Presidential Election Process

VotersVoters Must be eligible Must be eligible (REQUIREMENTS)

1. Citizenship2. Minimum age of 183. Meet your state requirements

RegisterRegister Proof of citizenship (birth certificate or drivers

license) Give name, address, age and party Where?

DMV (National Voter Registration Act) Multiple state offices (post office, unemployment, etc On-line—National Mail Voter Registration Form

• NC has One Stop Voting: Register & Vote at the same time

Who Votes?Who Votes?

• Electorate: all the people who are eligible to vote

• Voter turnout is usually low

• Most likely to vote: Elderly, educated, middle aged, more income

• Least likely to vote: Youngest (last Presidential election was an exception)

Year Voting Age Population

Voter Registration

Voter Turnout

Turn out of voting age population in %

2008 231,229,580 132,618,580 56.8%

2004 221,256,931 174,800,000 122,294, 978 55.3%

2000 205,815,000 156,421,311 105,586,274 51.3%

1996 196,511,000 146,211,960 96,456,345 49.1%

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Popular Vote Totals:

Obama/Biden: 69,297,997

McCain/Palin: 59,597,520

Obstacles to VotingObstacles to Voting Why People Why People Don’t VoteDon’t Vote

• Lost voting privileges (criminals)

• Some didn’t register• Some moved recently• Time constraints

(working hours conflict)• Apathy: lack of interest

#1 reason why people don’t vote

• State laws

• Registering Process

• Voting Times

• Believe that vote will not make a difference

Election ProcessElection Process

1. Primary Elections

2. National Conventions (Nominating)

3. Campaigning

4. Polling, Meetings, and Speeches

5. General Election

6. Electoral College Vote

7. Inauguration

Nominating ProcessNominating Process

Caucus: meeting of party leaders to name candidates

Primary Elections: special election held by party members to determine candidates (popular vote)

Convention: meeting of party representatives (delegates) to name candidates

Local Level

National Level

Primaries

• Types

1. Closed: only party members are allowed to vote

2. Open: voters are not declared party members

National Convention

• Based on the results of the primary election, delegates attend the Conventions and vote for the final party candidate.

• The National Convention announces the Presidential Candidate, who shortly after announces their running-mate (VP)

The CampaignThe Campaign• Purpose: convince public

to vote for your candidate– Familiarize—face, name,

position on issues, relatable/likable

• Campaigning happens at all levels of government

• How: FUNDRAISING– $$$$Hundreds hundreds

of millions$$$$

Forms of CampaigningForms of Campaigning Advertising (PROPAGANDA)—

all media forms: television, radio, posters, flyers, internet ads, etc.Negative advertising: “mud

slinging”

Canvassing—person to person; phone calls, door to door, hanging out in public places

Endorsements: famous people announce who they support

FUNDRAISINGFUNDRAISING– Public Funding:

• Presidential Election Campaign Fund: equal amount of government funds ($3)

• Party can spend extra on behalf of candidate– Private Funding:

• Individual donations (up to $1500)• PACs (Political Action Committees)—up to

$5,000– Set up by interest groups to raise/donate

money• Limits were set by FECA (Fed Election

Campaign Act)• Reform, 2002—Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

(aka McCain-Feingold Act)—prohibits federal candidates from raising “soft money”

• SOFT MONEY: money given to the party

• HARD MONEY: money given to the candidate

**Private funding is limited in most cases

**Candidate can spend any amount of their own money

FUNDRAISINGFUNDRAISING

Polling, Meetings, & SpeechesPolling, Meetings, & Speeches …oh …oh my!my!

• Campaign trail continues~ Polls; to check how the candidate

is doing in different areas and among different populations (to direct their intensity)

Town Hall Meetings are a chance to get the candidate more press, “get to know the candidate” hour

Speeches and interviews are done to question and comment on issues and platform

General ElectionGeneral Election• Election Day! – ALWAYS the Tuesday

after the first Monday in November: go to your local precinct and cast your ballot!

• Out of town?—absentee ballots are available

• Inconvenience—early voting is available

• Elections vary per state, NC’s site is:

http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/

go to polling place

precinct or district

usually town halls, schools,etc

get your ballot

polls open from 7am to 8 pm

write name at clerk's table

challengers' verify

receive ballot

1 23

Casting your vote

in voting booth: secret

different types of voting machines

punch cardComputer

different types of ballots

absentee ballot

butterfly ballot

4

make your decision

straight ticket

split ticket

counting the vote

the returns

counted by local election boards

5 6the media in elections

results sent to state authority for certification of results

exit polls conducted

predicting winner by "calling" prior to results counted

can cause problems

VOTING PROCEDURES

Write-ins

Electoral CollegeElectoral College• One of the compromises at the Constitutional

Convention

• Refers to the “Electors” chosen by each state to submit their votes to congress

• Winner Take All system; whoever wins general election gets all votes for that state. (270 needed to win)

• Electors meet in state capital and seal their individual votes; sent to DC where the president of the senate goes through and announces every vote to congress

InaugurationInauguration

• January 20th

• President is officially sworn into office– Elements:

• Swearing-in and Oath• Inauguration address• Parade• Luncheon• Inaugural Ball