Virginia & United States Government
Mrs. Kramer
Let's review the election process in the United States and the way campaigns are run in America.
SOL Objectives for Unit Four:
Standard 12.11 and Standard 12.13
Back in 1789, when the Constitution created a new United States, not all citizens could vote. In fact, many Americans were unable to vote because the Constitution did not apply to:
The Benefit of Voting
Americans believe voting is important. They see it as:
At the same time, Americans TEND NOT TO VOTE!
The Cost of Voting
There is a certain bureaucracy to voting that tends to turn Americans away from the process. They view this bureaucracy as time-consuming, thus a "cost" to the democratic process.
Voter Registration
Frequency of Elections
No sense of Political Efficacy
The single greatest and lasting factor for determining voter behavior is party identification.
While party identification is still the strongest factor for voter turnout, there are signs that party identification is weakening. One sign, as mentioned above, is the increased number of independent voters in America. Another sign is the practice of split-ticket voting. This is the practice of voting for candidates from different parties in an election. Since the 1960's, many Americans have voted this way in an attempt to "check" the power of those in office by forcing compromise between the two major parties.
Try these practice review!
The nominating process is simply the process of candidate selection. However, the nomination is a critical step in the election process. The process also reflects the relationship to the voter. In a typical election, voters are given only two real choices - a Democrat or a Republican. This reinforces the fact that we have a strong two-party system.
The Direct Primary
There are two kinds of primaries - open and closed. The open primary allows all registered voters to participate in the primary, regardless of their party. Voters simply choose which party primary they will vote in when they arrive. The closed primary is a party nominating election where only declared party members may vote. No independents may participate. You must be either a registered Democrat or Republican to participate in a closed primary. Your party status is checked before you are given the ballot, so you can't simply say you are a Republican or a Democrat.
Most regulations on elections come from the states. This is because nearly all elected offices in America are at the state and local level, not the national.
Time, Place Manner Regulations in Federal Elections
A few states do not hold their elections on the same day as national elections. For example, Virginia holds their state elections (governor, state legislators) in November of odd-numbered years - so Virginia is odd!
A precinct is a voting district. They are the smallest unit that conducts elections. State laws restrict them by size restricting them to no more than 500 or 1000 voters. Precincts are where you find the polling place - the actual physical location you must go to vote. Precincts open and close by the times set by state laws.
The ballot is simply the device used to record the voters choice in an election. While the look of ballots vary from state to state, all ballots are secret ballots - no one must know how the voter votes.
Try the practice review!
