Transcript Document

Election Campaigns
Section 2
Key Terms
• Initiative: A way citizens can propose new
laws or state constitutional amendments
• Proposition: Proposed law
• Referendum: A way for citizens to approve
or reject a state or local law
• Recall: Citizens can vote to remove a public
official from office
Key Terms cont.
• Electoral College: Group that chooses the
president
• Elector: Person appointed to vote in presidential
elections for the major candidates
• Winner-take-all system: A system in which the
candidate who wins the popular vote in a state
usually receives all of the state’s electoral votes
Types of Elections
• General Elections
• Voting on Issues
• Special Elections
General Elections
• Two part process:
– Nomination
– General election
• Take place on 1st Tuesday
after the 1st Monday in
November
At Stake
(every even numbered year)
• All sets un U.S. House of
Reps.
• 1/3 Senate seats
General Elections cont.
• Presidential elections (4
yrs)
Ballot
(ballot often includes)
–
–
–
–
Governor
State legislature
County govt.
Local offices
• Mayor: elections in odd
number years
General Elections cont.
• Candidate who receives
majority vote is elected
– Not in presidential race
• If election is close, loser
can demand a recount
• If a candidate for president
does not receive a
majority of electoral votes,
the U.S. House of Reps.
Elect the president
(1800+1824)
Voting on Issues
• State and local elections,
voters decide on issues as
well as candidates
• Initiatives
• Petition for the
proposition to be put on
the ballot
• After referendum, 50%+
states have the right to
send the law back to the
voters for their approval at
the next general election
Special Elections
• Runoff elections
– Majority vote
• Recall
– Starts with a petition
Why Recall
– Don’t ike his/her
politics
– Charged with
wrongdoing
Presidential Elections
Presidential elections have three major steps:
1. Nomination
2. Campaign
3. The Vote and Electoral College
Nomination
• Presidential hopefuls:
– Campaign for party’s
nomination a year+
before election
• National Convention
– One for both parties
– In the past, used for
choosing candidate
• Now used as a “kickoff” for campaign
Campaign
• Candidates:
– Travel cross country
•
•
•
•
Giving speeches
On t.v.
News conferences
Meet with state and
local political leaders
• Pep talks to lower-level
members
The Vote and the Electoral
College
• President chosen by
electoral college
• Every state, electors
(slates) are pledged to
each candidate
• Candidate who wins
state’s popular vote
usually receives all the
electoral votes
– Winner-take-all system
The Vote and the Electoral
College cont.
• Electors meet at state capitals in Dec. to cast
state’s electoral vote for President and V.P.
• Votes sent to Congress
• Each state has 1 elector for each U.S.
Senator and rep.
– Total 538
– 270+ for the winner
Electoral College
• Created as a compromise
• founding fathers:
– Some wanted a direct popular election
– Others wanted Congress to pick president
• Compromise: have state legislatures choose
presidential electors
– Now voters in each state directly choose electors
Electoral College cont.
• Critics of Electoral College:
– States with more electoral votes have too much
influence in deciding election
– Others argue that including votes for senators,
the system gives unfair power to states with
small populations
Electoral College cont.
• Candidate who loses popular vote can still
win presidency
– Happened 4 times
• Third party could win enough votes to
prevent any candidate from receiving the
270+ votes needed