
Explaining the electoral college video
2012
Popular vote
Electoral vote
November
election
Mid December
Electors for
Obama
Electors cast their
vote
Ann, Bill and Chad
(Bob, Steve, Mick)
Romney
Obama
(Ann, Bill, Chad)
Romney

2012 ballot
How does the electoral college
work?





There are a total of 538 total electoral votes.
Each state gets the same # of votes as they have
members of Congress
A majority of electoral votes are needed to be
elected President. (270)
If no majority of electoral votes are obtained
the House of Representatives chooses the
President
The electoral college votes in mid December



Monday following the second Wednesday in
December, the electors of each state meet in
their respective state capitals to officially cast
their votes for president and vice president.
These votes are then sealed and sent to the
president of the Senate, who on January 6th
opens and reads the votes in the presence of
both houses of Congress.
The winner is sworn into office at noon on
January 20th.
Why don’t we elect our president
through popular vote?

A safeguard against…
Uneducated voters
 A protection against the people if the system of
allowing people to vote on their leaders didn’t work
out as hoped.

Political Parties in the
United States
Political Party



A group of people who share similar ideas
Work to get its member elected into office
Try to get government to work to promote their
ideas.
 One
party system
 Two party system
 Multi party system
South Dakota political parties
From Sect. of State; Updated October 1, 2014



46% Republican (239,355)
34% Democrat (175,186)
19% Independents (100,547)





Libertarian (1,356)
Constitution (595)
American’s Elect (8)
Total: 517,003
Recognized parties in South Dakota
Political Parties in USA

Gallup poll on party identification
Current political parties in the US

From politics1.com
Minor Party Presidential Candidates
2012


Minor party candidates
Election results
What are “Minor Parties” or “Third
Parties”?


Currently a party that is not the Democratic or
Republican parties
They rarely win elected positions
Impact of minor parties

Take popular vote from candidates

A third party DOES NOT take votes away equally
from both parties
2000 Election

More liberal
candidates
 Al Gore
 Ralph Nader

More conservative
candidates
 George W. Bush
 Pat Buchanan
Al Gore – (Democrat)
Popular Vote: 50,992,335
Percentage - 48.38%
George Bush – (Republican)
Popular Vote: 50,455,156
Percentage: 47.87%
Ralph Nader – (Green)
Popular Vote: 2,882,897
Percentage: 2.74%
Patrick Buchanan – (Reform)
Popular Vote: 448,892
Percentage: 0.42
Florida


25 electoral votes
Total Electoral Vote
Bush 271
 Gore 267

FLORIDA
Bush, George W.
Rep
2,912,790
48.85
Gore, Al
Dem
2,912,253
48.84
Nader, Ralph
Green
97,488
1.63
Buchanan, Pat
Ref
17,484
0.29

Encourage major parties to face some important
issues

Ross Perot
Impact of minor parties


Take away electoral votes form major candidates
Electoral votes for minor party candidates
SOUTH DAKOTA
Bush, George W.
R
190,700
60.30
Gore, Al
D
118,804
37.56
Buchanan, Pat
REF
3,322
1.05
Phillips, Howard
I
1,781
0.56
Browne, Harry
LBT
1,662
0.52
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TIMELINE
(2012)
Primary Season and
Caucuses
Convention
2013
Candidate
search
begins
Jan ‘2016
June
Late
summer
General
Election
Nov.
(1st Tues. after
1st Mon. in
Nov.)
Electoral
College Vote
Dec.
(Monday after
2nd Wed. in
Dec.)
Inauguration
Jan. –‘2017
Jan. 20
What is a
Direct Primary Election?
Explaining primaries video
An Election in which a Political Party decides
which candidate they will support.


