Election Year 2012

Election Year 2012

Election Year 2012Federally Mandated Constitution Day Lesson of Joy!1Who can vote in PA?You must be at least 18.You have to register to vote.Only have to register once unless you move or want to change political parties.Mail in registration form to Montgomery County Board of Elections in Norristown at least one month prior to the elections. Other states have Internet and same day registration PA does not.You vote at your registered voting site. You cant just vote at any voting site.There are about 15 in Methacton School District alone.

2Types of ElectionsPrimary ElectionGeneral Election*Mid-term elections are a type of general election that happens 2 years into a presidential termPresidential Elections only nation-wide election in US- Every 4 years

3Types of ElectionsState and US Congress positionsEven numbered yearsLocal or Municipal Elections (School Board, township, boroughs, etc.)Odd numbered years

4General ElectionsBeginning of NovemberFirst Tuesday after the first MondaySame day across the countryRun by states and process varies from state to stateRegistration processTypes of ballots (absentee, etc)Locations of voting sitesPoll workersVoting machines and counting/reporting guidelinesVoters can vote for any candidate regardless of party

5Uniqueness of Presidential ElectionOnly nation-wide electionOnly election where there is public funding or funding paid by the governmentFunding is established by the Federal Election CommissionPresident is not directly elected

6The Election ProcessFrom Candidate to Nominee to President7Constitutional Qualifications to be PresidentThe President must be a natural born citizen.Must have lived in the U.S. for 14 years (although they do not have to be consecutive).Must be at least 35 yrs. old.

8Non-Constitutional QualificationsGovernment Experience most frequently as governor or US Senator.Money candidates could spend up to $37.3 mil. For primaries and $74.62 million for general election (2004).Political beliefs extremes are often not the answer.Personal characteristics.Personal growth.

9Important Dates of the PrimariesThe first two primaries are in Iowa and New Hampshire. They set the tone for the remainder of the primaries.Tuesday, Feb. 5th is known as Super Tuesday. Twenty states will hold their primaries.Pennsylvania held their primary on, April 24th.

10Selecting a Vice-PresidentAlso at the convention, the nominated President will select a running mate, the Vice-President.Do you think that the President would pick his best friend to be the Vice-President?

11NOThere are several reasons for picking a Vice-President and friendship a rarely amongst them. So what are the reasons?The state that the Vice-President comes from. The politics of the Vice-President.The Vice-President fulfills a special role.Ultimately, the Vice-President should balance out the President.12Now what At this point, the Republican nominee and the Democratic nominee will face each other with the Presidency as the prize.Occasionally, an independent or a third party candidate will emerge, but not very often.A third party candidate will often take votes away from one of the major party candidates, hurting their chances at the Presidency.

13Election DayOn the first Tuesday of November (unless it is the first day of the month), everyone votes for their candidate for President.

142012 General ElectionPresidential & Congressional Election

15The Presidential Candidates

Republican ChallengerMitt RomneyDemocratic President Barack Obama

16Romney v. Obamas Political BioBA from BYU, MBA/JD from HarvardMA Gov. 2003-2007President Bain Capital (Private Equity)CEO Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter OlympicsMarried w/ 7 childrenLaw Degree from Harvard (1991)Community Organizer (1985-1988)State Senator (IL) (1997-2004)US. Jr. Senator (IL) (2005-2008)44th U.S. PresidentMarried w/ 2 daughters17Vice PresidentialRunning Mates18What is a Vice Presidential Running Mate?This person is asked by a presidential nominee to run with the nominee on a presidential ticket.If the nominee becomes President, his VP running mate becomes VP.

19How does a nominee choose a VP running mate?The Nominee simply asks him/her. The only thing is, the VP running mate has to meet the 3 qualifications the Constitution requires to become president.35 years oldNatural Born U.S. CitizenMust live in the U.S. for 14 years20How do Presidential nominees decide to pick a specific person to be the VP running mate on the ticket?There are two primary things a nominee looks at when deciding who to choose as a VP running mate (a presidential nominee and their VP running mate from the same political party is called a presidential ticket)Is this person qualified?How will this person help me get elected? 21Is this person qualified?The nominee has to find out about the possible running mate:job experienceviews on issuesCharacterany bad things the person did in the past22How will this person help me get elected?Each presidential nominee has weaknesses. (For example, Joe Biden was picked for his political experience and his foreign policy experience/Paul Ryan was picked as a deficit hawk and ideas man on how to lower the federal debt)If the nominee picks a candidate that is strong in the areas the nominee is weak in, it could help him win the election (Ex. Joe Biden is 20 years older than Obama, and was the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee)23Republican VP nominee: Representative (43 years old)Wisconsin Congressman for 14 yearsFormer Republican speech writerChairman of the House Budget CommitteeKnown as very conservative

WHY DO YOU THINK HE WAS PICKED?24

25Democratic VP nominee:Senator Joe Biden (69 years old)DelawareNew Castle, Delaware city councilman (2 yrs.)U.S. Senator (36 years)Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (4 years)Known as moderate liberalWHY DO YOU THINK HE WAS PICKED?26

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