Eligibility Requirements
-18 years old, resident of the state for a specific time period, citizen of the United States.
-Once registered a person is assigned to a district.
-You can only vote once.
Gathering information
-Newspapers, magazines, radio, and television.
-Political parties.
-It is important to learn the issues and the candidates stand on them.
People that do not vote
-Electorate: People eligible to vote.
-People in mental hospitals, people convicted of serious crimes, and people who do not meet state requirements can not vote.
-The registration obstacle is not really a problem because states allow people to register when they renew their driver’s license.
-Apathy: Lack of interest.
Nominating Candidates
-Caucus: Meeting of party members.
-Nominating Convention: Delegates are chosen by party members to select the candidate.
-Primary elections: Registered voters choose the candidate.
- Open: Party membership not required to vote.
- Closed: Only registered party members may vote.
Presidential Candidates
-Chosen at the National Convention.
-States choose delegates to attend the convention according to population.
-The chosen candidate chooses a running mate for VP. (Ticket)
Campaigning
-It is important to create a positive image for a candidate.
-Propaganda: Attempt to promote a person or idea.
-Television is used a lot to familiarize the American public with issues.
-Canvassing: Going thorough neighborhoods asking for support.
Financing Campaigns
-Political Action Committees (PACs): Fund raising organizations.
-Presidential Election Campaign Fund: Tax payers check a box on tax forms.
-Political parties hold elaborate dinners to raise money.
-Individual donors contribute money.
Public Opinion
-Opinions of a group of people about a person or issue.
-Age, gender, income, hobbies, race, religion, and occupation play a role.
-The nations economic system is also important in public opinion.
-The mass media is a strong influence.
-Interest group: People who share a similar point of view.
Determining Public Opinion
-Election results are one way, but they are not always reliable.
-Public Opinion polls are the most accurate way.
-Pollsters: People who take polls.
-Pollsters use random samples, questioning a variety of people to get results.
-Loaded questions: Biased questions asked to get a certain response.
Interest group
-Strength in numbers.
-Sometimes called pressure groups because they try and pressure the government into making decisions.
-Bias: One-sided point of view.
Types of interest groups
-The most common type are economic groups.
- Business Organizations: Interested in trade relationships.
- Industrial and trade: Represent certain types of businesses.
- Labor unions: Interested in the rights of workers.
- Professional associations: Represent different professions.
-There are groups for ethnic, age and gender.
-There are groups that focus on specific causes.
Functions of interest groups
-Bring issues to the public and lawmakers.
-Support candidates who favor their goals.
Lobbies
-Lobby: Try to get government officials to support a groups goals.
-Lobbyists are people that try and gain support.
-Spend a lot of time researching issues in order to persuade lawmakers. They are frequently invited to speak in congressional committees.
-They try and arouse public opinion encouraging the public to communicate with elected leaders.
Regulation
-Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act (1946): All lobbies must register with federal and state governments and report all expenditures.
-All regulation laws have been relatively ineffective.
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