Unit 3.2:Electoral Process
Nominating Process Elections Money
Unit 3: Participating in Government
Citizens & Political Parties Voting Electoral Process Media Interest Groups
VocabularyCandidateCaucusClosed primaryConstituentsConventionDelegatesDirect primaryElectorElectorateElectoral CollegeElectoral VoteFederal Election
Commission (FEC)General ElectionInauguration
Learning Outcomes1. Describe the processes for
national, state, and local elections.2. (Honors) Demonstrate the election
process by participating in a mock election for a selected political office.
IncumbentNominationOpen primaryPlankPlatformPolitical Action Committees (PACs)Super PAC
Nominating ProcessElections Explained
Presidential Election Rap
The Election Process Reading Questions
1. What is the difference between a caucus and a primary election?
2. What are the objectives of a party’s National Convention?
3. Which medium (way) do you think is the most effective to gain support for a candidate? Why?
Debrief Campaign Simulation Video Clips Fear – Daisy Commercial; ‘64 Johnson v. Goldwater Fear – Youth Drugs; ‘96 Clinton v. Dole Howard Dean in 2004
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwkNnMrsx7Q Negative Ads
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a34KgTOpg8 (first 5 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQAGGJ0-F5I Important Campaign Vocab Terms:
Frontloading Super Tuesday
Daily Show Super Tuesday with Chris Wallace http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-february-5-2008
/chris-wallace (first 4 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5X0IHIDXA0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHknYpCzdl4
Warm Up① Where do political
candidates get their money for campaigning?
② How much do you think Obama & Romney spent on their 2012 Presidential Campaigns (combined)?
③ Speculate, how can this process lead to corruption?
NY Times 2012 Money Race
Campaign FinanceMoney & Elections
Spending Funding Regulating
Campaign Finance: Money & Elections
SPENDINGo Campaigns need money for. . . .o What are factors that contribute
to how much $ is spent on a campaign?o Political Office
o Local/State, HOR, Senate, President
o Incumbent or Challengero Competitive or not
Campaign Finance: Money & Elections
FUNDING① Small Contributors – 10% of voters
$5 to $100
② Wealthy Contributors③ Candidates
Ross Perot spent $65 million in ’92
④ PAC – Political Action Committees⑤ FEC – Federal Elections
Commission Public Funding
Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsREGULATIONS Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA)
Limited political contributions and required public disclosure of contributions & spending
Established a system of public funding for campaigns
Establish Federal Elections Commission (FEC), regulatory agency in charge of regulating campaign finance legislation in US 6 members (3 Democrats, 3 Republicans)
Buckley v. Valeo (1976) Upheld FECA- ruled constitutional
Warm Up/Discussion QuestionsDo you think there should be a
limit on how much an individual contributes to a political party or
candidate’s campaign?
Do you think corporations/businesses should be allowed to contribute to a political
party or candidate’s campaign?
Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsREGULATONS (cont) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002
Aka McCain-Feingold Act Banning Soft Money, $ given to State and local
party organizations for voting activities Limiting Hard Money, $ given to candidates that
are subject to regulations by the FEC
Loopholes were created called “527s” to get around the BCRA.
Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsREGULATONS (cont) Political Action Committee (PAC)
“political committee organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates. Most PACs represent business, labor or ideological interests” (OpenSecrets.org)
Give $5,000 to a candidate & $15,000 to a political party
Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsREGULATONS (cont) Citizens United v. Federal Election
Commission (2010) “Supreme Court held that the First Amendment
prohibits the government from restricting political independent expenditures by corporations, associations, or labor unions.”
What does this mean? First Amendment protects individuals’
freedom of speech Corporations have the same rights as
people and money is a form of speech.Citizens United v. FEC Video & 2nd Video
Do you Agree with this decision? Why or why not?
Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsREGULATONS (cont)
Super PAC - Colbert SUPER PAC May raise unlimited amounts of $$ from
corporations, unions, associations and individuals.
May spend unlimited amounts of $$ to advocate for or against a political candidate
Prohibited to donate money directly to a candidate
Must report all transactions to the FEC
List of Super PACsColbert Super PAC Commercials
Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsDo you think the United States
needs Campaign Finance Reform?
If so, what is the solution?
Campaign Finance: Money & ElectionsDo you think the United States
needs Campaign Finance Reform?
If so, what is the solution?