The right to vote is one of the fundamental rights ofcitizens in a democratic society. It is also a majorresponsibility of citizenship. Conduct a poll in yourneighborhood to learn who is registered to vote.

To learn more about elections and voting, view theDemocracy in Action video lesson 17: Elections and Voting.

Analyzing Information Study Foldable Make this foldable to help youanswer questions about voting and elections.

Step 1 Mark the midpoint of aside edge of one sheet of paper.Then fold the outside edges in totouch the midpoint.

Reading andWriting As you readthe chapter, ask your-self the questionslabeled on the fold-able. As you read eachsection, find theanswer to eachquestion. Record youranswers under theappropriate tab.

Step 3 Open and cut along theinside fold lines to form four tabs.

Step 2 Fold in half from side toside.

234Supporters of George W. Bush during the

disputed 2000 presidential election ▲

Cut alongthe fold lineson both sides.

Whocan

vote?

When areelections

held?

Whatare

electioncampaigns?

How arecampaignspaid for?

Reuters NewMedia Inc./CORBIS

Step 4 Label as shown.

Chapter Overview Visit the CivicsToday Web site at civ.glencoe.comand click on Chapter Overviews—Chapter 10 to preview chapterinformation.

On the first Tuesday after the first Monday of every November, Mary Gettinger has a regular job. Itlasts all day. Mary describes herself as “tired but satis-fied” at the end of the day. Ever since she retired fromher teaching job 17 years ago, Mary hasworked as a poll worker. She puts in a longday at the elementary school in her commu-nity, where two precincts’ worth of peoplevote on local, state, and national issues andcandidates. Mary views her work as a pollworker as an important public service.“After voting myself,” she says, “working the polls is the most important thing I do, because it helps other people vote.”

Qualifying to Vote Voting is an important right of American citizenship.

Without it, citizens would not be able to choose the people whowill run their government.Voting is also a major responsibility.Those who do not vote are failing to carry out a civic respon-sibility. They are also handing over their share of politicalpower to voters whose views they may oppose. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt reminded Americans of the importanceof voting when he said, “Let us never forget that government isourselves. The ultimate rulers of our democracy . . . are thevoters of this country.”

During our nation’s early years, most voters were white,adult males, and property owners. The many people oftenbarred from voting included white adult males who could notafford to buy property, women, African American males,Native American males, and people under 21 years of age.Today, however, property ownership is no longer a considera-tion, and the U.S. Constitution states that no state may denythe right to vote because of race, color, gender, or age—if theperson is at least 18 years old. People who have been convict-ed of serious crimes are the most common exception to thegeneral rules. Most states deny them the right to vote until theyhave served their prison sentences.

GUIDE TO READING

Main Idea

After meeting the qualifi-cations, people who wantto vote must registerbefore going to thepolling place to cast their ballots.

Key Terms

polling place, precinct,ballot, absentee ballot,returns, exit poll,electorate, apathy

Reading Strategy

Sequencing InformationAs you read, complete achart like the one belowby listing the steps in thevoting process.

Read to Learn

• How has the right tovote expanded?

• How does the registra-tion and voting processwork?

Who Can Vote?SECTION

Pointing the way to thepolling place

236 Chapter 10 Voting and ElectionsBob Daemmrich

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

To be eligible to vote, you must be atleast 18, a resident of the state for a speci-fied period of time, and a citizen of theUnited States. In most states, you must alsobe registered to vote.

Voter Registration People who meet the qualifications must

register to vote before they can take part inan election. Most states require registrationat least 25 days before an election. In a fewstates, however, the deadline is much later—10 or even fewer days before the election.

Registration requirements vary. Reg-istration applications may be obtained fromcounty offices. Some states make theprocess easier, permitting registration bymail or offering more convenient times andplaces for in-person registration such asallowing registration at public libraries orhigh schools. A federal law that took effectin 1995, the National Voter RegistrationAct, widely known as the Motor Voter Act,requires the states to allow people to regis-ter when they renew their drivers’ licenses.Citizens may also mail in registrations orregister at numerous state offices, welfareoffices, and agencies that serve the disabled.

Registering to vote involves filling outsome forms.These forms ask for your name,address, age, and often your party prefer-ence. You may register as a Democrat, aRepublican, unaffiliated, or a member ofsome other party. If you register as aDemocrat or Republican, you will be able tovote in primary elections where you canchoose your party’s candidates for the gen-eral election.

When you register for the first time, youmust show proof of citizenship, address, andage by showing a driver’s license or birthcertificate. Once you have registered, youare assigned to an election district. OnElection Day, election officials will use a listof voters registered in the district to verify

that the people who vote are eligible and toprevent people from voting more than once.

Identifying What require-ments must you meet to qualify to vote?

Steps in VotingOn Election Day, voters go to the

polling place in their precinct. A pollingplace is the location where voting is carriedout, and a precinct is a voting district.Polling places are usually set up in townhalls, schools, fire stations, community cen-ters, and other public buildings.

At the Polls Polling places are generally open from

early morning until 7 or 8 P.M. When youfirst arrive, you can study a sample ballotposted on the wall at the entrance. A ballotis the list of candidates on which you castyour vote. Once inside, you go to the clerk’stable. Here you write your name andaddress on an application form and usuallysign it. The clerk reads your name aloudand passes the form to a challenger’s table.

A challenger—there are challengers rep-resenting each party—looks up your regis-tration form and compares the signature onit with the signature on your application. Ifthe two do not appear to match, the chal-lenger may ask you for additional identifica-tion. When the challenger is convinced thatyou are eligible to vote, he or she initials theapplication form and returns it to you.

Casting a Vote You then go to the voting booth where

you hand the application form to an elec-tion judge. Judges watch over the operationof the voting booths, making sure thateveryone can vote in secret and helping vot-ers who are physically challenged, elderly,or unable to read.

