Campaigns and Elections

…with an emphasis on the presidential election…

Election Vocabulary

Primary: A meeting of the voters of a political party in an election district for nominating candidates for office and choosing delegates for a convention.

Primary: In a primary election, a political party has an election to pick candidates who will represent the party in a later election between it and other parties or individuals. In the presidential primary, people vote for delegates who promise to support one candidate when the party members meet in a convention.

Presidential Primary: A primary used to pick delegates to the presidential nominating conventions of the major parties.

Caucus (sounds like KAW-kuhs): A caucus is a meeting of members of a political group to name candidates or decide on goals. The word goes back to Boston in the 1770s. There was a club called the Caucus Club, where Americans met to discuss ideas, including planning the revolution. It now means a meeting of members of a political group to name candidates or decide on goals. In presidential caucuses, people of a political party meet to pick delegates to a party convention. TO MAKE IT MORE CONFUSING, IT IS ALSO: Meetings of party members within a legislative body to select leaders and determine strategy (e.g. The Congressional Black Caucus)

MORE ABOUT THESE LATER!

Election Vocabulary

Super Tuesday. It’s the Tuesday when presidential primary elections are held in several states with a lot of voters. The term Super Tuesday began to be used often in 1984, when nine states had caucuses or primary elections on one Tuesday in March. That represented one-fourth of the delegates candidates would need to get their party’s nomination for president. The term became more common in 1988, when more southern states switched their elections to the second Tuesday in March.

Even MORE Election Vocabulary Register to vote: The fundamental purpose of a voter-

registration system is to restrict access to the voting booth — to ensure that only those people entitled to vote in a given jurisdiction can do so, and that they each vote only once.

TOO MUCH INFORMATION: http://www.american.edu/spa/cdem/upload/2-Fischer_Coleman-Voter_Registration_Systems-AU.pdf

Horse race: A way of depicting a political race to convey who's winning. Rather than focus on candidate issues, pundits will sometimes emphasize poll numbers, for example, and describe a campaign as they would a sporting event. Critics say stressing polling stats, however, diminishes the importance of policy platforms.

Retail politics: The old fashioned campaign technique of shaking hands and kissing babies. http://rhetorica.net/archives/1027.html

Election Vocabulary

Debate: Face-to-face discussion of candidates' views on issues.

Incumbent: A person currently in office.

Platform: A public statement of the principles, objectives, and policy of a political party, especially as put forth by the representatives of the party in a convention to nominate candidates for an election.

Plank: This is one section of the platform. For example, you can have a plank on health that’s part of the overall platform.

There is a lot of Election Vocabulary!

Poll: A sampling or collection of opinions on a subject usually through a survey. TO MAKE IT MORE CONFUSING, IT IS ALSO: The place where voters cast their ballots. It’s often in your school gym, city hall, or a library.

Pollster: A person whose occupation is the taking of public-opinion polls.

Election Vocabulary

National Conventions: A meeting held every four years by each of the major political parties to nominate a presidential candidate.

General election: A regularly scheduled local, state, or national election in which voters elect officeholders.

Election Vocabulary

Electoral College: A body of electors chosen by the voters in each state to elect the President and Vice President of the U.S. The number of electors in each state is equal to its number of representatives in both houses of the U.S. Congress.

The Process / Timeline

Presidential Election Process

Primary / CaucusConvention

General Election

Electoral College

Inauguration

Presidential Election

Primary Each party is trying to select its nominee There are a usually a whole bunch from each party (unless

there is an incumbent running) This happens in different states on different dates Summer Convention makes the final decision

Convention The delegates officially choose their nominee and

decide on a platform

General Each party has one nominee running Campaign heats up after Labor Day November 6, 2012 ELECTION DAY ! Can you vote?

Electoral College (Dec. 15) Inauguration (Jan. 20)

Primary – Too Much Information… Early twentieth century

Movement to give more power to citizens. Primary election developed from this reform movement. Registered voters participate in choosing the party's nominee by

voting. Two types of primaries,

Closed -- a registered voter may vote only in the election for the party with

which that voter is affiliated. For example a voter registered as Democratic can vote only in the Democratic primary and a Republican can vote only in the Republican primary.

Open -- a registered voter can vote in either primary regardless of party

membership. The voter cannot, however, participate in more than one primary.

Caucus – Too Much Information…

Original method for selecting candidates Decreased in number since the primary was introduced

in the early 1900's. In states that hold caucuses, a political party

announces the date, time, and location of the meeting. Generally any voter registered with the party may

attend. Delegates are chosen to represent the state's interests

at the national party convention. Prospective delegates are identified as favorable to a

specific candidate or uncommitted. After discussion and debate an informal vote is taken

to determine which delegates should be chosen.

