1. THE ELECTORALPROCESSChapter 7

2. ELECTION TIME A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the nextgeneration.~James Freeman Clarke Each candidate behaved well in the hope of being judged worthyof election. However, this system was disastrous when the cityhad become corrupt. For then it was not the most virtuous but themost powerful who stood foe election, and the weak, even ifvirtuous, were too frightened to run for office. ~Niccolo Machiavelli 3. NOMINATION PROCESS The critical first step in the electoral process. The nomination process narrows the field of possible candidatesfor office. NOMINATION-the naming of those who will seek office Weve seen the nomination process acting as a proponentfactor for the decentralizing of the two major political parties A very real impact on the electorates right to vote Limiting the voting stage to TWO choices 1. Republicans 2. Democrats Those who make itcan have a significant effect in government 4. NOMINATION PROCESS General Elections-regularly scheduled elections at which votersmake the final selection of officeholders United States Presidency: every 4 years 2008: Sen. Barack Obama vs. Sen. John McCain 2012: Pres. Barack Obama vs. GOP selection 5. FIVE TYPES OF NOMINATIONS 5 ways in which nominations are made in the United States; 1. Self-Announcement 2. Caucus System 3. Convention System 4. Direct Primary 5. Petition 6. SELF-ANNOUNCEMENT The oldest form of the nomination process First used in colonial times Used at the small town & rural levels A person who wants to run for office simply announces that fact. Many of the times used by a candidate who failed to win a regularparty nomination or someone unhappy with the partys choice Example: Ross Perot in 1992 Ran as an Independent and won 19% of the popular vote 1996, ran under the Reform Party 7. THE CAUCUS SYSTEM A Caucus-a group of like-minded people who meet to select thecandidates they will support in an upcoming election Caucuses are party meetings by precinct, district, or county,where registered party members gather to discuss the candidatesand to select delegates to the next round of party conventions. Caucuses are open to any registered voter in a party, althoughexperts say the process is dominated by party activists. Any voter registered with a party can participate in a caucus. 19 states hold caucuses, either for one party or for both 2008: In the Iowa caucus, delegates (represent voters of a state)chosen at the caucus then attend a county convention, wheredelegates are chosen for the state conventions Effected the close race between Obama and Clinton 8. CAUCUS SYSTEM Criticism of the caucus system reached its peak in the early1820s. Election of 1824: the corrupt bargain, accused John QuincyAdams and Henry Clay of arranging votes Jacksonian America: Pres. Jackson supporters saw thecaucus method as restrictive, making office mainly open to theelite and well connected Closed door elections The caucus system today is open to all members of a party 9. THE CONVENTION Jacksonians replaced the caucus system with the NationalNominating Convention The installation of this method of voting gave rise to voterparticipation: 1824- 26.9% 1828- 57.6% 1840- 80.2% All major partyPresidential nomineeshave been chosen byconventions ever since1832. 10. THE CONVENTION National Nominating Convention-delegates from the states gathered todecide on the partys presidential nominee The process seems perfectly suited to representative government The will of the partys membership is passed up through each of itsrepresentative levels:County ConventionState Convention National Convention By the late 1800s, it became clear that the once hailed conventionsystem, was under attack by the political machine 11. THE DIRECT PRIMARY By the 1910s, a nee nomination process emergedThe directprimary election An intra-party election 12. ELECTORAL COLLEGE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok_VQ8I7g6I 13. ELECTIONSSection 2 14. AMERICAN ELECTIONSWe always want the best man to win an election. Unfortunately, henever runs. ~Will RogersSooner will a camel pass through the a needles eye than a greatman be discovered by an election. ~Adolf HitlerDemocracy is a form of government that substitutes election by theincompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few. ~George Bernard Shaw 15. THE ADMINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS Democratic government cannot succeed without the use of free,honest, and accurate elections. The universal use of elections as a tool for selectingrepresentatives in modern democracies is in contrast with thepractice in the democratic archetypeancient Athens. Elections were considered an oligarchic institution, where most political officeswere filled using allotment (officeholders