT TO RUN! MOVE ON TO STEP 2: THE PRIMARY ELECTION AND CAUCUSES

24. STEP 2: THE PRIMARY ELECTION • Here, you will be competing against members from your own party for the nomination during the months of spring. • Democrat vs. Democrat, Republican vs. Republican • The goal: Get more votes/support than your competition! • 2 ways this can be done: • People vote for you in primaries. • Political party members award you their support after caucusing. • The difference between a primary and a caucus: • Primary: an election, ran by state governments, public • Caucus: a meeting of party leaders, ran by party leaders, private • The similarities between a primary and a caucus: • They both have the same purpose • Citizens can participate in both!

25. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE WON THE PRIMARY ELECTION! NEXT STOP: THE NATIONAL PARTY CONVENTION

26. STEP 3: THE NATIONAL PARTY CONVENTION • There are two, both take place in the summer: • One for the Republicans (Republican National Convention) • One for the Democrats (Democratic National Convention) • Here, the purpose is to select a ticket (a president and vice president) and to create a platform (the party’s statement of principles, beliefs, and positions on vital issues) and planks (individual parts of the platform). • Earlier in America’s history, the national party convention was actually used to select presidential candidates and vice presidential candidates. • In modern times, the ticket is usually already decided upon before the convention. • Today, it is basically just a big party with few meetings to decide on the platform. Above: The Republicans ask, “Will you come to my party?”

27. CONGRATULATIONS! THE CONVENTION WENT WELL! THE FINAL STEP: THE RACE!

28. STEP 4: THE RACE • There is one every four years. The election takes place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. • Expensive ordeal: • The FEC (Federal Election Commission) regulates campaign contributions • The majority of funding for campaigns comes from private sources • individual citizens, corporations, special-interest groups • PACS (Political Action Committees) are established by interest groups, limited in their spending. Above: The “Motorcycle PAC of Minnesota” would lend its support, and dollars, to Motorcycle friendly candidates.

29. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU GOT LOADS OF MONEY AND WON THE ELECTION! YOU ARE THE PRESIDENT!