Warmup 10/11

Why do you think people do not vote?
Part II
Voting and Elections
In the past what types of people
were denied the right to vote?
Women
 Native Americans
 African Americans
 Non-property holders

Today what are the requirements
to vote in most states?
18 years old
 US Citizen
 Registered (except N. Dakota)
 Convicted felons must have served
time

How did each of the following
expand suffrage (right to vote)?







15th Amendment – all males can vote
19th Amendment – all women can vote
23rd Amendment – residents of Washington
D.C. get 3 electoral votes
24th Amendment – no poll tax, poor can vote
Voting Rights Act of 1965 – literacy tests
prohibited
26th Amendment – 18 years and older can
vote
Voting Rights Language Assistance Act – use of
bilingual ballots
What are the steps to voting?
1.
Register: National Voter Registration
Act “Motor Votor Bill” allows people
to register when getting drivers
license
 To register for the first time you need proof
of citizenship, address and age
Steps to Voting
2. Go to you polling place – location
where voting is carried out – in your
precinct – your voting district
3. Get a ballot – list of candidates
4. Step up to voting booth or machine and
vote
How can citizens who cannot get to
their polling place vote?

Absentee Ballot – must be asked for
in advance, marked and returned to
election board before Election Day
How is a winner determined in an
election?

Election workers count votes and take
ballots and results, called returns to the
election board for verification.
Exit Polls
Media try and predict winners by
asking (polling) voters on how they
voted
 Criticisms – may influence outcome by
influencing those who have not voted
yet

Why do some people not vote?
Do not meet state requirements
 Feel no candidate represents their
feelings
 Feel their vote will not make a
difference
 Apathy – lack of interest

Warmup #2

What do you think when you see a
campaign ad on TV?
What are the different techniques
used in campaigning for office?

Canvassing – party members go door
to door asking for votes
 Advertising – allow party to present
only its candidate’s position and
attack an opponent without response
 Propaganda – an attempt to promote
a particular person or idea
Propaganda Techniques
The Bandwagon
 Glittering Generality
 Stacked Cards
 Transfer
 Just Plain Folks
 Name Calling
 Endorsement

Paying for campaigns

“There are four parts to any campaign.
The candidate, the issues….., the
campaign organization, and the money.
Without the money you can forget the
other three.”
– Former House Speaker Tip O’Neill
How much do campaigns cost?
 Every
four years American spend
more than
$3
BILLION a year on
national, state, and local
elections.
How do the candidates raise the
money?
Money comes from:
 Private Citizens
 The Government
 Corporations and Interest Groups
 Political Action Committees – (PACs)
Organizations set up by Interest
Groups and Corp. to raise money for
candidates

Federal Election Campaign Act
(FECA)

Established to place control on how much
individuals and groups could give to
candidates.
 WHY?
FECA Characteristics
Pages 308-309

Created the FEC (Federal Election
Commission)
 Independent agency of the executive
branch to administer campaign laws
and watch spending
Limited Contributions
In order to keep corruption out of
elections
 Cannot limit candidates own money (1st
Amendment)

Presidential Election Campaign
Fund

allows taxpayers to designated $3 of
taxes to set up public fund for
Presidential candidates
What is the difference between
soft money and hard money?
Hard Money – money given directly
to candidate for campaign; limited
 Soft Money – money given to political
parties for general purposes; was
unlimited

What is an incumbent?

Politicians who have already been
elected to office
Why would incumbents be
reluctant to pass campaign reform
laws?

Because most PACs give their money
to incumbents
What did the McCain-Feingold Act
do to restrict campaign financing?
Prohibits raising soft money in
national campaigns
 Puts time restrictions on
broadcasting political adds
 Raised the limits on hard money for
campaigns

What trends are likely to come
about in campaign financing in the
future?
Focus on many small donations
rather than large
 Use of internet to campaign
