Unit2(2).ppt

(1)

Party Affiliation

• Party identification is the strongest predictor of how a person will vote.

• Party loyalists are likely to vote for all of their party’s candidates in any election.

– This tendency has decreased recently as more

people identify themselves as independents with no party affiliation.

– More people are also willing to vote for some

(2)

Independents

• It is estimated that from one fourth to one third of all voters today are independents.

• Independent voters once tended to be less concerned, less informed, and less active in politics than Democrats or Republicans.

(3)

Candidates and Issues

• Short-term factors such as particular candidates or key issues can swing voters in any specific election.

– The image projected by a candidate—personality, style, character, appearance, and ability—influences voters.

(4)

Why Vote?

• Is it really true that only those persons who vote have a right to complain?

(5)

Review

• Now that you have learned about the

factors that influence voter behavior, go

back and answer the Chapter Essential

Question.

(6)

Chapter 7: The Electoral Process

Section 1

(7)

Objectives

1. Explain why the nominating process is a

critical first step in the election process.

2. Describe self-announcement, the

caucus, and the convention as

nominating methods.

3. Discuss the direct primary as the

principal nominating method used in the

United States today.

(8)

Key Terms

• nomination: the naming of those who seek office

• general election: regularly scheduled elections for public office

• caucus: a group of people who meet to select candidates for election

• direct primary: an election held in a party to pick the party’s candidates

(9)

Key Terms, cont.

•

open primary:

a party’s nominating election

in which any qualified voter can vote

•

blanket primary:

an election in which all

voters can vote for candidates from every

party

•

runoff primary:

an election held if no one

wins a majority in the main primary

(10)

Introduction

• What methods are used to choose

candidates for public office?

– Candidates are nominated for public office through:

• Self-announcement • Caucus

(11)

The Nominating Process

• Checkpoint: What is nomination?

– Nomination is the process of selecting the candidates who will seek public office. It is a key function of American political parties.

– In our two-party system, the nominating

(12)

The Nominating Process, cont.

• In countries where one party wins most general elections, whoever wins the nomination is usually elected to office.

• Nominations can be made by

self-announcement, caucus, convention, direct

(13)

Self-Announcement

• A person who wants to run for office can simply announce that fact. Whenever a

write-in candidate appears,

self-announcement has been used.

(14)

The Caucus

• In the early republic, key party members

met in caucuses to nominate candidates.

– Party members in State legislatures held caucuses to nominate candidates for State offices, while party caucuses in Congress nominated presidential candidates.

(15)

The Convention

• Conventions replaced caucuses.

• Party voters choose delegates who attend conventions, where they pick party candidates and elect delegates to attend higher level conventions.

• Conventions were soon controlled by party

(16)

• By law, the direct primary is now the nominating method used by the major

parties in most States.

• Qualified voters cast private ballots for their preferred candidate. The person receiving the most votes is

nominated.

The Direct Primary

(17)

• The States regulate and conduct party primaries.

• A closed primary is

closed to all but declared members of a party.

Usually this means being a registered party

member.

• An open primary is open to all qualified voters.

The Direct Primary, cont.

(18)

Open v. Closed Primaries

• Closed primaries help make candidates more responsive to their party, force voters to choose a party affiliation, and keep the opposing party from “raiding” a primary and picking the weakest candidates.

• Open primaries do not exclude independent

(19)

Other Types of Primaries

• In 8 States the primary winner must receive a

majority of the votes. If no one does this, then

a runoff primary is held between the top two

vote getters.

(20)

Forms of Primaries in State Elections

(21)

• Depending on the State, party voters may use the

presidential primary to choose delegates to their national party

convention, to choose the candidate they

want to be their

party’s presidential nominee, or both.

Presidential Primary

(22)

Evaluating Primaries

• Checkpoint: What are the benefits and drawbacks of primaries?

– Primaries put the nominating process into the hands of the everyday party members.

– Drawbacks include the fact that primaries make campaigns more expensive and voter turnout in

primaries is usually less than half what it is for general elections.