Chapter 10 Voting and Elections 237

238 Chapter 10 Voting and Elections

You will cast your ballot by using a vot-ing machine. The two most common typesare the punch-card machine and the levermachine. Whatever machine you use, youwill usually use a ballot with the candidates’names listed according to their politicalparty and the office they are seeking.

Because election methods are left tothe states, the kinds of voting machinesused vary widely. It is always important toread the ballot carefully. In the 2000 presi-dential election, many voters in Florida

were confused by the “butterfly ballot,” apaper ballot in which opposing candidateswere listed across from each other insteadof vertically. The 2000 election in Floridaalso proved that some machines were morereliable than others. Punch-card ballots, inwhich voters punched a hole next to thename of a candidate, were run throughmachines and misread much more oftenthan computerized, scanned ballots. Sincethe 2000 election, many states are upgrad-ing their voting machines.

All types of voting machines allow votersto cast a secret ballot. All also allow voters tovote for a straight ticket, which means votingfor all the candidates in one political party. Ifyou choose some candidates from one partyand some from another, you are voting a splitticket.You may even decide to cast a write-invote by writing in the name of someone whois not on the ballot.

Absentee Voting Citizens who cannot get to the polls on

Election Day can vote by absentee ballot.People who know they will be out of townthat day, those who are too sick to get to thepolls, and military personnel serving awayfrom home often use absentee ballots.Voters must request an absentee ballotfrom their local election board sometimebefore Election Day. Then they mark thisballot and return it by mail. On ElectionDay, or shortly thereafter, election officialsopen and count the absentee ballots.

Counting the Vote When the polls close, election workers

count the votes at the polling place andtake the ballots and the results—calledreturns—to the election board. The boardthen collects and counts the returns for theentire city or county. If the voting machinesare not computerized, gathering all thereturns and tallying the results can take

Courtesy family of Carl Jaramillo

As Carl Jaramillo sees it, voter apathy is one of the country’s biggest problems.

“In [the 2000 presidential] election, wehad barely over 50 percent turnout,” saysthe 19-year-old Raleigh, North Carolina,native. “Compared to other western democ-racies, that’s ridiculously low. People justaren’t paying attention.”

But Jaramillo is. He joined Kids VotingUSA, a grassroots organization that getsyoung people involved in the votingprocess. With Jaramillo leading the way,the local chapter registered eligible highschool seniors and hosted a mayoraldebate, among other activities.

“Kids Voting is really a smart solu-tion,” Jaramillo tells TIME. “What they’reworking on is future voters, 20 years downthe line. In the short term, it also has atrickle-up effect, because kids push theirparents [to vote].” For more infor-mation about KidsVoting USA, click on their Web site:www.kidsvotingusa.org

Carl Jaramillo fromNorth Carolina

several hours or longer. Then the boardsends the returns to the state canvassingauthority. A few days after the election, thestate canvassing authority certifies the elec-tion of the winner.

In a major election, the news media andparty workers try to predict winners as soonas possible. One way they do this is to ask asample of voters leaving selected pollingplaces how they voted. This is known as anexit poll. Through exit polling, specialistscan often predict the winners long before allthe votes have been officially counted.

Major television networks always devotethe entire evening and night to covering thevote during presidential elections. They usecomputerized predictions based on the pastvoting history of key precincts in every stateto “call” winners of Senate, House, and gov-ernors’ seats, as well as the electoral vote inthe race for president. In some cases the net-works make these calls with as little as 10 percent of the vote counted. Their pro-jections are usually correct, but some net-works were embarrassed by an early andincorrect call on the presidential vote in thedecisive state of Florida in the 2000 election.

Some political commentators have criti-cized these early calls. The predictions usu-ally come when millions of Americans in theWestern time zones have yet to vote and thepolls there are still open. These observers

charge that such early projections may per-suade great numbers of Westerners not tobother going out to vote. This not onlyreduces overall voter turnout but also mayaffect the results of local, state, and con-gressional elections.

Explaining What does itmean to vote a split ticket?

Why Your Vote MattersThe best way to prepare to vote is to

stay informed about candidates and publicissues. Newspapers, TV, radio, news-magazines, and the Internet carry usefulinformation. Other good sources includethe Voters’ Information Bulletin, published bythe League of Women Voters; literature dis-tributed by each political party; and infor-mation published by interest groups suchas the American Conservative Union or theAFL-CIO Committee on Political Edu-cation. As you read about candidates andthe issues they support, though, read care-fully to separate facts from opinions.Everyone has different reasons for support-ing particular candidates. As you read

(l) Bob Daemmrich, (r) AP/Wide World Photos

239

Supporting Issues American citi-zens express their feelings aboutissues. The percentage of voters who participate in presidentialelections is usually greater than the percentage who take part in state and local elec-tions. Why do you think this is so?

240 Chapter 10 Voting and Elections

Checking for Understanding

1. Key Terms Write a true state-ment and a false statement foreach term below. Below eachfalse statement explain why it isfalse. polling place, precinct,ballot, absentee ballot, returns,exit poll, electorate, apathy

Reviewing Main Ideas2. Explain How did the Motor Voter

Act affect voter registration inthe United States?

3. Identify In the early days of ournation, what was the only groupof people eligible to vote?

Critical Thinking

4. Drawing Conclusions Do youthink the federal governmentshould prohibit exit polls duringpresidential elections? Why orwhy not?

5. Sequencing Information On agraphic organizer like the onebelow, write all of the stepsinvolved in voting.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Infer Examine the photographson page 239. Why would otherAmericans encourage you tovote?

