Electoral Process

1. Electoral Process Chapter 7 Part 1

2. Nomination Process • The first step in the Electoral process • Nomination- The naming of those who will seek office. • Nominees are selected through a variety of ways in search of picking a candidate for the general election. • General Elections- Regularly scheduled elections at which voters make the final selection of officeholders

3. Methods of Nomination • 1. Self announcement • 2. Caucus • 3. Convention • 4. Direct Primary • 5. Petition

4. Self Announcement • Oldest Form of the nominating process. Still used in small towns and at the rural level. • Simply, A candidate announces he is running. • Often used by someone who failed to win a regular party nomination. • Write in candidates use this method.

5. Self Announced Candidates • George Wallace, Eugene McCarthy, John Anderson, Ross Perot • Arnold, California candidates

6. Caucus • A group of like minded people who meet to select the candidates they will support. • The caucus is still used to make local nominations in some places, mainly New England. Open to all members of a party.

7. Convention • The formal way Presidential candidates are picked in the USA. • State Level Ex: The major parties choose their candidates for the U.S. Senate, House, Governor and state legislatures in primaries. Nominees for Lt. Governor, Sec. of State. Attorney General picked by conventions. • Conventions Explained • Obama 04

8. Direct Primary • Direct Primary- is an intra-party election. It is held within a party to pick that party’s candidates for the general elections. • Closed Primary- a closed primary is a party nominating election in which only declared party members can vote. Used in 24 States • Open Primary- is a party nominating election in which any qualified voter can take part. Used in 26 States

9. Primaries • Blanket Primary- is often referred to as the “wide open primary” Every candidate is listed, regardless of party. • Runoff Primary- is a held few weeks later, and the two top vote getters face off against one another to determine who will represent the party. Used in City Council Elections if necessary. • Nonpartisan Elections- these are elections in which candidates are not identified by party labels. Used in City Council Elections in AZ.

10. Petition • Nomination by petition is used for most localized elections. • Candidates for public office are nominated by having the required amount of signatures recorded and upheld. • If there are enough valid signatures countedthe candidate gets placed on the ballot.

12. Election Laws • There are more then 500,000 people in the United states who are elected to office in over 87,000 units of government at the state and local level. • Thus most election laws are made and pertain to the state. • There are however laws on voting made at the federal level.

13. Federal Voting Laws • Set Dates for national elections- States hold their elections on same day to increase voter turnout- First Tuesday after First Monday in Nov. • Required Secret Ballots • Allowed for voting machines

14. Early Voting • Absentee Voting- The process of being able to vote without actually going to the polling places on election day • Absentee voting originally began as a way to help ill or disabled people to vote. Or if you knew you were going to be out of town you could arrange to vote early. • Now it is becoming more common to encourage voter turnout.

15. Coattail Effect • CoattailEffect- Occurs when a strong candidate is running at the top of the ballot and his or her popularity makes lesser offices candidates of the same party more attractive.- Example: Ronald Regan’s popularity helped many other Republican candidates win elections. • Reversal Coattail effect can happen too. - Example: Barry Goldwater, George McGovern, Jimmy Carter (1980)

16. Precincts and Polling Places • Precincts- Voting Districts, The smallest geographic unit/district for voting • Polling Places- The place where the voters in the precinct actually vote • Arizona Precincts

17. Ballots • Ballot- a device by which a voter registers a choice in an election • Each State provides for a secret ballot • Voting was originally done by voice • Later in history people would write their choice on a piece of paper and drop in it in a box

18. Australian Ballot • Created in 1856, has 4 features: • Printed at public expense • It lists the names of all candidates in an election • It is given out at the polls, one to each qualified voter • It is marked in secret

19. Australian Ballot • Office Group Ballot- On this type of ballot, the candidates for office are listed by office running for • Party Column Ballot- Lists the candidates in a column organized by party.

20. Office-Group Ballot Party- Column Ballot

21. Automated Voting • First type of voting machines were lever operated- complicated and difficult to transport and store, during and in between elections. • Punch-Card Ballots were highly popular as part of electronic vote counting. - Highly controversial in 2000 election Both of these methods now banned.

22. Voting Methods • Two most commonly used today: • Optical scanners - Paper ballots are marked by voters and counted by a scanning machine – Used in Arizona • Touch screen • Online?