(23)

• At the local level, candidates may be

nominated by petitions signed by a minimum number of qualified voters in the election district.

• Many States require minor party and

independent

candidates to be

Petition

(24)

Review

• Now that you have learned about the

methods used to choose candidates for

public office, go back and answer the

Chapter Essential Question.

(25)

Section 2

(26)

Objectives

1. Analyze how the administration of

elections in the United States helps

make democracy work.

2. Define the role of local precincts and

polling places in the election process.

3. Describe the various ways in which

voters can cast their ballots.

(27)

Key Terms

• ballot: the medium by which a voter registers a choice in an election

• absentee voting: the process of voting without going to polling places on election day

• coattail effect: when a strong candidate at the top of a ballot attracts support for lesser

candidates in his or her party

• precinct: a voting district

(28)

Introduction

• How are elections conducted in the United States?

– Elections are conducted by qualified voters casting secret ballots under the supervision of precinct

election boards.

– Depending upon State and local laws, voters may cast ballots within precincts at polling places on

(29)

Administering Elections

• Checkpoint: Who controls elections?

– State governments make most election laws, as most elections are for State and local offices.

– The federal government sets the rules, such as the November election dates, for electing

members of Congress and the President.

– Congress also requires the use of secret ballots, bans corruption, protects voting rights, and

(30)

• The Help America Vote Act of 2000 requires States to:

– replace lever-operated and punch-card voting machines

– improve their

administration of elections

– computerize voter registration systems – allow provisional voting

Administering Elections, cont.

(31)

Election Day

• Most States hold elections for State office in

November of every even-numbered year, on

the Tuesday following the first Monday.

• Some States, such as New Jersey and

Virginia, elect State officials in odd-numbered

years.

(32)

Early Voting

• Checkpoint: What is early voting?

– Early voting involves casting ballots before election day. States have greatly expanded early voting in recent years.

– Voters can apply for absentee ballots in advance and usually mail them to their local election office before election day.

– Two-thirds of the States also let voters cast ballots at polling places for a period of several days before

(33)

What Happens to a Ballot?

• Paper ballots are collected and taken to a counting facility.

• Absentee ballots are mailed to the counting facility or brought to the polling place.

(34)

The Coattail Effect

• A strong candidate for an office at the top of a ballot can attract voters to other candidates on the party’s ticket.

• A weak candidate, on the other hand, can cost a party votes.

(35)

Precincts and Polling Places

• Precincts are small voting districts with a polling place in or near them.

• Precinct election boards supervise the voting process, opening and closing the polls at times set by State law.

• Precinct boards must also ensure that ballots and voting devices are available and that only qualified voters cast ballots. They often count votes as well.

(36)

Casting Ballots

• Ballots can take many forms, from paper sheets to electronic records.

• Voting was once public, but now every State requires the use of a secret ballot.

• By 1900, most States used the Australian Ballot, which remains the basic form of ballot used today. This ballot type:

– Is printed at public expense

– Lists the names of all candidates – Is given out only at the polls

(37)

• Most States use the office-group ballot.

• All candidates for an office are grouped

together under the title of that office, often in

random order.

• This method is favored because voters must consider each choice, office by office.

Office-Group Ballot

(38)

• Some States use the party-column ballot, which lists all candidates under their party’s name.

• This encourages straight-ticket

voting and the coattail effect.

Party-Column Ballot

(39)

Bed-Sheet Ballots

• The so-called bed-sheet ballots in most U.S.

elections are very long, listing many candidates, offices, and ballot measures.

• Critics say this length makes it hard for voters to know all the candidates and their qualifications.

• Some argue that only those who make public policy should be elected, while the many local officials who administer policies could be

(40)

• Voting systems based on electronic data

processing include optical scanners and direct response

electronic voting machines (DREs).

• Some fear that DREs could be attacked by computer hackers.