SECTION ASSESSMENT

about various candidates, answer the fol-lowing questions to help you decide whomto support with your vote.• Does the candidate stand for the things

I think are important?• Is the candidate reliable and honest?• Does the candidate have relevant past

experience?• Will the candidate be effective in office?• Does the candidate have a real chance of

winning? Sometimes Americans vote forcandidates, even though they do not havea real chance of winning the election,because they wish to show their supportfor a certain point of view.

All the people who are eligible to voteare called the electorate. Each person’svote counts. If you doubt it, consider this.The 2000 presidential election was decidedby about 500 votes in the state of Florida.In fact, a very small percentage of the pop-ulation determined the election’s outcome.

Despite the fact that voting givesAmericans a chance to participate in theirgovernment, not everyone in the electoratevotes. Some citizens do not vote becausethey do not meet state voting requirements,

or they have not reregistered after changingresidences. Other Americans do not thinkthat any of the candidates represent theirfeelings on issues, or they think that theirvote will not make a difference. Anotherreason is apathy, or lack of interest.

The citizens who do vote share somecharacteristics. These citizens generally havepositive attitudes toward government andcitizenship. Usually the more education acitizen has, the more likely it is that he or shewill be a regular voter. Middle-aged citizenshave the highest voting turnout rate of all agegroups. The higher a person’s income, themore likely he or she is to vote.

There are important reasons to exerciseyour right to vote, though. Voting gives cit-izens a chance to choose their governmentleaders. It gives them an opportunity tovoice their opinions on past performancesof public officials. If voters are dissatisfied,they can elect new leaders. Voting alsoallows citizens to express their opinions onpublic issues.

Summarizing What aretwo good reasons to exercise your right tovote?

�BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN�7. Research Contact your local

board of elections. Find out thequalifications for people to workat the polls. Ask the board ofelections officials to explain theduties of the poll workers orinterview people who have beenpoll workers.

Chapter 10 Voting and Elections 241

GUIDE TO READING

Main Idea

Every two years forCongress and every fouryears for the president,voters respond to politicalcampaigns by going tothe polls and casting theirballots.

Key Terms

initiative, proposition,referendum, recall,Electoral College,elector, winner-take-allsystem

Reading Strategy

Organizing InformationAs you read this section,complete a graphicorganizer like the onebelow by listing featuresof the three types ofelections.

Read to Learn

• What are the types ofelections available tovoters?

• What are the steps inthe presidential electionprocess?

ElectionCampaigns

Three Types of Elections

Getty Images

The Electoral College received moreattention in the 2000 election year than it everhad before. And that’s why Democratic SenatorRichard Durbin of Illinois proposed a constitutionalamendment to abolish the Electoral College.Durbin contends that presidential elections wouldbe fairer if they were based solely on a popularvote. His only qualification is that if no candidatewins more than 40 percent of the popular vote, arunoff election be held between the two top votegetters. Durbin’s proposal was referred to theSenate Judiciary Committee.

Types of Elections The Electoral College is part of the process that Americans

use to select their president. Americans also vote in variousother elections.With about half a million elected officials in theUnited States, it seems as if someone, somewhere, is alwaysrunning for office. In addition, Americans have many opportu-nities to vote on issues as well as candidates. Besides primaryelections, there are three types of elections in the United States:general elections, elections on issues, and special elections.

General Elections As you learned in Chapter 9, elections are a two-part

process. The first part of the process is the nomination of can-didates in a primary election. Primary races help to narrow thefield of candidates.Then, in a general election, the voters choosecandidates for various offices. General elections always takeplace on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.All seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and about one-third of the seats in the Senate are at stake in general electionsevery even-numbered year. Presidential elections occur everyfour years. In these elections the ballot also often includes can-didates for governor, the state legislature, county government,and local offices. In some states, however, elections for mayorand other city offices take place in odd-numbered years.

Senator Durbin

For all races except the presidential race,the candidate who wins a majority of thepopular vote is elected to office. If an election is very close, the loser has the right to demand a recount of the votes.Occasionally, a disputed election cannot beresolved through a recount and anotherelection must be held. In the case of anational election, a dispute may be referredto Congress for settlement. If it is a presi-dential election and neither candidate wins amajority of electoral votes, the House ofRepresentatives elects the president. Thishappened in the elections of 1800 and 1824.

Voting on Issues In some state and local elections, voters

may decide on issues as well as candidates.The initiative, for example, is a way that

citizens can propose new laws or state con-stitutional amendments. Citizens who want anew law gather signatures of qualified voterson a petition. If enough people sign the peti-tion, the proposed law, or proposition, isput on the ballot at the next general election.

The referendum is a way for citizensto approve or reject a state or local law.Citizens in more than half the states havethe right to petition to have a law referred,or sent back, to the voters for their approvalat the next general election.

Special Elections From time to time, state or local gov-

ernments also hold special elections.Runoff elections may be held when none ofthe candidates for a particular office wins amajority of the vote in the general election.The runoff is held to determine the winner.

The recall is another type of specialelection. In a recall, citizens can vote toremove a public official from office.Like the initiative, the recall starts witha petition. Voters may recall an officialbecause they do not like his or her posi-tion on issues or because the official hasbeen charged with wrongdoing.

Comparing What is the difference between an initiative and a referendum?

Presidential ElectionsPresidential elections have three

major steps: (1) nomination of candi-dates, (2) the campaign, and (3) the vote.

Nomination Presidential hopefuls start campaign-

ing for their party’s nomination a year ormore before the election. In the past,both major parties held national conven-tions in the summer of the election year

242 Chapter 10 Voting and ElectionsDave Granlund ©2000 Metrowest Daily News

Analyzing Visuals In presidential elections, citi-zens do not vote directly for candidates; insteadthey vote for electors, who in turn cast their ballots for candidates on a state-by-state basis.What is the cartoonist’s view of the ElectoralCollege? What details support your answer?

