The Electoral Process
Chapter 7
The Nominating Process
A Critical First Step

Nomination
◦ Naming those who will seek office.
◦ Very Critical part of the process.

General Elections
◦ Voters make the final elections of officeholders.

Five ways in which nominations are made in
the U.S:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
1- Self-Announcement
2- Caucus
3- Convention
4- Direct Primary
5- Petition
Self Announcement



The method is
simple.
A person who wants
to run for office
simply announces
that fact.
Someone who failed
to win a regular
party nomination or
by someone
unhappy with the
party’s choice.
The Caucus

A group of like
minded people
who meet to
select the
candidates they
will support in an
upcoming
election.
The Convention


The delegates
nominate
candidates for
county offices and
select delegates to
the next rung on the
convention ladder,
usually the State
convention.
Country conventions
pick the party’s
nominees for
governor and other
state wide offices.
The Direct Primary



This in an intra party
election.
It is held within a party to
pick that party’s
candidates for general
election.
Two basic forms of direct
primary.
◦ Open Primary- is a party
nominating election in
which any qualified voter
can take part.
◦ Closed Primary- is a party
nominating election in
which only declared party
members can vote.
Closed vs. Primary



1- It prevents one party from raiding
the other’s primary in the hope of
nominating weaker candidates in the
other party.
2- It helps make candidates more
responsive to the party, its platform,
and its members.
3- It helps make voters more
thoughtful because they must chose
between the parties in order to vote
in the primaries.
Petition
Nominating method is used fairly
widely at the local level in
American politics today.
 Most founded in a local level.

Elections
The Administration of Elections

Extent of Federal Control
◦ Congress has powers to set times and places to
vote.

When elections are held
◦ Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Early Voting
◦ Those who are ill or disabled to make it.
◦ Those who will be away from home.
◦ Those serving in the armed services.

Cocktail Effect
◦ Occurs when a strong candidate running for an
office at the top of the ballot helps attract voters
to other candidates on the party’s ticket.
Precincts and Polling Places
Precinct- is a
voting district.
 Polling Place- the
place where the
voters who live in
a precinct
actually vote-is
located
somewhere in or
near each
precinct.

Casting the Ballot





Australian Ballot
Office Group
Ballot
The Party Column
ballot
Sample Ballots
Bedsheets Ballots
Automated Voting
Electronic
Vote
Counting
Vote by Mail
Elections
Online Voting
Money and Elections
Campaign Spending

No one knows how much money is
spent.
◦ Presidential Campaigns cost 1.5 billion.
◦ How much depends on the office
involved, the opposition, the
candidate, whether she or he is the
incumbent, and the availability of
campaign funds.
Sources of Funding

Two basic sources:
◦ Public treasury
◦ Private contributions

Why People Give?
◦
◦
◦
◦
Belief in the party.
Want something in return.
Want appointments to public offices.
Want certain laws passed.
Regulating Campaign
Finance
Congress does not have the power
to regulate the use of money in
State and local elections.
 Every state now regulates at least
some aspects of campaign
finance, however some of them
more effectively than others.

The Federal Election
Commission
Disclosure Requirements
 Limits on Contributions
 PAC Contributions
 Limits on Expenditures
 Public Funding of Presidential
Campaigns

Hard and Soft Money

Hard Money
◦ Placed limits
◦ Money raised and
spent to elect
candidates for
Congress and the
White House

Soft Money
◦ Funds given to
party organizations
for such partybuilding activities
as candidate
recruitment, voter
registration and
get out the vote
drives, and similar
efforts.