Electronic Vote Counting

(41)

Vote-by-Mail Elections

• A number of States conduct some of their voting on local city or county measures by mail.

• Oregon holds all its elections by mail.

• Critics fear that vote-by-mail is subject to fraud and may lack privacy.

• Supporters say the method increases voter

(42)

Online Voting

• Online voting may be the wave of the future, having been used on a small scale in

presidential primaries.

• Supporters say online voting will be more convenient, less expensive, and likely to increase voter participation.

• Critics fear technical problems, computer

(43)

Review

• Now that you have learned about how

elections are conducted in the United

States, go back and answer the Chapter

Essential Question.

(44)

Section 3

(45)

10/4/11

SPONGE

Demonstrate: How to raise

money for your cause

(46)

Objectives

1. Explain the issues raised by campaign

spending.

2. Describe the various sources of funding for

campaign spending.

3. Examine federal laws that regulate

campaign finance.

4. Outline the role of the Federal Election

Commission in enforcing campaign finance

laws.

(47)

Key Terms

•

political action committee (PAC):

the

political arms of special interest groups

•

subsidy:

a grant of money, usually from the

government

•

hard money:

campaign contributions given

directly to candidates and subject to legal

limits

•

soft money:

campaign contributions given to

parties and other political organizations in

(48)

Introduction

• What role does money play in electoral politics?

– The amount of money spent on political campaigns is huge and grows with each election cycle.

– Some of the rising campaign expenses include items like advertising (with TV ads being most expensive), polls, mass mailings, campaign staff, and travel.

(49)

Campaign Spending

• In 2008, presidential candidates spent some $2.5 billion.

• In September alone, Obama and McCain each spent an average of:

– $25.2 million on TV and radio ads

– $4.1 million on travel – $2 million on campaign

(50)

• Some $1.5 billion was spent on House and

Senate contests in 2008.

• It now costs about $1

million to run for a House seat, and up to 20 times that to campaign for a Senate seat.

• What factors may

account for the rise seen in the chart to the right?

Campaign Spending, cont.

(51)

Sources of Funding

• Checkpoint: Where do campaign contributions come from?

– Most money comes from private givers, such as small contributors, wealthy individuals, political action

committees (PACs), temporary fundraising groups, and candidates themselves.

– Campaigns, particularly presidential campaigns,

(52)

Sources of Funding, cont.

• The Internet has become a major fundraising tool, particularly for

outsider candidates.

(53)

Sources of Funding, cont.

• Candidates also raise money through

telethons and

fundraising dinners.

• People typically give money because they believe in a party or candidate, wish to

influence public policy, or want improved

(54)

Regulating Finance

• Congress regulates the use of money in federal elections. It passed the most recent campaign finance law in 2002.

– Federal laws require the disclosure of campaign finances, limit contributions and expenditures, and provide federal funding for presidential elections.

• The Federal Election Commission often

(55)

Disclosure Requirements

• Each candidate has a single committee

responsible for all campaign spending and

recording all campaign contributions.

– Contributions over $200 must be identified by date, purpose, and the name of the giver.

Contributions of more than $5,000 must be reported to the FEC.

– Cash gifts of more than $100 are prohibited, as are contributions and spending from foreign

(56)

Limits on Contributions

• No person can give over $2,300 to a federal candidate in a primary or general election.

• No person can give more than $5,000 to a PAC or $28,500 to a national party in a single year.

• No person can give more than $108,200 total in a two-year election cycle.

(57)

PAC Contributions

• More than 4,000 political action committees (PACs) are active today:

– Most represent special interest groups such as business associations and labor unions. They can raise money only from members.

– Other PACs are unconnected committees that can raise money from the public.

• No PAC can give more than $5,000 to a candidate in a primary or general election. But a PAC can give to as many candidates as it chooses and give up to

(58)

Limits on Expenditures

• The Supreme Court has ruled that the 1st

Amendment protection of free speech means that most campaign spending limits are unconstitutional.

