Section Outline

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Voting and ElectionsSection 1: Being a Voter

I. General Elections

II. The Basics of Voting

III. Becoming an Informed Voter

Color Transparency: Campaign Posters

Section Reading Support Transparency

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Voting and ElectionsSection 1: Being a Voter

Main Idea

Elections give citizens a voice in government.

To vote, you need to register and then go to a

designated polling place on election day.

Key Terms

•General election

•Registration

General Elections

•Two types of Elections— Primary elections

• Members of political parties nominate candidates.— General elections

• An election in which voters make final decisions about the candidates and issues

• This is how the approximately 500,000 public offices are filled.• This is also how initiatives, recalls, and referendums are decided.

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Voting and ElectionsSection 1: Being a Voter

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Voting and ElectionsSection 1: Being a Voter

The Basics of Voting

•Registration— You must be a citizen, and at least 18 years of age.— Registration is designed to reduce fraud.

•When and Where to Vote— The Tuesday after the first Monday in November is the date for presidential and

other federal elections.— Other elections take place at polling sites at various times, but mostly in the

spring.

Go Online: Voting Methods in the United States

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Voting and ElectionsSection 1: Being a Voter

Becoming an Informed Voter

•To vote wisely, you must be an informed voter.— Find out all you can about the candidates.— What are their qualifications?— Where do they stand on issues that are important?

•Ballot Measures— Learn about the issues on the ballots.

•Why Vote?— In recent years, only about half of all eligible citizens have actually voted.— YOUR VOTE MATTERS! (Think of the 2000 presidential election.)

Voting and Elections: Section 1Color Transparency: Campaign Posters

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Voting and Elections: Section 1Color Transparency: Campaign Posters

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1. Identify the candidates who used these posters to get their messages to voters.

John Kerry and George W. Bush

2. Why do you think candidates use posters to get their messages out to voters?

Posters present the candidate’s name and an image designed to appeal to voters.

Voting and Elections: Section 1Section Reading Support Transparency

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