Transcript Section 1 - REMC Hub Preview

Chapter Introduction
Section 1: Who Can Vote?
Section 2: Election
Campaigns
Section 3: Paying for
Election
Campaigns
Visual Summary
The right to vote is a major
responsibility of citizenship.
By voting, citizens can
influence all levels of
government as well as the
laws under which we live. Yet
many Americans do not
exercise this fundamental
right and responsibility of our
democratic way of life.
Section 1:
Who Can Vote?
The right to vote is one of
the fundamental rights of
citizens in a democratic
society. Voting is a basic
political right of all U.S.
citizens who meet certain
qualifications set by law.
Section 2:
Election Campaigns
A successful democracy
is built on an informed
electorate. The success of
an election campaign
depends on the people who
organize it.
Section 3:
Paying for Election
Campaigns
A successful democracy is
built on an informed
electorate. The sophisticated
vote-getting techniques that
candidates use have made
campaigning very expensive.
Guide to Reading
Big Idea
The right to vote is one of the
fundamental rights of citizens in a
democratic society.
Guide to Reading
Content Vocabulary
• polling place
• returns
• precinct
• exit poll
• ballot
• electorate
• absentee ballot
• apathy
Do you think that citizens have the
duty to vote in every election?
A. Yes
B. No
A. A
B. B
Qualifying to Vote
The right to vote is the foundation of
American democracy.
Qualifying to Vote (cont.)
• Voting is both a right and a responsibility.
• People previously barred from voting in the
United States:
– White adult males who did not own property
– Women
– African American males
– Native American males
– People under 21 years of age
Qualifying to Vote (cont.)
• Voting rights today:
– Right to vote not denied because of
race, color, gender, or age (if at least 18
years old)
– Right to vote denied to people convicted
of serous crimes
Extending the Right to Vote
Qualifying to Vote (cont.)
• Voter registration:
– Required 30 days before an
election in most states
– State requirements vary
– Information needed for voter
registration forms
– Identity proof needed to register for
first-time voters
Extending the Right to Vote
B. Disagree
0%
A
A. Agree
A. A
B. B
0%
B
Do you agree that property
qualifications are a legitimate
restriction on the right to vote
because citizens who own
property are more likely to
elect leaders who will protect
and defend the country and
its land?
Steps in Voting
Voting is a basic political right of all
U.S. citizens who meet certain
qualifications set by law.
Steps in Voting (cont.)
• On Election Day, citizens cast their votes
at a polling place in their precinct.
− Sample ballot at the entrance
− Clerks and challengers have certain
responsibilities
− Election judges are also present
Steps in Voting (cont.)
• Types of voting machines:
– Punch-card machine
– Lever machine
Steps in Voting (cont.)
• Ballots:
– “Butterfly ballot”
– Punch-card ballot
– Computerized ballot
– Secret ballot
– Absentee ballot
Steps in Voting (cont.)
• After voting:
– Election workers take returns to election
board
– Election board sends returns to state
canvassing authority
– Exit polls used to predict election
results
– Media projections may influence on
voters
Do you agree that a
national standard for
voting machines would
eliminate many of the
problems stemming
from differences in
election methods?
A. A
B. B
A. Agree
0%
0%
B. Disagree
A
B
Why Your Vote Matters
Through our vote, we directly
participate in governing.
Why Your Vote Matters (cont.)
• Voters use a variety of sources to inform
themselves about candidates and public
issues.
• Questions to ask when deciding for whom
to vote
• The electorate as all the people eligible to
vote
Why Your Vote Matters (cont.)
• Why some people do not vote:
– Not meeting state requirements
– Not registering
– Views not represented by candidates
– Vote won’t make a difference
– Apathy
Why Your Vote Matters (cont.)
• Why some people do vote:
– Positive attitudes towards government
and citizenship
– Education, age, and income
– Gives a chance to choose government
leaders
– Gives a chance to voice opinions
Do you think that turnouts in U.S.
elections would improve if Election
Day was made a federal holiday?
A. Yes
B. No
A. A
B. B
0%
B
A
0%
Guide to Reading
Big Idea
A successful democracy is built on an
informed electorate.