(59)

Public Funding

• The Presidential Election Campaign Fund, established in 1971, uses taxpayer money to help fund pre-convention campaigns, national party conventions, and presidential election campaigns.

– The system is set up so that only candidates with national organizations can qualify for funding.

(60)

Public Funding, cont.

• A lack of taxpayer

support and the rising cost of campaigns may doom the public

funding program.

• In 2008, Barack Obama became the first

candidate to refuse federal funds for the

(61)

Hard and Soft Money

• Federal law puts limits on hard money— contributions given directly to candidates.

• In the 1980s, the major parties began raising millions in unregulated soft money—funds given to parties or political organizations.

(62)

Hard and Soft Money, cont.

• In 2002, the McCain-Feingold Law banned soft-money

contributions to political parties.

• But independent

(63)

Hard and Soft Money, cont.

• Groups such as 527s spent several

hundred million

dollars in soft money during the 2008

presidential campaigns.

(64)

Review

elections are conducted in the United

States, go back and answer the Chapter

Essential Question.

(65)

Chapter 8: Mass Media and

Public Opinion

Section 1

(66)

Objectives

1. Examine the term

public opinion

and

understand why it is so difficult to define.

2. Analyze how family and education help

shape public opinion.

(67)

Key Terms

•

public affairs:

events and issues that

concern the people at large, such as

politics and the making of public policies

•

public opinion:

those attitudes held by

a significant number of people on

matters of government and politics

•

mass media:

those means of

(68)

Key Terms, cont.

•

peer group:

those people with whom one

regularly associates, including friends,

classmates, co-workers, and neighbors

(69)

Introduction

• What is public opinion, and what factors

help to shape it?

– Public opinion consists of the attitudes held by a significant number of people about public

affairs—matters of government and politics.

(70)

Different Publics

• Public opinion in the United States is typically divided.

• Any given public issue is likely to have separate groups with their own points of view.

• In addition, people disagree about which public issues are important.

• Few issues capture the attention of all Americans.

(71)

Public Affairs

• Checkpoint: What do public affairs include?

– Public affairs include events and issues involving politics, public issues, and the making of public policies.

– Examples include political parties, candidates, taxes, unemployment, national defense, foreign policy, and so forth.

(72)

Public Opinion

• Public opinion consists of those attitudes

publicly expressed by a large number of people about matters of

government and politics.

– How might the

(73)

Political Socialization

• Public opinion is shaped by many different factors throughout our lives.

• The process by which a person gains his or her political views is called political socialization.

• This process begins in early childhood and

involves the influence of many experiences and relationships. Two of these are family and

(74)

• Parents have a strong influence on the basic beliefs that will shape the political views of their children.

• Children tend to favor the political parties

supported in the households in which they

were raised.

Family Influences

(75)

• Schools try to prepare students to become good citizens by educating them about our political

system.

• Schools also give

students an informal education

about

decision-making,

influence, and compromise.

School Influence

(76)

Other Factors

• In general, occupation and racial background

are usually more significant than factors such

as gender or place of residence.

• However, the nature of the issue can change

what factors influence people’s views on it.

• Four other key factors that influence public

opinion are the

mass media

,

peer groups

,

(77)

• The mass media includes radio,

television, magazines, and newspapers.

• More than 98 percent of the 115 million U.S. households have a

television, and most are turned on for eight or more hours a day.

Mass Media

(78)

Peer Groups

• Checkpoint: How does one’s peer group

shape his or her attitudes?

– Belonging to a peer group tends to reinforce what a person has already come to believe.

– This happens in part because peer group

members share many socializing experiences and tend to be reluctant to disagree openly

(79)

Opinion Leader

• Some people listen to and draw ideas from opinion leaders.

• Many opinion leaders hold public office, while others are journalists or prominent members of society.

– What is the cartoonist implying about the

(80)

• Historic events can shape public opinion and policy.