Closed Primary
 Open Primary

What is a Caucus


Similar to a primary except instead it is more like
a large meeting instead of ballot voting
2012 Republican calendar
Why not have multiple candidates
from a party run for President?
Republican
Presidential
Candidates 2012
Mitt Romney — Former Governor of
Massachusetts
Tim Pawlenty — Former Governor
of Minnesota
Dropped
out of
race
August
14th
Thaddeus McCotter — US House of
representative from Michigan
Dropped out
September
22, 2011
Herman Cain — Former CEO of
Godfather’s Pizza (dropped out
December 4, 2011)
Gary E. Johnson — Former
Governor of New Mexico
Dropped out
Dec. 28 and
decided to
run as an
independent
Libertarian
Michele Bachmann — United States
Representative, Minnesota
Dropped
out
January 4,
2012.
Day after
getting 5%
in Iowa
Caucus
Jon Huntsman — Former Governor
of Utah
Dropped
out
January
16, 2012.
Rick Perry — Governor of Texas
Dropped out
January 19,
2012
Rick Santorum — Former United
States Senator, Pennsylvania
Dropped
out April
10, 2012
Newt Gingrich — Former House
Speaker
Dropped out
April 25, 2012
Ron Paul — United States
Representative, Texas
Democratic Candidates 2008
US Senator Barack H. Obama, Jr.
(Democrat - Illinois)
.
POLITICAL: Illinois State
Senator, 1997-2005
(elected 1996, 1998,
2002). Candidate for
Congress, 2000. US
Senator, 2005 - present
(elected 2004). Keynote
Speaker, 2004
Democratic National
Convention.
US Senator Joseph R. "Joe" Biden Jr.
(Democrat - Delaware)
POLITICAL: New
Castle County
Councilman, 1970-72.
US Senator, 1973 present (elected 1972;
re-elected 1978, 1984,
1990, 1996, 2002).
Candidate for President,
1988 (withdrew before
first primary).
US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
(Democrat - New York)
POLITICAL: First Lady of
Arkansas, 1979-81 and
1983-93. First Lady of the
US, 1993-2001. US
Senator, 2001 - present
(elected 2000, 2006).
US Senator Christopher J. "Chris" Dodd
(Democrat - Connecticut)
POLITICAL: US
Congressman, 1975-81
(elected 1974, 1976,
1978). US Senator, 1981 present (elected 1980,
1986, 1992, 1998, 2004).
Former US Senator John R. Edwards
(Democrat - North Carolina)
POLITICAL: US Senator,
1999-2005 (elected 1998).
Candidate for President,
2004 (lost in the primaries).
Democratic nominee for
Vice President, 2004.
Former US Senator Maurice R. "Mike" Gravel
(Democrat - Virginia)
POLITICAL: Alaska State
Representative, 1962-66
(elected 1962, 1964).
Speaker of the Alaska
House of Representatives,
1965-66. Candidate for US
Congress, 1966. US
Senator from Alaska, 196981 (elected 1968, 1974;
unsuccessful candidate for
renomination in 1980).
Candidate for Vice
President, 1972 Democratic
Convention (226 delegates 3rd place - 7.5%). Founder
& President, Democracy
Foundation and National
Initiative for Democracy
non-profit groups.
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich
(Democrat - Ohio)
POLITICAL: Cleveland
City Councilman, 1970-75
and 1983-85; Democratic
nominee for Congress,
1972; Cleveland Clerk of
Municipal Courts, 197577; Mayor of Cleveland,
1977-79 (elected in 1977;
defeated for re-election in
1979); State Senator,
1995-97; US
Congressman, 1997present (elected in 1996,
re-elected in 1998, 2000,
2002, 2004, 2006).
Candidate for President,
2004
Governor William B. "Bill" Richardson
(Democrat - New Mexico)
POLITICAL: Candidate for
Congress, 1980. US
Congressman, 1983-97
(elected 1982, 1984, 1986,
1988, 1990, 1992, 1994,
1996). US Ambassador to
the United Nations, 199798. US Secretary of
Energy, 1998-2001.
Governor of New Mexico,
2003-present (elected
2002, 2006). Chairman,
2004 Democratic National
Convention. Chairman,
Democratic Governors
Association, 2006.
Nominated four times for
the Nobel Peace Prize.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TIMELINE
(2012)
Primary Season and
Caucuses
Convention
2009
Candidate
search
begins
Jan ‘2012
June
Late
summer
General
Election
Nov.
(1st Tues. after
1st Mon. in
Nov.)
Electoral
College Vote
Dec.
(Monday after
2nd Wed. in
Dec.)
Inauguration
Jan. –‘2013
Jan. 20
Recent Vice Presidents
Gerald Ford
Nelson Rockefeller
Jimmy Carter
Walter Mondale
Ronald Reagan
George H Bush
George H Bush
Dan Quayle
William Clinton
Albert Gore, Jr.
George W Bush
Richard Cheney
Convention
What is a Convention




A big pep rally for the party for the upcoming
election
The two most important things accomplished at
a convention is the write a platform and to
nominate a candidate for President.
Republican 2012: Tampa Florida the week of
August 27th
Democratic 2012: Charlotte, NC the week of
September 3rd.
What is a platform?

What the political party believes on an
assortment of important issues.
Platform (Republican)
Platform (Democratic)
Nomination

The party officially nominates their candidate
for President
When is the convention held?