Chapter 10 Voting and Elections 243

Presidential Elections, 1976–2000

0

20

40

60

80

100

2000George W. Bush

1996Clinton

1992Clinton

1988George H.W.

Bush

1984Reagan

1980Reagan

1976Carter

1972Nixon

PER

CEN

TAG

E O

F VO

TES C

AST

60.750.7

58.8 53.843.0

49 47.950.450.1

96.6

55

90.897.6

79.268.8 65.8

WINNING CANDIDATES

Source: Federal Election Commission, 2000. Popular votes Electoral votes

Between 1972 and 2000, Democratic candidates won three presidentialelections. In which election were the electoral vote and popular votepercentages closest?

to choose their candidate. Delegates came tothese conventions from each state, theDistrict of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

These conventions were dramaticevents full of behind-the-scenes negotia-tions. Backers of various candidates wouldmove around the convention floor, promis-ing future political favors to state delega-tions in hopes of stealing their votes awayfrom a rival.The political dealings would beinterrupted for suspenseful and colorfulstate-by-state roll-call votes to see if anycontender had rounded up enough supportto win the nomination.

In recent years, however, the conven-tions have lost their main purpose—choos-ing the nominee. So much campaigningnow goes on in the primary elections thatby convention time one contender hasalready wrapped up the nomination. Theparties use the conventions mainly to kickoff the campaign and rally party membersacross the country for the work ahead.

Campaign Presidential campaigns are usually in

full swing by early September. Candidatestravel across the country giving speeches,appearing on TV, and holding news confer-ences—even though there is seldom anyreal news to announce.They may face theiropponents in televised debates. They meetwith state and local political leaders, andthey give pep talks to lower-level membersof the party who are working for them.

The Vote and the Electoral College We have already seen in Chapter 7 that

presidents are not chosen by direct popularvote but by a body known as the ElectoralCollege. In every state a slate, or list, of electors is pledged to each candidate. Thepurpose of the popular vote in each state is tochoose one of these slates of electors.The can-didate who wins the popular vote in a stateusually receives all of the state’s electoral votes.This is called the winner-take-all system.

244 Chapter 10 Voting and Elections

Checking for Understanding

1. Key Terms Write a paragraphthat summarizes the key pointsof this section. Use all of the fol-lowing terms: initiative, proposi-tion, referendum, recall, ElectoralCollege, elector, winner-take-allsystem.

Reviewing Main Ideas2. Explain Why have national politi-

cal conventions lost the mainpurpose of choosing nominees?

3. Summarize How is the total of538 Electoral College votesdetermined? What is the pur-pose of the popular vote in theElectoral College system?

Critical Thinking

4. Making Judgments Analyze the criticisms of the ElectoralCollege. Do you think it shouldbe eliminated or maintained?Explain your answer.

5. Sequencing Information Listand explain the steps involved in presidential elections by completing a graphic organizerlike the one below.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Review Look at the bar graphon page 243. Which presidentshown on the graph received thelargest percentage of popularvotes? Electoral votes?

SECTION ASSESSMENT

The winning electors meet in their statecapitals in December to cast the state’s elec-toral votes for president and vice president.The electors send their votes to Congress,which counts them. Because every state hasone elector for each of its U.S. senators andrepresentatives, the total number of votes inthe Electoral College is 538. (Washington,D.C., has three electoral votes.) The candi-date who receives a majority of thesevotes—270 or more—wins the election.

The Electoral College system is as oldas the U.S. Constitution. It was a compro-mise measure. Some of the Founderswanted the American people to have directcontrol over the new national government.Others strongly believed that the govern-ment must be able to function without hav-ing to give in to popular whims. The firstgroup demanded a direct popular electionof the president.Their opponents pushed tohave Congress name the president. Theircompromise was to have the legislatures ineach state choose presidential electors.Now the voters in each state directly choosethe electors.

Critics of the Electoral College chargethat large states like California, which havemany more electoral votes than smallstates, have too much influence in decidingthe election. Others argue that by includingvotes for senators, the system gives unfairpower to states with small populations.Under a truly proportional system the willof the people would be more fairly carriedout in elections. Critics also point out thatunder the winner-take-all system, a candi-date who loses the popular vote can stillwin the electoral vote and the presidency.This has happened four times in our his-tory. Also, a third-party candidate couldwin enough electoral votes to prevent eithermajor-party candidate from receiving amajority. The third-party candidate couldthen bargain to release electoral votes to amajor-party candidate. The winner-take-allsystem also makes it extremely difficult forthird-party candidates to be represented atall in the electoral vote.

Inferring When you votefor the U.S. president, for whom are youactually voting?

�BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN�7. Research Using the library or

Internet, research your state’selection laws. Does your stateallow the initiative? The referen-dum? Recall? If so, explain the last time they were usedsuccessfully.

Step 1: Step 2: Step 3:

245

1. Why does Hoar support the Electoral College? 2. Why does Delahunt oppose the system? 3. Any change in the Electoral College system

would require a constitutional amendment.

Should the Electoral College be kept, abol-ished, or reformed in some way? Phraseyour views in a letter to the editor of yourlocal newspaper.

Should the Electoral College Be Abolished?

Al Gore was the winner of the 2000 presidential electionby a popular vote of about 333,000. He conceded theelection to George W. Bush. Reports like this left peoplescratching their heads. As Senator Robert Torricelli ofNew Jersey remarked at the time, “Americans are aboutto engage in a great civics lesson.” The subject was theElectoral College—the 538 delegates who elect the presi-dent and vice president based on each state’s popularvote. Most states, except Maine and Nebraska, operateon the winner-take-all rule. The candidate who finishesfirst, even narrowly, gets all of the state’s electoral votes.The Electoral College had decided elections before—three times in the 1800s. However, this was the firsttime it had happened in more than 100 years.