• In the 1930s, the Great Depression wrecked the U.S. economy, shifting popular support to

Democrats and persuading many

Americans to support an increased role for the

national government in U.S. economic and

The Great Depression

(81)

The 1960s and 1970s

• In the 1960s, the nation was shaken and divided by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.

• The 1970s saw the Watergate scandal and the resignation of President Nixon.

• The events of these two decades caused many American to lose respect and trust of their

(82)

Review

• Now that you have learned about what

public opinion is and what factors shape it,

go back and answer the Chapter Essential

Question.

(83)

Public Opinion

Section 2

(84)

Objectives

1. Describe the challenges involved in

measuring public opinion.

2. Explain why scientific opinion polls are the

best way to measure public opinion.

3. Identify the five steps in the polling process.

4. Understand the problems in evaluating

polls.

(85)

Key Terms

•

mandate:

the instructions a constituency

gives its elected officials

•

interest group:

a private group that works to

shape the making of public policy

•

public opinion poll:

a tool used to collect

information by asking people questions

(86)

Key Terms, cont.

•

universe:

the whole population that a poll

aims to measure

•

sample:

a representative slice of the total

universe

•

random sample:

a polling group of

randomly selected people

•

quota sample:

a polling group

constructed to reflect the major

(87)

Introduction

• How is public opinion measured and used?

– Public opinion is measured by election results,

personal contacts, media reporting, and especially by polls.

– The most common polls are straw polls, while the most accurate measures of public opinion are

scientific polls.

(88)

Measuring Public Opinion

• Election results reflect public opinion to some

degree, but often express voters’ views only on a few broad issues.

• The people also express their opinions in

e-mails, letters, phone calls, or public meetings.

• The media both mirrors and helps shape public opinion.

(89)

Measuring Public Opinion, cont.

(90)

Pubic Opinion Poll

• Public opinion is best measured by polls

that ask people questions, but scientific polling techniques are needed to get accurate results.

(91)

Straw Polls

• Straw polls try to measure public opinion by asking many people the same questions, often by phone, email, or mail.

• This method is very unreliable, as there is no

guarantee that the people who respond represent an accurate cross-section of the population.

• For example, a straw poll during the Great

(92)

Scientific Polls

• Scientific polls are more accurate.

• There are hundreds of polling organizations in the U.S. today. Gallup and Pew are two of the best known.

• Scientific polls have five basic steps:

– Define the universe to be surveyed – Construct a sample

– Prepare valid questions

(93)

Universe and Sample

• The universe is the group whose opinions the poll tries to discover.

• For large groups, pollsters create a sample, or representative slice.

• A random sample is made of randomly selected

people. Most national polls use random samples of 1,500 people to represent the U.S. population.

(94)

Samples, cont.

• A typical margin of error in a scientific poll is plus or minus 3 percent.

• A quota sample is less complicated but less accurate.

• Pollsters try to create a quota sample so that it

reflects the major characteristics of a given universe, such as race or gender.

(95)

• How pollsters interact with people can affect poll accuracy.

• Most polls today are telephone surveys.

• Pollsters use

computers to analyze and publish polling

data.

(96)

Evaluating Polls

• When evaluating the

intent

of a poll, ask

yourself the following questions:

– _{Who is responsible for the poll?} _Polls

sponsored by political campaigns may try to mislead voters.

– Why is the poll being conducted? Polls meant to boost a candidate’s approval ratings are

(97)

Evaluating Polls, cont.

• When evaluating a poll’s methods, ask yourself the following questions:

– What is the poll’s universe? Ask if the sample is truly representative.

– How was the sample chosen? Samples should be selected randomly.

– How were questions written and asked? Leading questions can alter results.

(98)

Evaluating Polls, cont.

• Checkpoint: What is difficult for polls to

measure?

– Scientific polls are fairly accurate, but have

difficulty measuring the intensity, stability, and

relevance of opinions.

• Intensity: how strongly someone holds an opinion.

• Stability: how likely an opinion is to change.

• Relevance: how important an opinion is to the

(99)

Limits on Polls

• Democracy is more than measuring public opinion, and polls are not substitutes for elections.