Guide to Reading
Content Vocabulary
• Electoral
College
• initiative
• proposition
• referendum
• recall
• elector
• winner-take-all
system
Types of Elections
There are different types of elections
in the United States political system.
Types of Elections (cont.)
• Besides primary elections, there are three
types of elections in the United States:
general elections, elections on issues, and
special elections.
Types of Elections (cont.)
• General elections:
– Held after primary elections
– Always on the first Tuesday after the first
Monday in November
– All seats in House and one-third of seats in
Senate at stake every even-numbered year
– Presidential elections every four years
– State and local elections
– Disputed elections
Types of Elections (cont.)
• Issue elections:
– Initiatives as a way to amend the state
constitution through propositions
–(In Michigan we call these
proposals)
– Referendums as a way for citizens to
approve or reject a state or local law
• Examples from the past issue election in
Michigan:
– Medical marijuana
– Voucher programs
– Defining “marriage”
Types of Elections (cont.)
• Special elections:
– Runoff election as a way to determine
winner of state or local election
– Recall as a way to remove a public
official from office
Presidential Elections
Presidential elections have three major
steps: (1) nomination of the candidates,
(2) the campaign, and (3) the vote.
Presidential Elections (cont.)
• Electors:
– Part of the Electoral College system
– List of electors pledged to each
candidate
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok
_VQ8I7g6I
– How many electors? 538 TOTAL
– 100 (2 senators from each of the 50 states)
– 435 (435 representatives in the House)
– (States # of reps are determined in a census every 10
years).
–
3 for Washington D.C. (23rd amendment)
– Winner-take-all system (except Maine and
Nebraska)
– Candidate with majority of votes (270) wins
• What if no candidate receives a
majority?
–House of Reps-votes for president,
Senate- vice president
• Each state has 1 vote
• Elector votes sent to Congress to be counted in
January
• Candidate with the majority of votes (270) wins
Presidential Elections (cont.)
• Origins of the Electoral College system:
• Compromise at the Constitutional
Convention
Presidential Elections
• Flaws with the Electoral College system :
• The winner of the popular vote, may not get
the electoral vote (2000 Election)
• Possible for no candidate to get a majority
• No law requiring electors to vote for who
won the state
• Electoral College Debate
• Type 3 Writing:
• Should the Electoral College Be Abolished?
• 1.) Clearly stated position
• 2.) Paragraph form 5-7 sentences
• 3.) 3 reasons that support your position
• Reforming the Electoral
College:
–Direct Popular Vote: Abolish the
electoral college, each citizen gets
one vote
• Advantages:
• Disadvantages:
• Proportional Plan:
– Abolish the “winner take all” aspect of
the electoral college
– Each candidate gets a proportion of the
electoral vote
• Advantages:
• Disadvantages:
• National Bonus Plan: Keep the electoral
college, but the winner of the popular vote will
receive 102 bonus electoral votes
– Advantages:
– Disadvantages:
• District Plan:
– Electoral votes would be divided up on a
basis of US house districts, the winner
of the popular votes would receive the
electoral votes for the two senate seats.
• Advantages:
• Disadvantages:
Do you think that the Electoral
College system should be abolished?
A. Yes
B. No
57%
43%
A. A
B. B
A
B
Guide to Reading
Big Idea
A successful democracy is built on an
informed electorate.
Guide to Reading
Content Vocabulary
• propaganda
• soft money
• political action
committee
(PAC)
• incumbent
Do you agree that government limits
on campaign spending can interfere
with citizens’ right to free speech?
A. Agree
B. Disagree
A. A
B. B
Running for Office
Running for public office is the first
step in the election process.
Running for Office (cont.)
• Money plays a major role in the election
process.
• The purpose of campaigns is to convince the
public to vote for a particular candidate.
Running for Office (cont.)
• Campaign techniques:
– Canvassing to find out public opinion
– Endorsements as propaganda
– Advertising to create the right image and
to attack opponents
Many campaigns use propaganda
techniques because
A. voters prefer sensational
arguments.
B. simply informing voters
A.
about candidates is ineffective.
B.
C. such techniques are effective
C.
in damaging opponents’
D.
images.
