Elections and Voting
Election Day USA
• Federal elections are
held on the first
Tuesday in November
of every even
numbered year
• Every federal election
we vote for our
Representatives and
1/3 of the Senators
• Every 4 years we vote
for President
3 Special elections
• Initiatives
– Ideas that come from the public and are voted on
during elections
• Referendums
– Ideas that come from lawmakers that are voted on
directly by the public
• Recalls
– A special election called to remove an elected
official from office
Elections
• Primary Elections
– Purpose: to determine who will represent the
party in the General election
• Ex: Hillary Clinton v. Barack Obama for the Democratic
nomination
• General Elections
– Purpose: vote between the nominees of the
different party
• Ex: Mitt Romney(R) v. Barack Obama (D)
Open and Closed primaries
• Closed primary:
– Only registered party members can vote
• Open primary:
– Any registered voter can vote, regardless of party
• Runoff:
– In most states, a candidate needs a plurality
– In some, candidate needs a majority
Presidential Elections
LO 13.2: Outline the electoral procedures for presidential and general elections.
Primaries and Caucuses
• Delegates to convention chosen
by election or caucus.
• Elections may be winner-takeall or proportional.
• Caucuses are better for the
party organization.
• Trend toward front-loading.
To Learning Objectives
Figure 13.1: When do states choose
their nominee for president?
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The Electoral College
• The framers created the electoral college because they were
afraid voters would be uninformed on national elections
• How does it work?
– Each state has a set number of electoral votes (# of Reps +
# of Senators)
– Whichever candidate gets the most votes in a state gets
ALL of the electoral votes
– You need 270 to win
– If no one gets 270, the House of Representatives picks the
President
LO 13.2
Electing a President: The Electoral College
• Representatives from each state who
select president.
• Electors equivalent to senators plus
representatives.
• Framers favored system to remove
power from people.
• The 1876 and 2000 elections raised
concerns about system.
To Learning Objectives
Figure 13.2: How is voting power
apportioned in the Electoral
College?
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The Big Question…
• Do we still need the electoral college?
– Many argue that with modern elections and vote
counting, the person who earns a plurality of the
votes should win
– Candidates don’t campaign in states they don’t
think they can win
– What do you think?
Voters and Voting Behavior
• Def: Electorate
– The electorate is defined
as all eligible registered
voters
• Def: Absentee Voting
– If you will be out of your
voting area on election
day, you can file an
absentee ballot
Congressional Elections
LO 13.3: Compare and contrast congressional and presidential elections, and
explain the incumbency advantage.
The Incumbency Advantage
• Support from a paid staff.
• Incumbents are more visible.
• “Scaring off” other challengers.
– name recognition
– large war chests
– free constituency mailings
– Previous campaign experience
To Learning Objectives
LO 13.3
Why Incumbents Lose
• Redistricting can pit
incumbents against one
another.
• Scandals.
• Presidential coattails.
• Midterm elections.
To Learning Objectives
Patterns in Vote Choice
LO 13.4: Identify seven factors that influence voter choice.
Many factors impact voter choice.
• Party identification
• Ideology
• Income and education
•
•
•
•
Race and ethnicity
Gender
Religion
Issues
To Learning Objectives
What influences how people vote?
• In general:
– Education
• Less = D
More = R
– Gender
• Female = D
Male = R
– Race
• White = R
Af Am = D
Lat = ??
– Income
• Lower = D
Higher = R
– Religion
• Protestant = R
Catholic, Jewish = D
– Geography
• South = R Northeast = D
Midwest = ???
West Coast = D Heartland/West = R
Voter Turnout
LO 13.5: Identify six factors that affect voter turnout.
• States regulate voter eligibility.
• Factors that affect voter turnout:
– Income and education
– Race and ethnicity
– Gender
– Age
– Civil engagement
– Interest in politics
To Learning Objectives
Toward Reform: Problems with
Voter Turnout
LO 13.6: Explain why voter turnout is low, and evaluate methods for improving
voter turnout.
• Voter turnout in the United States is low. Why?
– Other commitments: People are too busy.
– Difficulty of registration
– Number of elections
– Voter attitudes: apathy, satisfaction, lack of a pressing
issue
– Weakened influence of political parties
To Learning Objectives
Analyzing Visuals: Why people Don’t
Vote
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LO 13.6
Ways to Improve Voter Turnout
• Make Election Day a
Holiday
• Enable Early Voting
• Permit Mail and Online
Voting
• Make Registration Easier
• Modernize the Ballot
• Strengthen Parties
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