Until our recent national crash course in the fed-eral election process, most Americans saw theElectoral College as a harmless anachronism [aperson or thing out of place in time]. But 10 daysago, for the first time in over a century, the nationwatched as the oath of office was administeredto an elected president who failed to secure aplurality of the votes cast. . . . [W]e must alsoask—as many of my constituents have—whetheran electoral system that negates the votes of halfa million citizens is compatible with democraticvalues. . . . If the Electoral College merely echoesthe election results, then it is superfluous [notnecessary]. If it contradicts the voting majority,then why tolerate it?

—Representative William D. Delahunt from Massachusetts

I believe that the current Electoral College sys-tem offers many advantages over a popular vote.In our republic, a citizen who resides in a statewith low population deserves just as much repre-sentation as a citizen in a city. Though at firstglance it may seem that a popular vote wouldgrant an equal voice to each, in fact it wouldeliminate it. Population centers would grab nearlyall the consideration, as the number of popularvotes in the farmlands of the country is measlycompared to someplace like Boston. Why woulda candidate bother with states with low popula-tions? . . . The Electoral College ensures thatcandidates campaign to the entire country andsafeguards the importance of each state’s voice,be it large or small.

—Meredith Miller Hoar, Bowdoin College

AP/Wide World Photos

A vote cast for an elector

Debating the IssueDebating the Issue

Many legislators, discouraged by thefact that spending on political campaigns is risingwhile voter participation is decreasing, approvedan act to reform the nation’s campaign finance law in 2002. The bill bans the large unlimitedcontributions to national political parties known as soft money. The bill was the result of continuedefforts by Senators John McCain and RussellFeingold. “This great center of democracy is trulytainted by money,” Feingold explained. “Particularlyafter September 11, all of us in this chamber hopethe public will look to the Capitol and to the Senatewith reverence and pride, not with derision.” Ifupheld by the courts, the new law will be the most far-reaching reform yet.

Running for OfficeAmericans spend more than $3 billion on national, state,

and local elections every four-year period. Former HouseSpeaker Tip O’Neill once said, “There are four parts to anycampaign. The candidate, the issues . . . , the campaign organ-ization, and the money. Without money you can forget theother three.”

It takes a great deal of money to run a successful campaignfor a major office today. Once candidates are nominated, theyspend weeks and even months campaigning for the election.

The purpose of campaigns is to convince the public to votefor a particular candidate. Each campaign has a campaignorganization to help run the campaign. An organization for alocal candidate may have only a few workers. Presidentialcampaigns, though, have thousands of workers. Campaignworkers must acquaint voters with the candidate’s name, face,and positions on issues, and convince voters to like and trustthe candidate. Campaign workers use several techniques toaccomplish their goals.

GUIDE TO READING

Main Idea

Political campaigns in theUnited States requiremillions of dollars and,although regulationsexist, parties find ways toraise and use soft moneyto fund their candidates.

Key Terms

propaganda, soft money,political actioncommittee (PAC),incumbent

Reading Strategy

Comparing andContrasting InformationUse a chart like the onebelow to compare publicand private campaignfunding.

Read to Learn

• How are campaignsfinanced, both publiclyand privately?

• What are possiblereforms of thecampaign financesystem?

Paying forElectionCampaigns

SECTION

Cash for campaigns

246 Chapter 10 Voting and ElectionsCORBIS

Public Private

Chapter 10 Voting and Elections 247Doug Martin

Canvassing When candidates or campaign workers

travel through neighborhoods asking forvotes or taking public opinion polls, theyare canvassing. At the local level, candidatesoften go door-to-door to solicit votes andhand out campaign literature. At thenational level, campaign organizations con-duct frequent polls to find out how theircandidates are doing.

Endorsements When a famous and popular person

supports or campaigns for a candidate, it isan endorsement. The endorser may be amovie star, a famous athlete, a popularpolitician, or some other well-known indi-vidual. The idea behind endorsements isthat if voters like the person making theendorsement, they may decide to vote forthe candidate.

Endorsements are a kind of propagandatechnique. Propaganda is an attempt topromote a particular person or idea.Candidates use propaganda techniques totry to persuade or influence voters tochoose them over another candidate.

Advertising and Image Molding Campaign workers spend much time

and money to create the right image for acandidate. Much of that money goes foradvertising. Political advertisements allow aparty to present only its candidate’s posi-tion or point of view. They also enable acandidate to attack an opponent withoutoffering an opportunity to respond.

Candidates for a local election may usenewspaper advertisements or posters, whilestate and national candidates spend a greatdeal of money advertising on television.Why? Television ads can present quick anddramatic images of a candidate and his orher ideas. Such television images tend tostay in the viewer’s mind.

Campaign ExpensesTelevision commercials are a very effec-

tive way to win votes, but they cost tens ofthousands of dollars per minute. Othercampaign costs include airfare and othertransportation, salaries of campaign staffmembers, and fees to professional cam-paign consultants, such as public opinionpollsters. There are also computer, tele-phone, postage, and printing costs.

A small-town mayoral race may cost onlya few hundred or a few thousand dollars. Astate legislative or congressional race maycost several hundred thousand dollars toseveral million dollars. In recent elections,spending for each seat in Congress has aver-aged out to about $1.5 million. Some con-gressional candidates spent $15 million ormore. A presidential race can cost hundredsof millions of dollars.

Describing What is thepurpose of election propaganda?

Political TV Television commercials havebecome more popular than other advertisingforms. TV ads help candidates create an imagethat appeals to the public. Why are televisioncommercials an effective way to campaign?