A
B
C
D
Financing a Campaign
Candidates spend considerable time
and effort raising campaign funds.
Financing a Campaign (cont.)
• Legislation and judicial decisions have
established rules for financing political
campaigns.
Financing a Campaign (cont.)
• Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) of
1971:
– Required public disclosure of
candidates’ spending
– Limited amount of hard money donated
directly to a candidate or party
– Tried to limit campaign spending
Financing a Campaign (cont.)
• Federal Election Commission (FEC):
– Created by the 1974 amendment to
FECA
– Administers all federal election laws
– Monitors campaign spending
Financing a Campaign (cont.)
• 1976 Supreme Court ruling in
Buckley v. Valeo:
– Government could set limits on
campaign contributions
– Government could not limit spending of
a candidate’s own money
Financing a Campaign (cont.)
• Presidential Election Campaign Fund:
– Tax created to establish public funding
for presidential elections
– Money comes from annual taxes $3.00
– Two major-party candidates can receive
equal shares of money from fund
– Third-party candidates can also qualify
for funding
Financing a Campaign (cont.)
• Private funding from various sources:
– Individual citizens
– Corporations
– Labor unions
– Interest groups
– Political action committees (PACs)
Financing a Campaign (cont.)
• 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
(McCain-Feingold Act):
– Set limits on who could raise soft money
– Set time restrictions on campaign ads
– Set new limits on hard money contributions
–Individuals $2,500 /$25,000 per party
Financing a Campaign (cont.)
• McConnell v. Federal Election Commission
ruling upheld the McCain-Feingold Act
• Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending
Limit in Citizens United v. Federal
Elections Commission.... 2010
• Corporations are NOT limited when
making campaign contributions
Funding Congressional Campaigns
Voting
• Voting is a basic political right
of all citizens in a democracy
who meet certain qualifications
set by law.
• Voting allows citizens to take
positive actions to influence
or control government.
Voting (cont.)
• You are qualified to vote if you
are not a convicted felon or
legally insane, and you are:
– a citizen of the United States
– at least 18 years old
– Most states also require
that you be a resident of
the state for a specified
period and that you
register to vote.
Registering to Vote
• Registration requirements
are set by state law and
differ from state to state.
• When you register to vote
for the first time, you must
show proof of citizenship,
address, and age.
Voting Procedures
• You vote at a polling place
in your home precinct. A
precinct is a voting district.
• You will cast your ballot by
using a voting machine.
• Citizens who cannot get
to the polling place on
Election Day can vote
by absentee ballot.
The Electoral College
• Presidents are not chosen
by direct popular vote but
by a body known as the
Electoral College.
• While the presidential
candidates’ names are
printed on the ballot, the
voters are not actually
voting directly for president
and vice president.
Rather, they are voting for
all of their party’s electors
in their state.
Political Campaigns
• Running for office costs money.
• Campaigns are funded privately and publicly.
• Campaign finance reform remains an important
issue.
Voter turnout will decrease, and smaller groups of people
will determine who runs the government.
polling place
the location where voting is carried
out
precinct
a geographic area that contains a
specific number of voters
ballot
the list of candidates on which you
cast your vote
absentee ballot
one that allows a person to vote
without going to the polls on Election
Day
returns
ballots and results of an election
exit poll
a survey taken at polling places of
how people voted
electorate
all the people who are eligible to vote
apathy
a lack of interest
Electoral College
a group of people named by each
state legislature to select the
president and vice president
initiative
a procedure by which citizens can
propose new laws or state
constitutional amendments
proposition
a petition asking for a new law
referendum
a way for citizens to vote on state or
local laws
recall
a special election in which citizens
can vote to remove a public official
from office
elector
person appointed to vote in
presidential elections for the major
candidates
winner-take-all system
a system in which the candidate who
wins the popular vote in a state
usually receives all of the state’s
electoral votes
propaganda
certain ideas that may involve
misleading messages designed to
manipulate people
political action
committee (PAC)
political organization established by a
corporation, labor union, or other
special-interest group designed to
support candidates by contributing
money
soft money
donations given to political parties
and not designated for a particular
candidate’s election campaign
incumbent
a politician who has already been
elected to office
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