The Basics of Voting

Holding ElectionsDirect democracy versus the Republic..

Representative Republic

Done in regular, competitive and free elections

The Right to VoteThe Right to vote is a key to Elections

Modern American Democracy frees the right to vote from white, male landowners to, well, everybody.

The changing concept of “liberty”

Male SuffrageBest indication of a virtuous and independent

voter in was being a WASP

All white men got the vote after the Declaration of Independence.

Electoral CollegeDesigned to insulate the process of elections

from, well, us!

Originally , before Parties, the winner became President and the runner up, Vice President.

Indirect election: we vote for electors who then pledge to vote the way we wanted them to.

Women’s Suffrage 19th Amendment in 1920

An almost militant battle, which was won

26th AmendmentWe will hit civil rights later on…

…but the 26th Amendment gave 18 year olds the right to vote, versus 21 years olds.

TurnoutThe Biggest problem with voting is turnout.

It has gone steadily down.

Getting people motivated to vote is often a major party goal…. Vote for their party, of course!

2008

2008*Registered: 231,229,580 Voted :132,618,580*

56.8%

Why don’t people vote?Younger people, such as those under 25, are

less inclined to vote

Is it hard to vote?

Perhaps not caught up on the issues and canidates?

Voter RegistrationBy getting people registered, the theory is

that they will vote:

Motor Voter Law: Allows registration while obtaining or renewing drivers licenses.

Voter Reg is used by political campaigns to encourage voting (especially among College Students!)

A By-product

Jury Duty is often tied to voter registration.

2008Many believe that Obama’s “grassroots”

campaign was a major tool in winning the White House.

Bottom up, encourage people to take control of the campaign

Obama’s campaign recruited people that had never did such work ever into the political world.

2008I'm 52, I've been around for a while, and

[Obama's] is the most spontaneous, energetic political operation that I've ever seen," said Keith Wilkowski, a lawyer and former Democratic Party chair in Toledo.

(Time)

"Clinton doesn't have as many volunteers as Obama right now," says Steve Fought, a longtime grassroots organizer for the Ohio Democratic Party who works as an aide to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptor of Toledo. "But she has deep party support, and I suppose they'll get their machine cranked up.

(Time)

Then Conwell's constituents sat him down for a little chat. "I met with my residents and tried to get them to go with Hillary," Conwell says. "Not one of them would move. All of my volunteers, all my block club presidents, every last one of them was going for Barack."

Conwell was forced to relinquish his seat at the convention. He spent last Saturday canvassing his ward for Obama.

"Now that I've been with both campaigns, I see that Obama's has a lot more volunteers, and they're all grassroots people from the neighborhood," Conwell says. "I didn't think this movement would grow. I was wrong. It's strong."

-Time

Party LabelMany people take election cues from the

parties

This divides into…

Performance VotingVote for the party in that is either doing a

good job in office or the party out of office because the controlling party is doing poorly.

Issues VotingVote based on issues.

Second Amendment

Abortion

You name it!

Party IDTHE focus of electoral research