Unit 3.2:Electoral Process

Nominating Process Elections Money

Unit 3: Participating in Government

Citizens & Political Parties Voting Electoral Process Media Interest Groups

VocabularyCandidateCaucusClosed primaryConstituentsConventionDelegatesDirect primaryElectorElectorateElectoral CollegeElectoral VoteFederal Election

Commission (FEC)General ElectionInauguration

Learning Outcomes1. Describe the processes for

national, state, and local elections.2. (Honors) Demonstrate the election

process by participating in a mock election for a selected political office.

IncumbentNominationOpen primaryPlankPlatformPolitical Action Committees (PACs)Super PAC

Nominating ProcessElections Explained

Presidential Election Rap

The Election Process Reading Questions

1. What is the difference between a caucus and a primary election?

2. What are the objectives of a party’s National Convention?

3. Which medium (way) do you think is the most effective to gain support for a candidate? Why?

Debrief Campaign Simulation Video Clips Fear – Daisy Commercial; ‘64 Johnson v. Goldwater Fear – Youth Drugs; ‘96 Clinton v. Dole Howard Dean in 2004

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwkNnMrsx7Q Negative Ads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a34KgTOpg8 (first 5 min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQAGGJ0-F5I Important Campaign Vocab Terms:

Frontloading Super Tuesday

Daily Show Super Tuesday with Chris Wallace http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-february-5-2008

/chris-wallace (first 4 min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5X0IHIDXA0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHknYpCzdl4

Warm Up① Where do political

candidates get their money for campaigning?

② How much do you think Obama & Romney spent on their 2012 Presidential Campaigns (combined)?

③ Speculate, how can this process lead to corruption?

NY Times 2012 Money Race

Campaign FinanceMoney & Elections

Spending Funding Regulating

Campaign Finance: Money & Elections

SPENDINGo Campaigns need money for. . . .o What are factors that contribute

to how much $ is spent on a campaign?o Political Office

o Local/State, HOR, Senate, President

o Incumbent or Challengero Competitive or not

Campaign Finance: Money & Elections

FUNDING① Small Contributors – 10% of voters

$5 to $100

② Wealthy Contributors③ Candidates

Ross Perot spent $65 million in ’92

④ PAC – Political Action Committees⑤ FEC – Federal Elections

Commission Public Funding

Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsREGULATIONS Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA)

Limited political contributions and required public disclosure of contributions & spending

Established a system of public funding for campaigns

Establish Federal Elections Commission (FEC), regulatory agency in charge of regulating campaign finance legislation in US 6 members (3 Democrats, 3 Republicans)

Buckley v. Valeo (1976) Upheld FECA- ruled constitutional

Warm Up/Discussion QuestionsDo you think there should be a

limit on how much an individual contributes to a political party or

candidate’s campaign?

Do you think corporations/businesses should be allowed to contribute to a political

party or candidate’s campaign?

Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsREGULATONS (cont) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

Aka McCain-Feingold Act Banning Soft Money, $ given to State and local

party organizations for voting activities Limiting Hard Money, $ given to candidates that

are subject to regulations by the FEC

Loopholes were created called “527s” to get around the BCRA.

Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsREGULATONS (cont) Political Action Committee (PAC)

“political committee organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates. Most PACs represent business, labor or ideological interests” (OpenSecrets.org)

Give $5,000 to a candidate & $15,000 to a political party

Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsREGULATONS (cont) Citizens United v. Federal Election

Commission (2010) “Supreme Court held that the First Amendment

prohibits the government from restricting political independent expenditures by corporations, associations, or labor unions.”

What does this mean? First Amendment protects individuals’

freedom of speech Corporations have the same rights as

people and money is a form of speech.Citizens United v. FEC Video & 2nd Video

Do you Agree with this decision? Why or why not?

Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsREGULATONS (cont)

Super PAC - Colbert SUPER PAC May raise unlimited amounts of $$ from

corporations, unions, associations and individuals.

May spend unlimited amounts of $$ to advocate for or against a political candidate

Prohibited to donate money directly to a candidate

Must report all transactions to the FEC

List of Super PACsColbert Super PAC Commercials

Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsDo you think the United States

needs Campaign Finance Reform?

If so, what is the solution?

Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsDo you think the United States

needs Campaign Finance Reform?

If so, what is the solution?