Every four years
Late summer of the Presidential election year.
TV and Other Ads
2012 Presidential Election

2012 commercial spending
According to the Washington
Post






In the 2012 Presidential election, candidates had …
2 ads in Sioux Falls, SD costing $1,810
3 ads in Houston, TX costing $450
43,979 ads in Tampa, FL costing $48 million
55,613 ads in Denver, CO costing $55 million
Why not equal spending in all states?
 Campaign
commercials are
GARBAGE and voters need to
ignore them!
Campaign Commercial Strategies
Glittering Generalities
Words and phrases that sound appealing
and people can’t hardly disagree with.
“South Dakota Values”
 Mitt Romney

 Card
Stacking
 Use limited facts that support your
position. Telling partial truths
“Bad Call”
 Throw to the wolves
 Obama and Education
 Taliban Dan

“Bad Call”






Phone records show:
Did make call to Fantasy Talk Service at 3:26 pm on January 28,
2004
The very next minute (3:27 pm) he made a second call to the
exact same number except for the 3 digit area code was different
The 2nd call was to the NY State dept of criminal justice.
They were attending a meeting of the NY state district attorneys
association
Total cost of the call: $1.25
Throw us to the wolves





1st terrorist attack was 1993 when a truck bomb went off at the World Trade
Center
Kerry supported regular increases in intelligence spending several years prior
to September 11, 2001
The cut Kerry proposed in 1996 was a 3% cut and came after it became
known that the CIA had been hoarding $1 billion in unspent funds. It was
defeated in the Senate.
Porter Gross, who was Bush’s CIA director at the time of this commercial
had also supported similar cuts in defense spending.
Another Republican sponsored cut similar to Kerry’s actually became law.
 Just


Plain Folk
Give the impression that the candidate is just
like the people.
Statements, dress,
Thune
 Thune commercials
 Sandlin

 Transfer

Connect the candidate to a respected
symbol or person
 Kerry
 Noem
 (grodet is sign in) R*******e)
 Negative
Ads
 The goal is to get you to vote against a
person. Scare the people out of voting
for someone.



Daisy Girl
Willie Horton and Revolving Door
Clinton
 Bandwagon



Vote for candidate because other people like
him or her.
I Like Ike
Real People
Other Commercials



Bear in the Woods
NRA vs. Kerry
Headlines
Total Spending by
Presidential Candidates*
 Total Spent in millions


2008 $1.6 billion
2004: $717.9
2000: $343.1
1996: $239.9
1992: $192.2
1988: $210.7
1984: $103.6
1980: $92.3
1976: $66.9
Money in Elections

1996 Clinton and Dole spent about $85 million each

2000 Bush spent $185 million

2004 Bush spent $367 million
Kerry spent $326 million
Nader spent $4.5 million

2008 Obama spent $730 million
McCain spent $330 million
2012 Obama spent $985 million
Romney spent $992 million
How much do candidates spend per
day as of October of 07?

Newsweek, 10/29/07
Giuliani $112,101
 Romney $196,382
 McCain $104,894
 Thompson $46,773
 Clinton $148,501
 Obama $161,792
 Edwards $65,685

Today’s Candidates

Money Raised for 2012 election
Campaign Money
Campaign Finance Laws


Laws that regulate how much money can be
given to political candidates and how that money
can be used.
Created by congress
Campaign Finance Laws
for 2014-16 election cycle
2008 Cycle4
Pre-BCRA
To any candidate committee (
I
n
$2,600
d
i
v
i
d
u
a
l
c
a
n
g
i
v
e
:
To any
national
party
committe
e (per
year)
To any PAC,
state/local
party, or
(per year)
total
Where do Candidates get their
money


Private Contributions
Money given to a
candidate from an
individual, special
interest, business, etc.




Matching funds (also
known as public
contributions)
Money the government
matches
Only small contributions
($250 or less)
Must be eligible
What are PAC’s?



Political Action Committee
PAC’s for the purpose of raising and spending
money to elect and defeat candidates.
Most represent interest groups such as business,
labor or ideological interests.
Super PAC’s




PAC’s that are organized to help or hurt a specific
candidate.
They are supposed to be independent of the
candidate’s campaign
People and corporations can give an unlimited amount
to a Super PAC
New in 2012
Super PAC spending (Opensectrets.org)






For Obama: $50 Million
Anti Obama $333 Million
Total $383 Million
For Romney $90.5 Million
Anti Romney $95 Million
Total $185 Million

Super PAC’s
Daily and weekly spending by Super
PAC

Super PAC spending
“Soft Money”

Slang term for ways of getting around campaign
finance laws.
Federal Election Commission (FEC)



In charge of enforcing campaign finance laws.
All money given to a candidate must be reported
to the FEC
Congress makes the campaign laws but the FEC
has to enforce them.
Image and Public Opinion
Opinion Polls
Opinion polls

A survey of the American people on a number
of issues.