are chosen by a specified group) NOW, elections are based off of a fair electoral system. Elect means-to choose or make decisionGreek: Vote for Nobody 16. THE ADMINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS Elections play a vital role in an active democracy. Provisions are set-up in the electoral process to help protect theintegrity and law. We saw these results fulfilled through the several different requirementsneeded in order to vote 17. EXTENT OF FEDERAL CONTROL Elections are held on the State levelnot federal. Congress has the power to fix the Times, Places, and Manner of holding Elections Congress has required the use of secret ballots and allowed theuse of voting machines in federal elections. 18. WHEN ELECTIONS ARE HELD Most States hold their elections in correlation with the Nationalelections (Congress & Presidency)Absentee Voters Ballot(2004) 19. EARLY VOTING Absentee Voting: a provision allowing voting by those unable toget to their regular polling places on election day. Usually covers three different groups of people: 1. Those too ill/disabled to make it to the polls 2. Those who expect to be away 3. Those serving in the armed forces Mail-in ballots Allowing voters to cast heir ballots over a period of extended time Over a period of several days Still incorporated into the mainstream election 20. THE COATTAIL EFFECT Occurs when a strong candidate running for an office at the top of theballot helps attract voters to other candidates on a partys ticket. Many of the times, the party of the victorious president candidate will often win manyseats in Congress as well Congressmen are voted in on the coattails of the president The theory is prevalent at all levels of government Often associated with ones Party Identification 1980-84: many Republican candidates obtained Senate, House, andGovernorship seats by riding on the coattails of President Reagan. The proportion of voters choosing House and Presidential candidates ofdifferent parties increased from 13% in 1952 to more than 40%in theelections of 1972, 1980, and 1988. Coattail presidencies have become less common in recent years. Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Barack Obama 21. CASTING THE BALLOT The device by which a voter registers a choice in an election. Every State now provides for a secret ballot. By law, all ballots are cast in such a manner that others cannot know how a personhad voted. Depending on the type of voting system, different ballots can be used. Ballot reform was in widespread demand during post-Civil Warelections Political Machines: local party organizations capable of mobilizing or manufacturinglarge numbers of votes on behalf of candidates for political office Progressive Era (1893-1917): Progressivists attacked the long ballot, claiming thatthe number of elected offices should be less. 22. THE FLORIDA RECOUNT (2000)The 2000 election: Bush vs. Gore Several problems arose with the electoral process at Floridasvoting polls Punch-card ballot misreading central time zone closing polls Florida State Supreme Court rulingFloridas Electoral Screw-uphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHK1-LA8zEU&feature=relatedU.S. Supreme Court Casehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CI2U79ykgA 23. PUNCH BALLOT (2000) The butterfly ballot 24. THE AUSTRALIAN BALLOT First devised in Australia in 1856 So successful, that it led to its adoption in other countries and nearly all theStates. Basic Ballot format 4 Essential features: 1. Printed at the public expense 2. List names of all the candidates in the election 3. Handed out AT the polls 4. Secret ballot 2 basic varieties: OFFICE-GROUP & PARTY-COLUMN ballots 25. OFFICE-GROUP BALLOT Called the Massachusetts ballot (circa. 1888) Candidates for an office are grouped together under the title ofthat office. States rotate the names so that [alphabetical] first names donthave a psychological advantage Encourages split-ticket voting Decentralization of political parties 26. PARTY-COLUMN BALLOT Often called the Indiana ballot (circa. 1889) Each partys candidate is listed in a column under the partys name Straight-Party Ticket: Often there is a place at the top/beginning of thecolumn that allows the voter to simply vote for all of one party 27. SAMPLE & BEDSHEET BALLOTS Sample Ballot: mailed to voters as a sample of what electionballots will look like at the voting polls, prior to the election date. First used in Oregon (circa. 1907) Bedsheet Ballot: Typical American ballot; frequently listing somany offices, candidates, and ballot measures/referendums thateven voters have a difficult time marking their decisions correctly. A lot of criticism has come from these ballots Referred to as ballot fatigue Drop off in voting that can run as high as 20-30%