The Electoral Process

Chapter 7

ELECTIONSSection 2

The Administration of Elections

• Government agencies oversee the election of 500,000 officials during election years to fill seats in more than 89,000 units of government.– Most election law is State not federal law.– Federal Government does have power to set some

election laws.• Election day is the first Tuesday following the first Monday

in November in every even-numbered year.• Requires the use of secret ballots• Help America Vote Act of 2002 – replace punch ballots,

improve training of election officials, centralize registration systems, and provide for provisional voting.

State Administration of Elections

• Ballots are the medium by which a voter registers a choice in an election.

• State law deals with all other matters relating to national elections and with all of the details of State and local elections.

Election Day

• Election Day– Most states hold their elections for state offices on the

same day Congress has set for national elections.• Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even

numbered years.• Some states hold elections for local officials in odd-numbered

years.

• Early Voting– Millions of Americans cast ballots before election day

by participating in early or absentee voting.• Mail-in ballots; early polling places.• Over time states have broadened access to early voting.

Precincts and Polling Places

• A precinct is a voting district – it is the smallest geographic units for the conduct of elections.

• A polling place is the place where the voters who live in a precinct actually vote.• A precinct election board oversees the polling place in

each precinct.• Responsible for opening the polls, ensuring the availably of

ballots or voting devices, verifying the eligibility of voters.

Casting the Ballot• Every state requires a secret ballot• By 1900 most states were using the Australian

Ballot– Provided at public expense– Lists the names of all candidates in an election– Is given out only at the polls, one to each qualified voter– Can be marked in secret .

• Most states provide a sample ballot to voters• Some states provide an official voter’s pamphlet• Many ballots today are quite long – “bed sheet

ballots” leading to uninformed choices and ballot fatigue.

Automated Voting• Many votes today are cast on electronic machines.• Early machine counted ballots were punch-out

ballots– The “hanging chad,” the 2000 presidential election, and

the Help America Vote Act of 2002.• Most ballots cast today are optical scan paper ballots

or direct response electronic voting machines.• Vote-by-mail elections happen in many States today

– mostly in local level elections.• So far online voting does not happen, but many

people are pushing for online voting to become widespread.