Financing a CampaignUntil the 1970s, candidates relied on

contributions from business organizations,labor unions, and individuals. This systemof financing campaigns tended to givewealthy individuals and groups a betterchance of winning elections and, therefore,

more political power. The public also wondered if successful candidates thenowed special favors to the people who con-tributed to their campaigns.

Starting in 1971 Congress tried to placesome controls on campaign financing. TheFederal Election Campaign Finance Act of1971 (and its amendments in 1974, 1976,and 1979) established the main rules forcampaign finance today. The law requiredpublic disclosure of each candidate’sspending, established federal funding ofpresidential elections, and tried to limithow much individuals and groups couldspend. For example, the law limited theamount of money that an individual maydonate to a presidential candidate. It alsocreated the Federal Election Commission(FEC)—an independent agency of theexecutive branch—to administer all federalelection laws and monitor campaign spend-ing. A 2002 bill loosened some of theserestrictions while placing greater restric-tions in other areas.

Public Funding A major source of money is the

Presidential Election Campaign Fund cre-ated by the 1971 law. This fund allows tax-payers, by checking a box on their federalincome tax return, to designate $3 of theirannual taxes to go to the fund. In general,major-party presidential candidates canqualify to get some of this money to cam-paign in primary elections if they haveraised $100,000 on their own. After thenational conventions, the two major-partycandidates receive equal shares of moneyfrom the fund, so long as they agree not toaccept any other direct contributions.

Third-party candidates can also qualifyfor this funding if their party received morethan 5 percent of the popular vote in theprevious presidential election. H. RossPerot, a candidate of the Reform Party in

CORBIS/Bettmann

Carrie Chapman Catt(1859–1947)“Everybody counts in a democracy,” declared CarrieChapman Catt during the battleover woman suffrage, or theright to vote. Catt felt that self-government would never besafe until “every responsibleand law-abiding adult” pos-sessed the vote.

Catt, born Carrie Clinton Lane, grew upalong the Iowa frontier. She put herselfthrough college by washing dishes, teaching,and working in the library. She went on tobecome one of the nation’s first female school superintendents. In 1885 Lane married Leo Chapman and helped co-edit hisnewspaper. Widowed a year later, she joinedthe suffrage movement. When her second husband, George Catt, died in 1902, CarrieChapman Catt went overseas to help spreadthe movement worldwide.

With the support of Susan B. Anthony, oneof the founders of the suffrage movement, sheled the campaign to add the NineteenthAmendment to the Constitution when shereturned to America. Victory came in 1920. Toprepare some 20 million women for “politicalindependence,” Catt founded the League ofWomen Voters. Today the League honors itsfounder by educating all citizens on the impor-tance of voting to a democracy.

248 Chapter 10 Voting and Elections

Chapter 10 Voting and Elections 249

the 1996 presidential race, received enoughvotes to qualify the Reform Party’s candi-date, Pat Buchanan, for federal funding inthe 2000 election.

Private FundingMost campaign funding does not come

from public sources, however. Privatesources provide campaign funds and includeindividual citizens, party organizations, andcorporations. In addition, a wide variety ofspecial-interest groups, such as labor unions,the National Rifle Association, and theAmerican Medical Association donatefunds to candidates.

After presidential candidates receivetheir federal funds and the modest amountsthat individuals and groups may give themdirectly, their fund-raising is supposed to befinished. However, presidential as well ascongressional candidates have found waysto get around the limits of the 1971 law.The two key ways are so-called soft moneydonations and contributions made throughorganizations known as political actioncommittees (PACs).

Donations given to political parties andnot designated for a particular candidate’selection campaign are called soft money.By law, this money must be used for generalpurposes, such as voter registration drivesor direct mailings or advertisements aboutpolitical issues. A law proposed in 2002banned unlimited amounts of soft money.

National political parties have figuredout ways to use soft money to support theircandidate’s campaign without giving themoney directly to the candidate. Instead,they spend the money on other activities thatbenefit the campaign. Most soft money goesfor national TV ads for the parties’ candi-dates. Soft money provides a way for wealthypeople and groups to spend as much as theywant in support of a party’s candidates,especially the presidential candidate.

Candidates themselves do not hesitate tohelp their parties raise soft money. For exam-ple, during the 2000 election Republicancandidate George W. Bush held a fund-raising dinner where individuals and corpo-rations donated $21 million for the party.Not long after, President Bill Clinton andVice President Al Gore held a similar din-ner for Democrats and raised $26 million.Before Election Day each party had raisedmore than $200 million in soft money.

Funding CongressionalCampaigns, 1997–2000

Individuals $490.9 millionPolitical Action Committees $243.1 million

House Senate

Candidates $128.9 million

14.9%

28.2%

56.9%

SOURCES OF CONGRESSIONAL MONEY,1999–2000

500

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300

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100

01997–1998 1999–2000

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$243.9

$372.9$365.8

$492.2

Spending for House and Senate campaignshas increased during the past several elec-tions. If 34 senators were elected in2000, approximately how much was spentper Senate seat?

250 Chapter 10 Voting and Elections

Checking for Understanding

1. Key Terms Use the followingterms in sentences related tocampaign finance: propaganda,soft money, political action committee (PAC), incumbent.

Reviewing Main Ideas2. Identify What federal agency

administers election laws andmonitors campaign spending?

3. Describe How do presidentialcandidates qualify for federalelection funds? How do third-party candidates qualify for federal election funds?

Critical Thinking

4. Making Judgments Explain thetwo sides in the campaignspending reform issue. Withwhich side do you agree?Explain your position.

5. Summarizing Information On agraphic organizer like the onebelow, list the effects resultingfrom the high costs of modernpolitical campaigns.

Analyzing Visuals

6. Summarize Review the graphsabout funding the congressionalcampaigns from 1997 to 2000on page 249. How much moneywas spent on congressionalcampaigning in 1999–2000?

