Elections and Campaigns

Elections and Campaigns

By Cedric Gillette

Types of Elections

How many people do you think hold elected office in the United States? The president, the vice president, and all the members of Congress add up to 537. When you add the 50 state governors and other state and local officials, the total might surprise you. There are more than half a million (500,000) elected officials in the United States.

Subject | Subject

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Multiple Choice

There are more than half a million elected officials in the United States.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Primary and General Elections

In most states, the first step in the election process is called a primary election. These elections are usually held in the spring or summer. The purpose of the primary election is to choose one candidate from each party to run in the general election. The person who receives the most votes in each party becomes the party’s candidate for an office.

Sometimes no person wins a majority of the votes in a primary. In some states when this happens, a runoff election is held. The person who wins the runoff moves on to the general election

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Multiple Choice

The winner of a primary election becomes ______________ in the general election.

• president

• vice president

• a governor

• a candidate

Election Day

The general election is held throughout the country on the same day. These elections always take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. National elections are held in even-numbered years. All seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and about one-third of the seats in the Senate are up for election every two years. Presidential elections are held every four years. Usually state and local officials, such as state legislators, mayors, and city council members, are also elected at this time.

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Multiple Choice

Election Day is the ____________________.

• first Monday in November

• first Tuesday in November

• first Tuesday after the first Monday in November

• first Monday after the first Tuesday in November

Multiple Choice

National elections are held _____________.

• in even-numbered years

• in odd-numbered years

• every year

• every four years

Recount

For most offices, the candidate who wins the most votes wins the election. Voting for the president has special rules that will be described later in the lesson. If an election is very close, the loser can demand a recount. In that case, all the votes are counted a second time. If that fails to settle the election, another election might be held. In the case of a national election, Congress may step in to settle a dispute.

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Multiple Choice

In a close election, the loser can demand a recount.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Initiatives and Referendums

​In many elections people vote on issues, or topics of public interest. Suppose a city council wants to build a new school. It might put the idea on a ballot so voters can approve or reject it.

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Two special processes give voters a direct voice in governing. One is called an initiative, and the other is called a referendum. An initiative is a process that lets voters propose new laws or amendments to state constitutions. First, people in favor of the law must gather enough signatures to place the item on the ballot. The proposed law is called a proposition, or “prop.” In the election, people vote for or against the proposition.

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A referendum asks voters to accept or reject a law passed by a state or local legislature. Some states require voters to approve changes to the state constitution, for instance. Often, a referendum involves new taxes or tax increases.

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Multiple Choice

Voters may be asked to decide whether government money should be spent on a new neighborhood park.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Choice

An initiative is _____________.

• a law proposed by lawmakers

• a law proposed by voters

• the same as a referendum

• a constitutional amendment

Special Elections

Some states allow recall elections. In a recall, people vote on whether to remove an official from office. Like an initiative, the process begins with people signing a petition. If enough citizens ask for a recall, a special election will be held. If the majority votes to remove the official in that election, he or she must give up the office.

Sometimes an official dies in office or resigns before the term of office has ended. In those cases, a special election might be held. These elections are staged to fill a vacant office. They are called “special” because they do not take place at a regularly scheduled time.

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Multiple Choice

In some states, if enough citizens sign a petition, a special election will be held to remove a candidate from office.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Understanding the Electoral College

When voters cast their ballots in a presidential race, they are actually electing special representatives called electors. These electors have pledged to vote for a particular candidate. Electors represent their state in the group known as the Electoral College. A person voting for a Republican presidential candidate, for example, is really voting for a Republican to represent his or her state in the Electoral College.

Each state has the same number of electors as it has members of Congress. In addition, the District of Columbia has three electors. As a result, there are 538 electors in all.

After a presidential election, in December, the winning electors meet in their state capitals. They cast their electoral votes for president and vice president. They send their votes to the Senate. In January, the House and Senate meet to count these votes. The candidate who wins a majority of the electoral votes—at least 270—is the winner of the election. The electoral vote determines the president. The purpose of the popular vote, the votes cast directly by the people, is to choose the electors.

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popular vote - the votes cast by individual voters in a presidential election, as opposed to the electoral vote

Multiple Choice

A presidential candidate who wins the popular vote always becomes the president.

• TRUE

• FALSE

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​In most states, the winner of the popular vote in a state wins all of that state’s electors. Some people criticize this winner-take-all system. Under this system, a candidate who loses the popular vote can still win the electoral vote and the presidency. In other words, a candidate who wins the popular vote can lose the election

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​Criticisms of the Electoral College

​The Constitution set up the Electoral College system. When the Framers discussed how to choose the president, two different views arose. Some wanted the American people to have direct control over government. Others felt that giving the people the power to choose the president might be dangerous. The people could be too easily moved by emotions to make a wise choice, they feared. The Framers settled on a mixed system. Electors choose the president, but the popular vote chooses the electors.

Campaign Finance

Where does all the money come from? Most of it comes from donations. Individuals, corporations, unions, and various private groups donate to political campaigns. Political action committees (PACs) are organizations set up by interest groups to collect and direct money to candidates and their campaigns. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) regulates campaigns and how they are funded. Still, many Americans worry that campaigns have gotten too expensive. They believe that politicians will want to help the people who donated money more than they will want to be impartial, or fair, when they are in office.

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canvass - to seek votes from voters

Multiple Choice

Campaign donations are controversial because they _________________.

• can fund candidates' personal expenses

• are required of citizens who may not have the money

• may lead to favored treatment for contributors

• may not be necessary to put a candidate in office