E.Q. What is the process by which people are elected to local, state, and national offices?
Jan 17, 2016
E.Q. What is the process by which people are elected to local, state, and national offices?
What are the steps?
In the U. S., the election process occurs in two steps:
1. Nomination—where the choice of candidates are narrowed down to 1 per party
2. General election—where voters make the final choice of officeholder
How can you be nominated? Self-Announcement:
“throwing your hat in the ring”○ Term coined by Teddy
Roosevelt in 1912
What are Primary Elections and Caucuses?
Primary elections are held by political parties; it’s when the party (voters of a particular party) pick the candidate for the general election (state and national elections)
Primaries can be open or closed○ Open : any qualified
voter can cast a ballot○ Closed primaries: only
declared party members can cast ballots.
A caucus is a meeting of members of a particular political party where they pick a candidate
mostly used at local and state level
What is a Nominating Convention?
Took over from the Caucus on the national level
Official meeting of party delegates (from states)to select the party’s presidential candidate
Held in the summer before the general election
The convention develops the party’s platform
What is the roleof Campaigning?
Purpose is to get the candidate’s message out to the voter
○ an effort to influence potential voters
○ use of propaganda to sway voters
What is Campaign Funding?3 basic sources: Most of $ from
Private sources; ○ Ex. Individuals,
families, personal funds.
PACs (political action committees)
Public subsidies○ Ex. Federal matching
fund program
2 types of campaign funds Hard money: money given
directly to a candidate; must be reported to the FEC
Soft money: donations given to local/state organizations for “party-building activities○ Ex. Ads, voter registration.
Campaign Finance Regulating FEC
The Federal Election Commission is an independent agency that is part of the executive branch.
They enforce federal laws concerning campaign finances.