Electoral Process, Mass Media, Interest Groups Flashcards
2 Steps of United States Election
Nomination
General electionq
Ways in which candidates are nominated
- Self Announcement (Write-In on Ballot)
- The Caucus
- The Convention
- The Petition
Petition
Candidates must get a required number of signatures to get on the ballot
Often used on local level
The Caucus
Series of meetings held within a state
Grass-roots approach to democracy
Town hall style meetings
Which Caucus is first?
Iowa
When is primary season?
January
When is the general election?
Tuesday after first Monday of November
Primaries
Vote on machine
open and closed primaries
Open primaries
Do not have to be in the party to vote
Closed primaries
Have to be in the party to vote
When are the conventions held?
July (used to be August)
Purpose of the convention
Party candidates are officially announced
The party’s platform is announced
Selection of a running mate, vice president
Super Tuesday
Significant number of states hold their primaries
usually in Februrary or early March
Blanket primaries
Idea to allow voters to vote in different primaries depending the office (party does not matter as much)
Office by office basis
How are electors granted?
Based on the number of representatives in the house
Plus one for each senator
Electors cannot be…
people who already hold an office in the government
How many electors does the District of Columbia have?
3 electors
Total number of electors
538
Who chooses electors?
Political party committees
How many votes are required to win a presidential election?
270
Precinct
Voting district
Smallest geographic units to carry out elections
Polling place
Where the voters who live in a precinct go to vote