SECTION ASSESSMENT

The 1971campaign financelaw also led to thegrowth of politi-cal action com-mittees (PACs).Political actioncommittees arepolitical organi-

zations established by corporations, laborunions, and other special-interest groupsdesigned to support political candidates bycontributing money. A PAC uses its fundsto support presidential, congressional, andstate and local candidates who favor thePAC’s position on issues. According to the1971 law, corporations and labor unionsare not allowed to give directly to cam-paigns. They can, however, set up PACsand give unlimited amounts of soft moneyto political parties. Today there are morethan 4,700 PACs.

Campaign Finance ReformsAn important democratic value is the idea

that government should represent all the peo-ple, including ordinary citizens without

money or power. Critics of the current systemargue that when groups and individuals areable to give huge amounts of money to sup-port candidates, they may later receive specialfavors not available to average citizens. Onthe other hand, some people argue that tryingto restrict how much people can donate toelection campaigns is a limitation on freespeech. In a 1976 decision, the SupremeCourt ruled that it was a violation of freespeech to limit how much a candidate couldspend on his or her own election campaign.The effect of this ruling is that wealthy candi-dates can, and do, spend vast amounts oftheir own money to get elected—an outcomethat some would call “buying” an election.

Congress discussed reforming campaignfinance for many years. Reform, though, wasdifficult to achieve because PACs give mostof their soft money to incumbents—politicians who have already been elected tooffice. As a result, many lawmakers werereluctant to change the rules in ways thatcould help their opponents in the next elec-tion and will challenge the 2002 law.

Identifying What are theprivate sources of campaign funding?

�BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN�7. Interview Contact your local rep-

resentative and your senators.Find out how much money theyspent on their last campaigns.Who contributed the most totheir campaigns?

Cost of Modern

Campaigns

Effects:

Student Web Activity Visitciv.glencoe.com and click onStudent Web Activities—Chapter 10 to learn moreabout paying for electioncampaigns.

Chapter 10 Voting and Elections 251

Critical Thinking

Why Learn This Skill?A politician is behind the podium giving acampaign speech. The speaker probablyoffers some facts and some opinions. Whileyou may value the speaker’s opinion, you stillwant to know which is which so you can knowwhom to support. Distinguishing facts fromopinions will help you make a more informeddecision—the one that is right for you.

Learning the SkillWhen learning about candidates, you must deter-mine if they support the things you think areimportant. To distinguish facts from opinions inthis circumstance and others, follow these steps:• Identify statements that can be checked.

Could you verify the information in a news orlibrary source, for instance? If so, it is a fact.

• Identify statements that cannot be verified.These statements may be based on feelingsor prejudices. They often make predictionsor contain superlative words such as “best”or “worse.” These kinds of statements areopinions.

• Look for “clue words.” The speaker or writermay identify opinions with expressions suchas “I think,” “in my view,” “we believe,” andso on.

Practicing the SkillOn a separate sheet of paper, identify each ofthe newspaper editorial statements below asfact or opinion.

Mayor C.T. Hedd has more charisma thanany mayor Park City has ever had.During Mayor Hedd’s first term, a total of12 new corporations moved to the city.The new jobs created by these corpora-tions are the most important jobs everoffered to the Park City workforce.

City tax revenues have risen by 9.6 per-cent since Mayor Hedd took office.It is the official view of this newspaper thatMayor Hedd’s foresight and charm aredirectly responsible for Park City’s growth. Mayor Hedd deserves reelection.6

5

4

3

2

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Practice key skills with Glencoe’sSkillbuilder Interactive WorkbookCD-ROM, Level 1.

Distinguishing Fact From Opinion

Distinguish the facts from the opinionsexpressed in an editorial you find in a recentnewspaper or magazine. Make a list of anyclue words that identify opinions. Tell howyou identified opinions that did not containclue words.

Applying the Skill

Rod Joslin

Candidates for office publish many campaignmaterials.

Reviewing Key TermsFind the chapter term that matches each clue below.

1. the location where voting takes place

2. when a person votes for candidates from only one party

3. when citizens cast votes for a presidentialcandidate they are really voting for these people

4. donations to a political party that are suppos-edly not designated for a particular candidate

5. a way for citizens to vote on state or local laws

6. a voting district

7. a way for citizens to propose new laws orstate constitutional amendments

Reviewing Main Ideas8. In addition to primary elections, what three

types of elections exist in the United States?

9. What group of citizens can be denied theright to vote even if they meet all the qualifications?

10. What was the purpose of the Federal ElectionCampaign Finance Act of 1971?

11. What law went into effect in 1995 that madevoter registration more convenient?

12. Why are national party conventions lessimportant than they used to be?

13. How can people vote if they are too sick orout of town on Election Day?

14. When do general elections take place?

15. What do third-party candidates for presidenthave to do to qualify for federal campaignfunds?

Critical Thinking16. Drawing Conclusions What is your opinion of

the use of soft money in campaign financing?Should the system be reformed? Defend youranswer.

Section 1

• To vote, you must beregistered first. OnElection Day, you castyour vote at the pollsusually by using sometype of voting machine.

Using Your Foldables Study OrganizerAfter completing your foldable, turn yourdesk to face a classmate. Take turnsasking each other the questions labeledon the front of your foldables. See howmany you can answer completely andcorrectly without looking under the tabs.

252(t) Bob Daemmrich/Stock Boston, (m) D. Young-Wolff/PhotoEdit, (b) AP/Wide World Photos

Section 2

• There are many typesof elections.

• The presidentialelection processincludes nomination,the campaign, and the vote.

Section 3

• Running for officecosts money.Campaigns are fundedprivately and publicly.

• Many people areconcerned aboutcampaign spending.

