PP. 184-192

Nomination—Naming of those who will seek office

Those who make nominations place limits on the choices voters can make

General election—regularly scheduled elections at which voters make final selections

1. Self-announcement 2. Caucus 3. Convention 4. Direct primary 5. Petition

*See p. 186 for a description of each

Self-explanatory Often someone who failed to win a

nomination or someone unhappy w/ party’s choice

Whenever a write-in candidate appears in an election, the self-announcement process has been used

Example: Ross Perot in 1992

Caucus—a group of like-minded people who meet to select candidates they will support in upcoming elections

Once used at state level (legislative caucus) & national level (congressional caucus)

Still used today to make local nominations, esp. in New England• Open to all members of a party

1st major electoral event of the nominating process for presidential election since ‘72

High-level of media attention

Early indicator of who might win nomination from each party

Caucus system was replaced by the convention• Andrew Jackson went after “King Caucus”

Became popular in the 1830s & 1840s Local, county, state, national

• In theory, the will of the party’s rank & file members is passed along through each level

Political bosses manipulated system in late 19th century• Replaced by direct primaries in most states by 1910

Still part of nominating process in CT, MI, SD, UT, VA

Direct primary—an intraparty election; held w/in a party to pick that party’s candidates for general election

Wisconsin was 1st state w/ direct primary (1903)

They are party-nominating elections, but closely regulated by state governments

Two types: open and closed

Used by about half of the states, including Nebraska

Only declared party members can vote Voter can vote in only one party’s

primary Some states allow voters to change party

registration on election day, those states are not as completely “closed” as others

AKA the crossover primary Any qualified voter can cast a ballot Only vote for one party

AKA wide-open primary Every voter received the same ballot Every candidate was listed regardless of

party Candidates could vote for one or both

parties Banned by SC in 2000—now a thing of the

past Some states use a similar system; “top-

two” (LA, WA)

Those who favor the closed primaries:• 1. Prevents one party from “raiding” the other;

results will be “true”• 2. Makes candidates more responsive to the party, its

platform, & its members

Those who oppose closed primaries:• 1. Forces voters to make their party affiliations

known in order to vote• 2. Tends to exclude independents

** See map on p. 193

In most states candidates need to win only a plurality in their primary in order to win

In 8 states a majority is needed to win a primary

If no one wins a majority in those states a runoff is run a few weeks later• The winner is the party’s nominee

In most city level & school-related elections the candidates are not identified with a party label

The Nebraska unicameral is “nonpartisan”

Judges often do not identify with a party Some argue that the primary is not well-

suited for non-partisan elections

Offshoot of direct primary; not a nominating device; can be one of two things or both• 1. Process in which voters elect some or all of a

state party organization’s delegates to that party’s national convention

• 2. It is a preference election in which voters can choose among contenders for the grand prize, the party’s presidential nomination

THE GOOD THE BAD

Gives rank & file members a bigger say in nominations

Increased transparency

Low voter turnout Can be costly to taxpayers

& candidates Can be divisive w/in a

party

Candidates are nominated by petitions signed by qualified voters

Mostly at local level Often required for

minority party candidates & independents

Difficult for those candidates to get on the ballot

PP. 193-199

Elections must be free, honest, & accurate in order to uphold democracy

500K+ in elective offices 89K+ units of government Most election law is state, not federal law

Constitution gives Congress the power to fix “the Times, Places, and Manner of holding Elections” of members of Congress.

Election day=1st Tuesday following the 1st Monday in November of every even-numbered year

Example=November 6, 2012 or November 8, 2016

Congress has required secret ballots, allowed the use of voting machines, & acted to protect the right to vote (chapter 6, discussed this previously)

Problems during the election of 2000: “hanging chads,” lawsuits, recounts, oh

my! 2000ElectionProblems.pdf

America Vote Act of 2002, the law requires states to:• 1. Replace all lever-operated and punch-card

voting devices by 2006 (some states failed to meet this requirement)

• 2. Upgrade administration of elections, better training

• 3. Centralize & computerize voter registration systems

• 4. Provide provisional voting, so someone whose eligibility to vote has been questioned can still vote

Most states use same day as national elections• “Tuesday after the first Monday” in November

Some states hold elections in odd years Local elections vary

• City Council vote in Lincoln on May 7th, 2013

32 million casted votes before election day in 2008, roughly 30%

Every state has provisions for absentee voting

Most states (including NE) now have early voting

A strong candidate at the top of the ballot attracts voters to other candidates on the party’s ticket

Lesser-known office seekers ride the coattails of prestigious personalities like FDR, Reagan, Clinton

Reverse coattail effect can happen too For this reason, some argue that local &

state elections should be on a different day than federal elections

Precinct=voting district Smallest geographic unit when

conducting elections Usually no more than 500 to 1,000 voters Polling place=place where voters

actually vote Polls are open from 8 AM to 8 PM in NE Poll watchers make sure that only

qualified voters are voting

Every state has secret ballots Public process in past, viva voice

• Much corruption Political machines=local party

organizations capable of mobilizing or “manufacturing” large numbers of votes• Led by “bosses”

Used by nearly all states by 1900 1. Printed at public expense 2. Lists the names of all candidates 3. Given out only at the polls 4. Can be marked in secret

*See examples on p. 197 of text

Available in most states prior to elections Some states mail them to all voters Often appear in newspapers

Ballot in typical American election is lengthy

So many offices, candidates, and measures that few voters can mark it intelligently

Critics reject the notion that the more people you elect, the more democratic that system

“Ballot fatigue”

Over ½ of votes cast in national elections are cast on some type of voting machine

Old voting machines were controlled by pulling levers

Then punch-card machines became more common

“Hanging Chads” & fiasco of 2000 election led to end of punch-cards

Optical-scanning technology, similar to Scantron used on tests

Also, touch-screen machines that record choices electronically

1st used in CA in 1977 Mostly used for local elections Oregon now holds ALL of its elections by

mail Critics say it threatens the secret ballot

principle On the other hand, it has increased voter

turnout

Is e-voting the wave of the future? What about those unable to afford

computers? Positives: likely to increase turnout & will

reduce costs

PP. 201-208

$6-7 billion in total spending for 2012 elections

$2-3 billion in 2008 *See campaign spending chart on p. 202 A seat in the House of Reps will cost a

candidate $1 million + Radio & TV time, managers, consultants,

newspaper ads, pamphlets, buttons, posters, stickers, office space, polls, data processing, mass mailings, web sites, travel, etc.

1. Small contributors 2. Wealthy individuals & families 3. Candidates themselves 4. PACs & other non-party groups 5. Temporary organizations Increasingly dependent on internet *Super-PACs

Hard Money=contributions given directly to candidates for campaigns

Soft Money=funds given to parties or other political organizations

(FEC) Regulates campaign financing at federal

level Est. by Congress in 1974 after Watergate

scandal Historically the FEC has been under-

funded & under-staffed, leading to weak enforcement of regulations

SC ruled that gov’t cannot restrict spending of corporations, unions & other campaign groups

1st Amendment right to support the candidate they choose

Opened floodgates for unlimited amounts of money in political campaigns

Cannot contribute directly to a candidate, but can run favorable or unfavorable ads about candidates

2012 Super PACs & Spending Amounts

No individual could give more than $2,500/election to a candidate or no more than $5,00/year

PACs could give no more than $5,000/election to a candidate or no more than $10,000/year

Stephen Colbert announces his super PAC