Controversy about Iowa and New Hampshire being first:

Should Iowa be the first caucus?Should New Hampshire be the first

primary?Should “retail politics” win the day?Should other states that are more

representative be first? Higher populationBigger citiesDiverse states

Iowa Results Edition

January 3, 2008 and beyond…

Mr. Bretzmann Goes to Iowa

In 2008, I was an official academic observer at the Democrats’ caucuses in Grinnell, IA. The GOP had its caucuses on the same day, but I chose not to observe them because they conduct theirs more like a primary. The Iowa Democrats have a unique process of counting votes in public, doing math to determine who is viable, and then voting again. The following slides give you a lot of information and visuals of the process that occurs. It’s probably too much information, but wow it is interesting! Learn on…

p.s. If you end the slideshow, you can see my notes underneath some of the slides.

Candidate Phase 1 Phase 2

Obama 119 133 Total: 272

Edwards 64 73 To be viable: 40.8

Clinton 51 68 Delegates:

Biden 11 Not viable Obama: 10

Richardson 8 Not viable Edwards: 5

Dodd 7 Not viable Clinton: 4

Kucinich 1 Not viable

Uncommitted 5

John Edwards’ How to Caucus Video:

The Process: 2012The Process: 2012

The Democrats have their nominee.The Democrats have their nominee.The GOP had to select theirs…The GOP had to select theirs…

Romney 2012 Timeline:Romney 2012 Timeline:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/11/14/us/politics/2007/11/14/us/politics/20071114_ROMNEY_TIMELINE.html 20071114_ROMNEY_TIMELINE.html

Leaders, Staff etc.Leaders, Staff etc.

http://www.p2012.org/candidates/http://www.p2012.org/candidates/romneyorg romneyorg

How Mitt Romney Came to Be the How Mitt Romney Came to Be the GOP NomineeGOP Nomineehttp://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/

jan-june12/mittromney_05-29.html jan-june12/mittromney_05-29.html

Convention TimeConvention Time

RepublicansRepublicanshttp://www.gopconvention2012.com/ http://www.gopconvention2012.com/ DemocratsDemocratshttp://www.demconvention.com/ http://www.demconvention.com/

Republican Conventions:

Democratic Conventions:

General ElectionGeneral Election

Each party has one nominee Each party has one nominee runningrunning

Campaign heats up after Labor Campaign heats up after Labor DayDay

November 6, 2012 ELECTION November 6, 2012 ELECTION DAY !DAY !

GOTVGOTV

Get out the vote. Urging citizens Get out the vote. Urging citizens to register and vote on or before to register and vote on or before election day.election day.

If people are called, they are 4% more likely to vote for your If people are called, they are 4% more likely to vote for your candidate.candidate.

If people have their door knocked on, they are 8% more likely to If people have their door knocked on, they are 8% more likely to vote.vote.

If both happen, they are 10% more likely to vote.If both happen, they are 10% more likely to vote. GOTV is important in elections!GOTV is important in elections!

Electoral CollegeElectoral College

A group of individuals chose by the state A group of individuals chose by the state legislatures for the sole purpose of electing the legislatures for the sole purpose of electing the President of the United States of America.President of the United States of America.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html college/about.html

http://www.270towin.com/ http://www.270towin.com/

InaugurationInauguration

http://inaugural.senate.gov/history/http://inaugural.senate.gov/history/daysevents/index.cfm daysevents/index.cfm

MONEY

Candidates and the money they have raised: www.opensecrets.orgwww.opensecrets.org

More Election Vocabulary?

Campaign Chest: Money collected and set aside for use in a political campaign.

War Chest: Money set aside or scheduled for a particular purpose or activity, like a campaign.

Early Money: Money given to a campaign

before or during the early presidential primaries. This money helps propel a campaign.

Early Money Is Like Yeast (EMILY’S List: http://emilyslist.org/ )

Election Vocabulary $

Federal Election Commission (F.E.C.): A commission that oversees federal campaigns, founded in 1974.

Matching Funds: Primary presidential candidates are eligible to receive dollar-for-dollar funds from the federal government that match the amount they have raised through their own efforts. They can receive matching funds only if they agree to limit their spending to $37 million during the primaries.

Election Vocabulary $

Political Action Committee (PAC): An organization of 50 or more people that is created to raise money for favored political candidates and is registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). A PAC may be formed by any group, including businesses, labor unions, and special interest bodies, and can donate up to $5,000 per candidate per election.

Soft Money: Funds raised by political parties directed toward party building and not directed toward supporting federal candidates.

Super Pacs: May raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals, then spend unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or against political candidates. http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/superpacs.php?cycle=2012

Can you be president?

The Constitution requires that a candidate for the presidency must be

a "natural-born" citizen of the United States

at least 35 years of agea resident of the United States for at

least 14 years.