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Sept. 12-15,
2014. N=854 registered voters nationwide.
Margin of error ± 4.

"Which ONE of the following
issues will be MOST important in
deciding your vote for Congress
this November?






Economy 38%
Terrorism 17%
Health Care 16%
Budget Deficit 8%
International Conflicts 6%
Other 4%

CBS News Poll. Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2011. N=1,012
adults nationwide. Margin of error ±3.

"What do you think is the most important
problem facing this country today?"









Economy and jobs 54 %
Budget deficit/National debt 6%
War/Iraq/Afghanistan 4%
Partisan politics 3%
Health care 2%
Education 2%
Politicians/Government 2%
Religious values 2%
Moral values/Family values 2%
 Concerns
of the people may
change over time and the amount
of coverage an issue is getting.




PollingReport.com
Pollster 2012
Pollster.com (2008)
Final Electoral count (2008)
Who do you support for
President?


Republicans
Democrats
Exit Polling




Exit polling 2008
Exit Polling 2012
Onion segment on voting groups (2:30 long)
Onion attack ad
Campaigns Slogans
Campaigns Slogans
1988 George Bush
Kinder, Gentler Nation
1992 Bill Clinton
Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow
1992 Ross Perot
Ross for Boss
1996 Bill Clinton
Building a bridge to the 21st century
1996 Bob Dole
The Better Man for a Better America
2000 Al Gore
Prosperity for America's families
2000 George W. Bush
Compassionate conservatism
2000 George W. Bush
Real plans for real people
2000 George W. Bush
Reformer with results
2000 Ralph Nader
Government of, by, and for the
people...not the monied interests
2004 John Kerry
Let America be America Again
2004 George W. Bush
Yes, America Can!
1864
Abraham Lincoln
Don't swap horses in the middle of the stream
1884
Grover Cleveland
Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, The Continental
Liar from the State of Maine
1884
James Blaine
Ma, Ma, Where’s my Pa, Gone to the White
House, Ha, Ha, Ha
1888
Benjamin Harrison
Rejuvenated Republicanism
1896
William McKinley
Patriotism, Protection, and Prosperity
1900
William McKinley
A Full Dinner Pail
1916
Woodrow Wilson
He kept us out of war
1920
Warren G. Harding
Return to normalcy
1924
Calvin Coolidge
Keep cool with Coolidge
1928
Herbert Hoover
A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage
1952
Dwight Eisenhower
I Like Ike
Slogans and Bumper Stickers
Posters

Campaign posters
Posters
Candidate books
Debates

2008 debate
Democratic Primary Debate
Why Register to Vote?

So we don’t have voter fraud. This protects
from people voting multiple times.
Voter Turnout
 2008
62%
 2012 58%

Voter turnout over time
What are the problems with the
Electoral College
1. Winner takes all.



Whoever wins the state gets all of the electoral
votes and the loser gets none.
48 states use this method.
Two states (Nebraska and Maine) do not.
2. You can get the most popular
vote and still lose the election
Lets suppose we have two
candidates
Candidate A and Candidate B
Popular Vote
California
A
15 mil
B
14 mil
Electoral Vote
A
55
B
0
Popular Vote
Electoral Vote
A
B
A
B
California
15 mil
14 mil
55
0
Texas
2 mil
8 mil
0
38
Popular Vote
Electoral Vote
California
A
15 mil
B
14 mil
A
55
B
0
Texas
Georgia
2 mil
3 mil
8 mil
4 mil
0
0
38
16
Popular Vote
California
Texas
Georgia
Minnesota
A
15 mil
2 mil
3 mil
3 mil
B
14 mil
8 mil
4 mil
1 mil
Electoral Vote
A
55
0
0
10
B
0
38
16
0
Popular Vote
Electoral Vote
A
B
A
B
California
15 mil
14 mil
55
0
Texas
2 mil
8 mil
0
38
Georgia
3 mil
4 mil
0
16
Minnesota
3 mil
1 mil
10
0
Total
23 mil
27 mil
65
54
2. You can get the most popular
vote and still lose the election
2000 Presidential
Popular Vote
Al Gore – (Democrat)
Popular Vote: 50,992,335
Percentage - 48.38%
George Bush – (Republican)
Popular Vote: 50,455,156
Percentage: 47.87%
The three other times


1876
Hayes won over Tilden
even though Tilden
received 254,432 more
popular votes


1888
B. Harrison won over
Cleveland even though
Cleveland 90,596 more
popular votes
 1824
 John Quincy Adams received 38,000 fewer
votes than Andrew Jackson but the HR chose
Adams
3. House decides if no majority
is reached
This
has been used twice in American History


Thomas Jefferson and
Aaron Burr tied and the
HR chose Jefferson to be
the third President
In 1824 John Quincy
Adams, Andrew Jackson
and William Crawford all
ran and a majority wasn’t
reached
 The HR chose Adams
even though Jackson
probably received the
most popular votes.
4. Vote only counts in your state.

