Campaign Finances- 10/5

Do-Now

•Please complete your Do-Now and the transition activity

•You’ll pass in your PARTY PEOPLE with your do-now

Campaign financingUnit: Elections & Political Parties

Take-Home Point

•What are some of the consequences (negative effects) of rising campaign costs?

Review

•What are political parties?•What are their functions?•How are parties similar?•How are they different?•What are third parties?

Take-Home Point

•“Political parties are equally helpful and hurtful. They are helpful because they allow people to express their political opinions. However, they are also hurtful because they don’t allow the govt to completely unit or work together.”

Take-Home Point

•“They are helpful because they group similar minds together. There is no point of having 200,000 political parties if ½ of them all believe in the same thing. It also helps voters because you have 2 choices, both with opposite beliefs. This makes it easier to choose.”

Today’s Agenda

•Do-now + transition activity•Review•Introduction to lesson•Campaign financing

▫Vocab, lecture, + notes▫Reading + questions▫Class activity w/ special guest, HP

•Take-home point

Political Cartoon Analysis

Vocabulary

•Special interest groups- an organization of people with common interests who try to influence government policies and decisions

•Political Action Committee (PACs)- the political arm of an interest group that collects voluntary contributions from members to fund political candidates and parties the interest group favors

What is a political campaign?

•A political campaign is when a person decides they want to serve in an elected position and then tries to get votes from their community, state, or nation depending on the type of office they wish to serve.

How are campaigns funded?

•Candidates can:▫Use their own money▫Get donations▫Get money from special interest groups or

political action committee (PACs) funding

Rising Campaign Costs• In recent years, the

cost of running for office has increased▫Candidates rely less

and less on their political party to win elections

▫Instead they have become more of independent political actors Rely on their own

efforts and their campaign organization

Effects of Rising Campaign Costs•Requires candidates to conduct extensive

fundraising activities.•Limits the opportunity to run for office•Gives wealthy individuals an advantage•Encourages the development of PACs•Give issue-oriented special interest

groups increased influence

Examples of Interest Groups

•National Education Association!!•American Farm Bureau Federation•American Association of Retired People

Rising Campaign Costs

•Have led to campaign finance reform laws•Limits have been placed on how much an

individual can donate to a political candidate or campaign.

Digesting Question

The high cost of getting elected has changed campaigns for political office by:giving special interest groups increased influenceexpanding the opportunities for people to run for officerequiring the national government to pay all campaign costs

Digesting Question

Which statement BEST demonstrates how the high cost of getting elected has changed campaigning for public office

There are too many annoying campaign adsThere’s a low voter turnoutWealthy candidates have an advantage

Reading- “Is it all about the Benjamin’s?”

Harry Potter & Co. run for office!

Who’s read or seen Harry Potter?

HP Terms

•Muggles= non-wizards•Dark Side= Lord Voldemort; really bad

people