Transcript Ch 17 ppt revised

Electing the President
• Held every four years, but
campaigning begins much earlier
• Winner MUST receive a majority
of votes in the Electoral College
– Number of votes in the Electoral
College = number of Senators and
Representatives in Congress
– Winner-takes-all system
2016 Electoral College Map
Problems 
1. Winner of the popular vote may
not win the presidency
• Winner-takes-all system
• Vote distribution amongst the states
2. Electors are not required to vote
in accordance with the popular
vote
3. The House of Reps may have to
decide the election
• Each state gets only 1 vote
• No majority = No vote
• 3rd party problems
Solutions! 
• District Plan
• Proportional Plan
• Pure Popular Vote
• “Bonus” Plan
• Don’t Change
• Campaign Strategy
– Must capture “key” states
– Tone of the campaign
– Which issues are stressed
• Campaign Organization
– Campaign manager:
responsible for overall
strategy and planning
– Campaign must be
organized from the
national level  local level
Television
• Image: mental picture voters have
of a candidate
– Try to appear “presidential”
• TV = most important
communication tool
– Commercials
– News programs
– Debates
• Internet
• Campaigning for office
is extremely expensive
• Questionable practices
–Amount spent
–Fundraising methods
Rules
• Prior to the 1970s = private
donations
– Unfair advantage to the
wealthy
– Special favors?
• Federal Election Campaign Act of
1971
– Public funding of presidential
elections
– Public disclosure of how much
money is spent
• Businesses & Labor Unions can’t
donate money
• Individuals limited to $1,000.00
(now $2,600)
– Limitations on campaign spending?
Political Action Committees
• Def: An organization designed
to support political candidates
with campaign contributions
– Individuals can contribute up to
$5,000.00
– Major spending increases
with every election
– Influence of Super PACs
Soft Money
• Unlimited amounts of money raised
for general purposes, not designated
to particular candidates
– No accounting for how it was spent
– Businesses = Republican Party
– Labor Unions = Democratic Party
Federal Funding
• Accepting federal funding places a
limit on how much you can spend
• 3rd parties qualify if they received
5% or more of the popular vote in
the previous presidential election
– Reform Party—1996
Disclosure
• All contributions over $100.00
must be recorded and
reported to the Federal
Election Commission
– Administers federal election
laws
• FEC’s records are
open to the public
• Suffrage: The
right to vote
– Foundation of
American
democracy
– Right v. Privilege
• Regulations and
restrictions
apply
Early Limitations
• Mid-1800s = universal white adult
male suffrage
Women’s Suffrage
• Fight began in colonial times
• 1914—women had the right to
vote in 11 states, all west of the
Mississippi River
• 19th Amendment = universal
women’s suffrage
African-American Suffrage
• Post Civil War
• 15th Amendment
– Cannot deny right
to vote based on
race, color or
previous condition
of servitude
– First time the
national
government set
rules for voting
• Grandfather
Clause
– Only voters whose
grandfathers had
voted before 1867
can vote without
paying a poll tax
or passing a
literacy test
• Literacy Test
– 1915 =
• Racial
unconstitutional
differences
• Poll Tax
– Money a citizen had to pay before
he or she could vote
– Discriminated against the poor of
all races
 1964—24Th
Amendment
 1966 —
Supreme
Court
decision
Voting Rights Acts
• Civil Rights movement
• Voting Rights Act of 1965
– Voter registration can be done by
the federal government
– Eliminated unfair voting districts
– Abolished literacy requirements
– Foreign languages
26th
Amendment
• Lowered the voting
age to 18
• Influence of the
Vietnam War
• 10 million citizens
gained the right to
vote
Voter Qualifications
1. Citizenship
2. Age
– Can’t set minimum age for
voting above 18
3. Registration
– Voter identification intended
to prevent fraud
4. Residence
– Must be a legal resident in
which you cast your ballot
Denied Voters
1. People in mental
institutions or who have
been found to be
mentally incompetent
(all)
2. People convicted of
Felonies (most)
3. People dishonorably
discharged from the
military (few)
Personal Background
• Age, Education, Religion,
Racial/Ethnic background,
Economic Situation, Etc.
• Cross-pressured voter
– One who is caught between
conflicting elements in their own
life
Party Loyalty
• Strong v. Weak party voters
– Straight-party ticket = will only
vote for candidates in their party
• Independents
– Increased over the
years
– Influenced by issues
and candidate image
Issues
• Today’s voters = better
educated and informed
–TV
• Issues directly impact many
people’s lives
Image
• Personal qualities
candidates are thought to
have
• Voter perception
– Trustworthiness
– Intellect
– Leadership
Propaganda
• Def: Using ideas,
information, or rumors to
influence opinion
• NOT objective!!!
Voters
• Higher income, higher
education and middle-aged
people are more likely to vote
regularly
• Many still do NOT vote!
• Requirements:
– Citizenship
– Registration
- Age
- Residence
Turnout
• Voter turnout has
fallen from 62% to
50% in presidential
elections
• Suggestions:
 Move voting day from
Tuesday to Sunday
 Allow registration to
occur ON Election Day
 National registration
What is Mudslinging?
• Negative ads and false
accusations against an
opponent in order to
discredit them.