Chapter 7 Part 1
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The first step in the Electoral process
Nomination- The naming of those who will
seek office.
Nominees are selected through a variety of
ways in search of picking a candidate for the
general election.
General Elections- Regularly scheduled
elections at which voters make the final
selection of officeholders
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Self announcement
Caucus
Convention
Direct Primary
Petition
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Oldest Form of the nominating process. Still
used in small towns and at the rural level.
Simply, A candidate announces he is running.
Often used by someone who failed to win a
regular party nomination.
Write in candidates use this method.
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George Wallace, Eugene McCarthy, John
Anderson, Ross Perot
Arnold, California candidates
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A group of like minded people who meet to
select the candidates they will support.
The caucus is still used to make local
nominations in some places, mainly New
England. Open to all members of a party.
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The formal way Presidential candidates are
picked in the USA.
State Level Ex: The major parties choose their
candidates for the U.S. Senate, House,
Governor and state legislatures in primaries.
Nominees for Lt. Governor, Sec. of State.
Attorney General picked by conventions.
Conventions Explained
Obama 04
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Direct Primary- is an intra-party election. It
is held within a party to pick that party’s
candidates for the general elections.
Closed Primary - a closed primary is a party
nominating election in which only declared
party members can vote. Used in 24 States
Open Primary - is a party nominating election
in which any qualified voter can take part.
Used in 26 States
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Blanket Primary- is often referred to as the “wide
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Runoff Primary- is a held few weeks later, and
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Nonpartisan Elections- these are elections in
open primary” Every candidate is listed,
regardless of party.
the two top vote getters face off against one
another to determine who will represent the
party. Used in City Council Elections if necessary.
which candidates are not identified by party
labels. Used in City Council Elections in AZ.
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Nomination by petition is used for most
localized elections.
Candidates for public office are nominated by
having the required amount of signatures
recorded and upheld.
If there are enough valid signatures counted
the candidate gets placed on the ballot.
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There are more then 500,000 people in the
United states who are elected to office in over
87,000 units of government at the state and
local level.
Thus most election laws are made and pertain
to the state.
There are however laws on voting made at the
federal level.
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Set Dates for national elections
- States hold their elections on same day to
increase voter turnout
- First Tuesday after First Monday in Nov.
Required Secret Ballots
Allowed for voting machines
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Absentee Voting- The process of being able
to vote without actually going to the polling
places on election day
Absentee voting originally began as a way to
help ill or disabled people to vote. Or if you
knew you were going to be out of town you
could arrange to vote early.
Now it is becoming more common to
encourage voter turnout.
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Coattail Effect- Occurs when a strong
candidate is running at the top of the ballot
and his or her popularity makes lesser offices
candidates of the same party more attractive.
- Example: Ronald Regan’s popularity helped
many other Republican candidates win
elections.
Reversal Coattail effect can happen too.
- Example: Barry Goldwater, George
McGovern, Jimmy Carter (1980)
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Precincts- Voting Districts, The smallest
geographic unit/district for voting
Polling Places- The place where the voters in
the precinct actually vote
Arizona Precincts
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Ballot- a device by which a voter registers a
choice in an election
Each State provides for a secret ballot
Voting was originally done by voice
Later in history people would write their
choice on a piece of paper and drop in it in a
box
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in 1856, has 4 features:
◦ Printed at public expense
◦ It lists the names of all candidates in
an election
◦ It is given out at the polls, one to
each qualified voter
◦ It is marked in secret
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Office Group Ballot- On this type of ballot,
the candidates for office are listed by office
running for
Party Column Ballot- Lists the candidates in a
column organized by party.
Office-Group Ballot
Party- Column Ballot
First type of voting machines were lever
operated- complicated and difficult to
transport and store, during and in between
elections.
 Punch-Card Ballots were highly popular as
part of electronic vote counting.
- Highly controversial in 2000 election
Both of these methods now banned.
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Two most commonly used today:
◦ Optical scanners - Paper ballots are marked by
voters and counted by a scanning machine – Used
in Arizona
◦ Touch screen
◦ Online?