17. Cause and Effect Since the mid-1900s,television has become increasingly impor-tant in political campaigns. Show the effectthis has had on politics in the United Statesby completing the graphic organizer below.

Practicing Skills18. Distinguishing Fact From Opinion Label

each statement below as a fact or opinion.

I believe money warps government decision-making in favor of special interests.

The way to “level the playing field” is to giveall major candidates free or reduced-costairtime on television and radio.

The election for city attorney cost the city$2 million, about $29 per ballot.

Economics Activity19. Using the Internet or the library, find out

what your representative or senator spenton the last campaign. Also determine thetotal number of votes cast in the election.What was the cost per ballot?

Analyzing Visuals20. Study the political cartoon below. What

statement is the cartoonist making about campaigning?

21. Form groups to investigate the political pref-erences of your community. Find out if themajority of registered voters are Democratsor Republicans. In the last three presidentialelections, how did the majority of your com-munity vote—Democratic or Republican?

Technology Activity22. Using the Internet or library, find voter par-

ticipation rates in the United States and twoother countries and compare them in aspreadsheet.

TelevisionCampaign

Ads

Self-Check Quiz Visit the Civics Today Web site atciv.glencoe.com and click on Self-Check Quizzes—Chapter 10 to prepare for the chapter test.

StandardizedTest Practice

Directions: Choose the bestanswer to the following question.

Which of the following statements bestdescribes the Electoral College? F The candidate who wins the popular

vote in each state usually wins all thatstate’s electoral votes too.

G This primary race helps narrow thefield of candidates.

H It is a body of electors, pledged toeach candidate, that casts a state’selectoral votes after the popular vote is taken.

J It is a way that citizens can proposenew constitutional amendments.

Test-Taking TipEliminate answers one by one by crossing

out answers you know are incorrect.

Chapter 10 Voting and Elections 253Bernard Schoenbaum/The New Yorker Collection

“According to our estimates, a campaignbudget around six point two million isneeded to successfully sing your praises.”

PUNCH CARD� PERCENT WHO VOTE THIS WAY:

� HOW IT WORKS:Voters insert blank cardsinto clipboard-size devices, then punch thehole opposite theirchoice. Ballots are readby a computer tabulator.

� PROS/CONS: An economical method, but holesare often incompletely punched. The dangling bits ofcardboard, known as “chads,” lead to inaccurate tabulation of votes.

HOW AMERICANS VOTE: AN IMPERFECT SYSTEM

A look at the various methods used throughout the United States *

34%

OPTICAL SCAN� PERCENT WHO VOTE THIS WAY:

� HOW IT WORKS:Voters fill in rectangles,circles, ovals, or incom-plete arrows next to theircandidate. A computerselects the darkest markas the choice.

� PROS/CONS: Easy for voter to use, and double-marked ballots are immediately rejected. The equipment, however, is expensive and can have problems reading sloppily marked forms.

27%

* NOTE: Figures are for the presidential election held in November 2000. Additional 9% ismade up of voters in counties where more than one voting method is used. Sources: Election Data Services; Federal Election Commission.

t was 10 o’clock on election night2000, and poll watchers in the small Georgiatown of Dallas had a problem. The weatherwas humid and rainy. Now their vote-counting machine was rejecting thousands

of punch-card ballots because the cardboardhad warped. What to do? Break out the blow-dryers! “As weird as it sounds, it’s standard pro-cedure,” says election superintendent FranWatson. “We blow a hair dryer over them, andthen they’ll go through.”

It’s easy to demand reform of America’s voting system—but the reality is that there isno national system. The Constitution left electionprocedures to the states. They in turn havepassed the responsibility down to the countiesand cities—some 3,000 of them—which choosetheir preferred methods and pay for them. “Ifyour choice is between new voting machinesand a road grader, it’s no contest,” explainsArkansas secretary of state Sharon Priest. Someexperts have called for a uniform national votingtechnology, but for now, balloting around thecountry occurs through a patchwork of flawedand often antiquated methods.

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IS THERE A BETTER WAYOF BALLOTING AHEAD?

A UNIFORM BALLOT Somethink there should be a singleballot design for all federal elections—same type, style,and size, with ballot marks inthe same place.

MOVE ELECTION DAYShould it be a holiday or movedto the weekend so more peopledon’t have to squeeze in theircivic responsibility around work?It’s a nice idea, but votersmight just take a vacation.

VOTING BY MAIL Oregontried it in 2000, with mixed success. If the kinks can beworked out, though, it could re-lieve the crowding on ElectionDay and boost turnout by giv-ing people more time to vote.

COMPUTERIZED VOTINGSome experts see elections beingeventually held entirely over the

Internet. Security problemshave to besolved first,though. Andwhat aboutvoters whoare notcomputer-literate?

ELECTRONIC� PERCENT WHO VOTE THIS WAY:

� HOW IT WORKS: Votersdirectly enter choices into themachine using a touch screenor push buttons. Votes arestored via a memory cartridge.

� PROS/CONS: Though aseasy as using an ATM, this

new technology is still fairly expensive. There is no physicalballot in the event of a recount.

9%

LEVER MACHINE� PERCENT WHO VOTE THIS WAY:

� HOW IT WORKS: Eachcandidate is assigned a lever,which voters push down toindicate their choices.

� PROS/CONS:Once the most popular formof voting, the machines are

simple to use but heavy, old, and no longer manufactured.There is no paper trail if recounts are necessary.

19%

PAPER BALLOT� PERCENT WHO VOTE THIS WAY:

� HOW IT WORKS: Votersrecord their choices in privateby marking the boxes next tothe candidate and then dropballots in a sealed box.

� PROS/CONS: An inex-pensive and straightforward

method that dates back to 1889. Counting and recountingcan be very slow.

2%

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