South Dakota
5. Electors can vote opposite
of the voters wishes


24 states do not require electors to cast their
votes the same as the people voted
Only happened 11 times since 1796
6. Small states have a disproportionate
amount of votes than they should.





California
55 electoral votes
Population: 38,000,000
Ratio 55:38,000,000
Ratio: 1 electoral vote
for every 690,909 people





South Dakota
3 electoral votes
Population: 750,000
Ratio: 3:750,000
Ratio: 1 electoral vote for
every 250,000 people
To be fair, California should have
152 electoral votes to our 3
7. Outdated


Explaining the electoral college video
Problems with electoral college video
2012

Because the Electoral College is in the
Constitution it would take a Constitutional
Amendment in order to change the
Electoral College.
Amending the Constitution

1.
2.
Two ways to propose.
Pass Congress with
2/3rds vote
Call for Constitutional
convention by 2/3rds
of states

1.
2.
Two ways to ratify
Pass 3/4ths of state
legislatures
3/4ths states in
National Convention
The Executive Branch
Term of Office




22nd Amendment passed in 1951
Allowed two terms of office
Each term of office is 4 years
Can serve a total of 10 years.
Presidential Qualifications
Natural Born Citizen
2. At least 35 years old
14 Year resident of the USA
1.
3.
Salary and Benefits





$400,000 per year
non taxable travel up to $100,000/year
Air Force One, protections,
White House and all operational expenses
Retired Presidents get $148,000 per year plus
free mailing, free office space and $96,000 for
office help
Powers of the Vice President

1. Preside over the senate and break tie.



242 (Chaney has done is 6 times Biden 0)
2. Help decide if Pres is able to perform duties
(25th Amend)
Make $175,000 per year
Powers of the President
1. Commander in Chief of the
Armed Forces
Presidents Cabinet

Cabinet
1. Pardons and Reprieves


Only for federal crimes
Why?

Presidential pardons list
Examples of Pardons
Every Confederate Soldier: On Christmas Day
1868, President Andrew Johnson declared a
general amnesty that unconditionally pardoned
everyone who'd fought for the Confederacy
during the Civil War.
 Nixon by Ford
 Vietnam draft dodgers by Carter
3. Treaties and Appointments


Treaties must be approved by the Senate with a
2/3rds vote
Appointments must be approved by the Senate
with a majority vote
4. Veto

96% are NOT overridden

Presidential Vetoes
5. Fill Vacancies for Temporary Time
6. Call Special Sessions of Congress
Checks and Balances
Players
Coach
Referee
President can Appoint
federal judges

Who can Check?

Legislative Branch

How can it be checked

Senate confirms
appointments with a
majority vote
President can make
treaties

Who can Check?

Legislative Branch

How can it be checked

Senate ratify treaties with
a 2/3rds vote
President is
commander in chief
of the military

Who can Check?

Legislative Branch

How can it be checked






Congress has the
following powers
Declare war
$ for military
Create army and navy
Draft
Call up national guard
President can veto bills

Who can Check?

Legislative Branch

How can it be checked

Congress can override
veto with 2/3rds vote
President can issue
pardons and reprieves

Who can Check?

Nobody

Who is it a check of ?

Judicial Branch
Congress can make
laws

Who can Check?

President

How is it checked?


Veto or sign the bill
Supreme Court can also
declare the law
unconstitutional
Congress can Declare
War

Who can Check?

President

How is it checked?

President is the
commander in chief of
the military and can
choose not to carry out
the war.
Congress can Impeach

Who can Check?


Nobody
Only for treason, bribery,
high crimes and
misdemeanors

Who is it a check of ?

Executive and Judicial
branches
Judicial Review: The
power of the SC to
declare laws and actions
unconstitutional

Who can Check?


Nobody
But the Supreme court
justices get their jobs
through the President and
the Senate

Who is it a check of ?

Legislative and Executive
Branch
Checks and Balances
spreadsheet
President
(executive)
Congress
(Legislative)
Veto
Make Laws
Commander in
Chief
Appoint judges
and others
Make Treaties
Military powers
Confirm
appointments
Ratify treaties
Pardons
Impeachment
Supreme Court
(Judicial)
Judicial Review