Voting and Elections
Who can vote?
 Anyone over the age of 18, a resident of
the state and a US citizen.
 People who have been convicted of
serious crimes are the most common
exception. Most states deny them this
right until they have served their prison
sentences.
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Voter Registration
Most states require registration to be
complete at least 25 days before the
election.
 *National Voter Registration Act- 1995
(AKA the Motor Voter Act) allows people
to register when they renew their driver’s
licenses.
 Once registered you are assigned to an
election district.
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Steps in Voting
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Polling place- is the location where voting is carried
out.
 Precinct- is a voting district.
 Ballot- is the list of candidates on which you can cast
your vote.
 Once you are at your polling place, in your precinct,
you go to the clerk’s table.
 Once there you will write your name and address on
an application form and usually sign it.
 After the clerk reads it aloud it is passed to the
challenger’s table to make sure that you are eligible to
vote.
Casting a Vote
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Once at the voting booth, you hand your application
form to an *election judge.
Voting a *straight ticket- means voting for all the
candidates from one party. Voting a *split ticketmeans that you voted for both parties.
Absentee ballot- allows a person to vote without going
to the polls on Election Day.
Returns- ballots and results of the polling place are
sent to the election board. Then results are sent to the
state canvassing authority that declares the winner.
Casting a Vote
Exit polls- are surveys taken at polling
places of how people have voted.
 All the people that are eligible to vote are
called the *electorate.
 Many people do not vote because they
have a lack of interest, *apathy.
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Election Campaign
Besides primary elections, there are 3
types of elections in the US.
 General Elections- the voters choose
candidates for various offices.
 This occurs after the primary races narrow
the fields of candidates.
 Always takes place on the first Tuesday
after the first Monday in November.
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Election Campaign
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All the seats in the US House of Reps. And
about 1/3 seats in the Senate are at stake in
general elections every even-numbered year.
 The candidate who wins a majority of the
popular vote is elected to office. (Except for
the President.)
 If it is a presidential election and neither
candidate wins a majority of electoral votes,
the House of Reps. will elect the President.
Voting on Issues
*Initiative- is a way that citizens can
propose new laws or state constitutional
amendments.
 If enough people sign the petition, the
proposed law, or *proposition, is put on
the ballot at the next general election.
 The *referendum is a way for citizens to
approve or reject a state or local law.
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Special Elections
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*Runoff elections- may be held when none of
the candidates for a particular office wins a
majority of the vote in the general election.
 The *recall is another type of special election
where citizens can vote to remove a public
official from office.
 This also starts with a petition.
 Voters can recall an official b/c they do not like
their position on the issues or, b/c the official
has been charged with wrongdoing.
Presidential Election
Have three major steps:
 1. Nominations- delegates have to vote
on candidates to nominate them.
 2. Campaign - usually are in full swing
by September.
 Candidates travel through the country,
are on TV, giving speeches and finding
more support for them.
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Presidential Election
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3. The Vote and the Electoral College
*Electoral College- in every state a slate, or
list, of electors is pledged to each candidate.
The purpose of the popular vote in each state
is to choose one of these state electors.
The candidate who wins the popular vote in
the state usually receives all of the states
electoral votes.
This is called a *winner-take-all system.
Presidential Election
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The winning electors meet in their state
capitals in December to cast the state’s
electoral votes.
Total number of electors is 538.
Majority of 270 wins the election.
The candidate who loses the popular vote can
still win the electoral vote and the presidency.
Also a 3rd party candidate could win enough
votes to prevent either major-party candidate
from receiving a majority.
Paying for Election Campaigns
Campaign workers use several
techniques to accomplish their goals:
 Canvassing
 Endorsements
 *Propaganda- is an attempt to promote a
particular person or idea.
 Advertising and Image Molding
 Campaign Expenses
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Financing a Campaign
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*Federal Election Campaign Act 1971- established the
main rules for campaign finance today.
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Public Funding - major source of $ is the Presidential
Election Campaign Fund created by the 1971 law.
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Private Funding -Most funding does not come from
public sources.
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Private sources provide campaign funds and include
individual citizens, party org, and corporations.
Special interest groups also donate funds to
candidates.
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Financing a Campaign
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*Soft Money- is donations given to political parties and
not designated for a particular candidate’s election
campaign.
Most goes to funding national TV ads.
The 1971-campaign finance law also led to the growth
of political action committees. (PACs)
*Political action committees- are political organizations
est. by corporations. Labor unions and other special
interest groups designed to support political
candidates by contributing money.
*Incumbents- are politicians who have already been
elected to office.