Chapter 9- Political Process of Elections

Election Day

Citizens cast their vote via secret ballot at their local precinct. In Missouri, polls open at 6 am and close at 8 pm.

Anyone that is a citizen and 18 years or older, may vote.

Voting is a civic duty- something that you should do but don't have to do.

Federal Level (Presidential Election)

State Level

Local Level

Elections for state senators, representatives, governors, Lt. governors, judges, etc.

During presidential elections, the presidential candidate that wins the popular vote in a state recieve that state's electors' votes in the Electorial College.

Senators and Representatives are voted on.

Presidents are competing for votes in the Electoral College.

Candidates are trying to reach the "magic number" of 270 electoral votes to become president.

Elections for mayor, city council, country officals, etc.

Results are typically confirmed within hours of polls closing.

PACs and Interest Groups

Political Parties

• Special Interest Group- association of people who hold similar views or goals, and try to influence public policy and the public agenda to achieve them.
• PAC- Politicial Action Committee. An organization created to raise and contribute money legally to the campaigns of political candidates.

Political Spectrum

Do They Help Us?

What Are Their Roles?

• Can endorse candidates for office. "Give stamp of approval"
• Have interest group's PAC donate money to candidate's campaign.
• Can lobby government officials to support the group's interests.
• Can provide someone to testify to any level of government to express and explain a group's interests.
• Can start grass root campaign
• File lawsuits in the U.S. legal system

• Nominate candidates for political office
• Assist the electoral process
• Help to operate the government

What Are Their Limits?

Different Party Systems

• Can lead to corruption
• Influence politicians to vote against the public good

What Is Their Purpose?

• One party system- a single political party controls government. Other parties may or may not be allowed.

• Two party system- two major parties compete to control government. Other parties may exist and may affect elections but rarely gain power.

• Multiparty system- several parties compete for power in government.

Our Party System

Good

Bad

• Organize interests
• Encourage participation
• Supply information

• filters out extreme or unconventional ideas
• provide stability against rapid and disruptive change
• broad base and consistency of stances on issues
• "brand name"

• by trying to appeal to as many voters as possible, there is lack of unity, discipline, and loyalty
• interest groups influence party decisions
• politicians are more interested in gaining power in their party than in the public good
• does not allow for compromise and bipartisan solutions.

• Two party system
• Republicans
• Democrats

How did these parties develop?

Local, State, and National Political Parties

• Political parties work at the local, state and national levels.
• At the local level, political parties try to get their party elected to positions within their precinct (smallest unit for administering elections) and wards, which are made up of several precincts.
• At the state level, the party is run by a central committee that tries to get candidates elected at local, state and national levels.
• At the national level, the party is managed and ran by a chairperson and has a paid staff to with fundraiser, supporting campaigns, and other purposes. Also try to attract voters to their party.

Are we stuck with them?

General Election

The last day of a campaign is the day of the election. Most state and federal elections are held in November, local elections are often held in April.

Politicans campaign through rallies, debates, public appearances, television and radio ads, and through the internet.

Voters will vote at their

precinct via a secret ballot.

Party Conventions

Political parties hold conventions to select candidates. The most important of these is the National Conventions held to select the party's nominee for President and Vice President candidates.

Choosing the Candidate

Delegates will vote for their choice and the results will determine who represents the party on the upcoming election ballot.

Caucuses and Primaries

• Caucus- meeting of party members who select the candidates to run for election.
• Direct primary- party's candidate is chosen directly by voters. Can either be open or closed.
• Closed- only registered party members vote.
• Open- any registered voter may vote in either party's primary.

Purpose

Iowa's Caucuses

• Helps narrow the field of candidates down to those that the people most identify with.
• Helps aid in the selection of a candidate at party conventions.
• Helps candidates gauge if they have momentum and a chance to be nominated by their party.

Iowa holds the first caucuses leading up to a Presidential Election, allowing candidates to judge how they fair among the other candidates.

Election Process

Voting is the most basic exercise of the constitutional principle of popular sovereignty.

Louis L'Amour- "To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply obvservers. One who does not vote has no right to complain."

Announce

Where's The Money?

The first thing a candidate does is announce their intent to run in the election and what party they are seeking the nomination from.

Candidates will have to file for candidacy to get their name on ballots.

Candidates spend a lot of time raising money to run their campaign.

Sources of this money comes from PACs, the candidate's party, private individuals, their personal funds, and in some cases, public funds.

Hard money- money donated to an individual campaign. State and Federal government has limits on how much can be given.

Soft money- money donated to a political party.

Public Opinion

The collective view shared by a segment of society on issues of interest or concern is what makes up public opinion.

This helps leaders form public policy, or how they respond to issues or problems.

Role of Mass Media

How is it formed?

How to Measure Public Opinion

• Factors into how a person forms their opinion.
• Includes newspapers, television, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook...
• In recent years, internet based mass media has began to play a bigger role in shaping American's opinions. Ex. Americans using Facebook more to receive their news.
• Mass Media can be biased in their reporting and story selection, and can contain inaccuracies.

Political Socialization- the process by which people acquire political beliefs.

Factors that play into a person's poltical beliefs include family, school and work, age, race, gender, and religion.

• Public Opinion is measured through polls- surveys of people scientifically selected to provide opinions about something.
• The sample size is important in public opinion polls- bigger the random sample size, the more accurate it will be.
• Will still include sampling error- which can be just a few percentage points.
• Polls can be manipulated by the way questions are worded or what time they are given- also known as bias. Lack of bias is objectivity.
• Exit polls survey a randomly selected fraction of voters after they have voted. Can be helpful to help report winners.

Fake News- look at the source of article!

Article found on Facebook. Reliable?

DailyPresser.com? The American Patriot?

Reliable News- comes from trusted news with information from reliable sources and sources are cited!

Vietnam and Iraq- Shifting Public Opinion

During the Vietnam and Iraq Wars, public opinion was a huge concern for government officials. Early in the war, public opinion was high, but as the wars went on, and more television coverage of the wars was seen nightly- public opinion dropped quickly.

Chapter 9- Political Process of Elections

Based on Jim Harvey's speech structures