• Minority interests must be protected against the excesses of majority views and actions.

(100)

Review

public opinion is measured and used, go

back and answer the Chapter Essential

Question.

(101)

Public Opinion

Section 3

(102)

Objectives

1. Examine the role of the mass media in

providing the public with political

information.

2. Explain how the mass media influence

politics.

(103)

Key Terms

•

medium:

a means of communication

•

weblog:

Web site postings usually devoted

to a specific subject, like politics

•

public agenda:

the societal problems that

the nation’s political leaders and the general

public agree need government attention

(104)

Introduction

• How has the development of different media helped inform the public about politics?

– People can now get political information from a wide range of media, including television, radio,

newspapers, magazines, and the Internet.

(105)

The Role of Mass Media

• The mass media includes methods of communication that reach large audiences simultaneously.

• The five major types of mass media that influence

American politics today are television, Internet, radio,

newspapers, and magazines.

• Mass media in the United States are independent of government control.

(106)

The Role of Mass Media

• How has the percentage of

Americans who get their campaign news from network news and the Internet

(107)

Television

• Television news began to boom in the

1950s.

• TV replaced newspapers as the main

source of political information in the 1960s

and is the

main source

of news

(108)

Television, cont.

• Three major national networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC —dominated early television news.

• The major networks have been challenged in recent years by

independent

broadcasting groups, cable broadcasters such as CNN, and the Public

(109)

• Newspapers were the main news source in the colonies and early nation.

• Newspapers were so influential in the late 1800s that so-called yellow journalists were able to use sensational editorials and headlines to help push America into war with Spain.

Newspapers

(110)

Newspapers, cont.

• Today more than 10,000 newspapers are published in the United States.

• About 45% of the nation’s adult population read a newspaper daily.

• But the number of daily newspapers has been declining as people turn to radio, TV, and the Internet for news.

(111)

Radio

• In the 1920 and 1930s radio became a major source of political

news.

• Radio remains

influential today due to its convenience, the popularity of talk radio, and radio’s ability to focus on specific

(112)

Magazines

• The first political magazines appeared in the mid-1800s.

• In the decades before radio and TV, magazines were the major national news medium.

• Some 12,000 magazines are published today. Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report are key sources of political news and commentary.

(113)

• The Internet is fast becoming a leading

source of political news and information, behind TV but now ahead of radio, newspapers, and magazines.

• Nearly 2/3 of Americans say they go online on a regular basis.

The Internet

(114)

The Internet, cont.

• Most newspapers, magazines, and television stations maintain Web sites, usually with free content.

• The same is true of government agencies,

interest groups, political parties, public officials and candidates.

• Today there are also many weblogs and

(115)

Media and Public Opinion

• The media plays a large role in shaping

the public agenda

,

the social problems

that leaders and the public focus upon.

– People rely on the media for most of the information they receive on public issues.

– The media plays a key role in determining

what policy issues the public thinks and talks about, by emphasizing some issues and

(116)

Media and Public Opinion, cont.

• The media may not tell people what to think, but in a way, it does tell them what to think about.

– What is this cartoonist saying about media influence on the

(117)

Media and Politics

• Politicians are also strongly influenced by major news

organizations, including the major TV and cable networks, news

magazines, and newspapers.

– What is this cartoonist saying about media

(118)

Media and Electoral Politics

• Checkpoint: How do candidates use media coverage to their advantage?

– Candidates for public office use the media to appeal directly to the people without having to rely as much on their political parties.

– They also control their media image and manipulate media coverage, using staged events and sound bites to present themselves in a positive way and get

(119)

Limits on Media Influence

• Most radio and TV programs do not cover public affairs, and their news coverage is not typically in-depth.

• Few people follow media coverage of political events very closely.

• People tend to follow political news that agrees with their own views.

(120)

Review

• Now that you have learned about how the

development of different media has helped

inform the public about politics, go back

and answer the Chapter Essential

Question.