Voting and Elections Overview

Voting and Elections

• Primary elections typically occur in spring or summer
• Voters select candidates representing Republican or Democratic parties for general elections
• A candidate needs over half the vote to advance to the general election
• Runoff elections happen if no candidate receives over half the votes in the primary election
• Top two vote-getters face off in a runoff a few weeks later
• The runoff winner is on the ballot during the general election
• General elections take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
• Democrat and Republican candidates face off with any independent or minor-party candidates
• The winner only needs more votes than other candidates, not over half the total votes
• Special election processes exist like caucuses where political party members debate and decide the candidate, and ranked choice voting where voters rank candidates.
• In Alabama, the Secretary of State is the chief election officer
• Local governments conduct elections, and officials investigate irregularities
• Probate judges place candidates on the ballot and maintain election equipment
• Circuit clerks mail absentee ballots
• Voter registrars maintain the voter list
• Sheriffs transport and store election supplies
• County commissions draw district lines and approve polling locations

Elections in Alabama

• The Secretary of State is the chief election officer
• The secretary of state provides advice to local election officials
• investigates irregularities and rule-breaking in elections
• In Alabama, local governments are responsible for running elections.

Why Elections are Run Locally

• Colonial times
• Tradition of local government involvement started during the development of the U.S. election system.
• First elections started locally and then spread upwards to state and federal levels.

Elections Clause

• The U.S. Constitution gives states the power to determine the timing, places, and ways to elect federal officials
• Congress can create laws to set regulations for elections.

Elections Around the Time of the American Revolution

• Different voting methods existed in different regions.

Voting Practices

• Show of hands
• Casting corn kernels or beans into a candidate's basket
• Sometimes written ballots

Early Political Activity

• Political parties did not emerge until around 1800
• Candidates were generally already known before the election

Early U.S. Suffrage Requirements

• Property ownership was often a requirement to vote.
• Ownership was an indicator of interest in the community.
• 21 was the typical voting age, though not always the case
• White male voters were often privileged, while minority groups and women faced barriers to voting.

Early Election Innovations

• Voter registration spread across the U.S. in the mid-1800s
• Dropping of land ownership requirements.
• Defining established election days.

Elections Funding

• Limits exist on how much individuals, businesses, or groups can donate to a candidate's campaign.
• Political Action Committees (PACs) can donate more to candidates compared to individuals.
• Super PACs can spend unlimited amounts supporting candidates but can’t contribute directly.

Modern Election Innovations

• Creation of vote centers
• No-excuse absentee ballots allow voters to mail in their ballots without specific reasons.
• Vote-by-mail options make voting easier.

U.S. Political Party History

• Political parties were not initially written into the constitution.

Federalists

• Supported a strong federal government

Democratic-Republican Party

• Favored states' rights and agriculture.
• Thomas Jefferson was the main organizer

Democratic Party

• Founded by Andrew Jackson.
• Favored a weak federal government and no regulation of the economy.

Whig Party

• Formed to oppose the Democratic Party.
• Advocated for a strong Congress and a more active role for the federal government
• Begun by Henry Clay
• Favored strong congress to give more power to the federal government

Republican Party

• Abraham Lincoln was a major figure.
• Opposed slavery
• Favored business and high tariffs

Current Political Party Breakdown

• Presidential
• House of Representatives
• Senate
• State governors
• State legislatures (some are non-partisan

Two-Party System

• United States is one of the only countries with a two-party system

Political Socialization

• Process of learning beliefs about politics.
• Learning about beliefs, values, and ideologies.
• Takes time to change political beliefs.
• Important to note that beliefs and values can change rapidly too.
• Values are deeply held ideals and traits related to political issues, often influenced by beliefs.

Ideology

• Persistent, patterned way of examining issues
• Most people are not deeply ideological in their political views.

Cognitive dissonance

• Way the brain deals with conflicting information

Heresthetics

• Manipulating how an issue is viewed
• Three main approaches: reformulation of the query, creation of false issues, and generation of new alternatives.
• Home style is a method where your rep. informs you about policy issues, making you feel part of the political process.

Campaigning

• Candidates meet voters face-to-face
• Attending public events.
• Voter lists are helpful for targeted marketing.
• Different ads targeted for different areas of the district.

Political Media

• Media is a means of communication that targets a wide audience.
• Mass media is one of the main ways political leaders communicate and inform the general public.
• Examples of media: TV, newspapers, radio, and social media.
• The media plays a role in shaping public opinions.

Media Powers

• Gatekeepers decide which information is newsworthy.
• Agenda-setting refers to the media having power over public opinion about which topics are important.
• Spin: Manipulating the way information is presented and interpreted.

Public Consumption of Media

• Media consumption can generate support or sympathy.
• Focusing on broad national issues rather than local ones.

Abuse of Media

• Includes false and misleading information, gossip, selective use of facts, etc.

Name ID (In Media)

• People are more likely to vote for a candidate they have heard of.
• Media strategies involve methods for promoting candidates, such as advertising, gaining media attention, or intentionally leaking information.

Unhelpful Media Fixations

• Media often focuses on the "horse race" aspect of elections (who is winning?),
• Emphasizing candidate gaffes and disputes.
• Reinforcing stereotypes

Direct Media-Political Interactions

• Debates, town halls, sit-down interviews, and press conferences are examples of how media interacts with political figures.

Policymaking

• Relatively stable, purposive course of action.
• Characteristics include stability, purpose, action, and dealing with problems.
• Policymaking characteristics: Policymakers have to decide which action to take, policymakers do not make random policy decisions, policies deal with political problems, and citizens have to agree on the policy.

Policy Process

• Stream 1: recognizing a problem or opportunity
• Stream 2: offering potential solutions or ideas
• Stream 3: public and policy makers being aware of the needed change
• The three streams come together to make a policy window for discussion
• Policy identification, formulation, adoption, implementation, and evaluation

Policy Narrative

• Stories about narratives to explain and create emotions about political issues.
• Narratives can explain to people why they need the policy or policy change.
• The main characteristics of a policy narrative is that they are meant to be stories or plots that make people connect emotionally with an issue or policy.
• Using heroes, victims, and villains, to add meaning & focus to the message.

Bureaucracy

• Bureaucracies are organized, structured entities in government.
• Decision making occurs at the top, with power flowing downward.
• Information moves upward to the top.
• Weber's characteristics define a bureaucracy. Leaders/decision makers determine policy; managers govern the processes, and producers execute the work.
• Policy Implementation: carrying out policy in real-world situations.
• Specializations and decision-making within bureaucratic entities.

Bureaucrats

• Political appointees or people who work for a bureaucracy
• Politics and Administration Dichotomy: separating the political decision-making and administration of policies

Bureaucracy's Power

• Bureaucracies carry out government policies.
• Bureaucrats must be experts in their fields

Bureaucracy's Operation

• Standard operating procedures (SOP) guide bureaucratic tasks.
• Bureaucrats have discretion.
• Bureaucrats handle real-world issues and policy implementation.
• Street-level bureaucrats: those who directly interact with the public

This quiz covers the fundamental aspects of voting and elections, including primary and general elections, candidate selection, and unique voting processes like ranked choice voting and caucuses. Learn about the roles of political parties and the election timeline, particularly in the context of Alabama's electoral process.