The Electoral Process Section 2 Chapter 7

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Chapter 7: The Electoral Process Objectives Section 2 1. Analyze how the administration of elections in the United States helps make democracy work. 2. Define the role of local precincts and polling places in the election process. 3. Describe the various ways in which voters can cast their ballots. 4. Outline the role that voting devices play in the election process.

Key Terms Introduction

• ballot: the medium by which a voter registers a • How are elections conducted in the United choice in an election States? • absentee voting: the process of voting without going to polling places on election day – Elections are conducted by qualified voters casting • coattail effect: when a strong candidate at the secret ballots under the supervision of precinct top of a ballot attracts support for lesser election boards. candidates in his or her party – Depending upon State and local laws, voters may • precinct: a voting district cast ballots within precincts at polling places on • polling place: the place where voters in a election day, at polling places just before election day, precinct vote or by mail-in absentee ballot in the weeks leading up to the election.

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Administering Elections Administering Elections, cont.

• Checkpoint: Who controls elections? • The Help America Vote Act of 2000 requires States to: – State governments make most election laws, as – replace lever-operated most elections are for State and local offices. and punch-card voting machines – improve their – The federal government sets the rules, such as administration of the November election dates, for electing elections members of Congress and the President. – computerize voter registration systems – allow provisional voting – Congress also requires the use of secret ballots, bans corruption, protects voting rights, and regulates campaign financing.

Election Day Early Voting

• Most States hold elections for State office in • Checkpoint: What is early voting? November of every even-numbered year, on – Early voting involves casting ballots before election the Tuesday following the first Monday. day. States have greatly expanded early voting in recent years. • Some States, such as New Jersey and Virginia, elect State officials in odd-numbered – Voters can apply for absentee ballots in advance and usually mail them to their local election office before years. election day.

• City, county, and other local election dates – Two-thirds of the States also let voters cast ballots at vary from State to State, usually taking place polling places for a period of several days before in November or in the spring. election day.

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What Happens to a Ballot? The Coattail Effect

• Paper ballots are collected • A strong candidate for an and taken to a counting office at the top of a ballot facility. can attract voters to other candidates on the party’s ticket. • Absentee ballots are mailed to the counting • A weak candidate, on the facility or brought to the other hand, can cost a party polling place. votes.

• Holding State and local • Electronic ballots are sent elections on different days electronically or stored and from federal elections might sent manually. reduce this coattail effect.

Precincts and Polling Places Casting Ballots

• Precincts are small voting districts with a polling place in • Ballots can take many forms, from paper sheets to or near them. electronic records.

• Precinct election boards supervise the voting process, • Voting was once public, but now every State requires the opening and closing the polls at times set by State law. use of a secret ballot.

• Precinct boards must also ensure that ballots and voting • By 1900, most States used the Australian Ballot, which devices are available and that only qualified voters cast remains the basic form of ballot used today. This ballot ballots. They often count votes as well. type: – Is printed at public expense • Each party can have a poll watcher at a polling place to – Lists the names of all candidates monitor the process. – Is given out only at the polls – Is marked in secret

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Office-Group Ballot Party-Column Ballot

• Most States use the • Some States use the party-column ballot, which office-group ballot. lists all candidates under their party’s name. • All candidates for an office are grouped together under the title of that office, often in • This encourages random order. straight-ticket voting and the • This method is favored coattail effect. because voters must consider each choice, office by office.

Bed-Sheet Ballots Electronic Vote Counting

• The so-called bed-sheet ballots in most U.S. • Voting systems based elections are very long, listing many candidates, on electronic data offices, and ballot measures. processing include optical scanners and • Critics say this length makes it hard for voters to direct response know all the candidates and their qualifications. electronic voting machines (DREs). • Some argue that only those who make public policy should be elected, while the many local • Some fear that DREs officials who administer policies could be could be attacked by appointed to office. computer hackers.

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Vote-by-Mail Elections Online Voting

• A number of States conduct some of their voting • Online voting may be the wave of the future, on local city or county measures by mail. having been used on a small scale in presidential primaries. • Oregon holds all its elections by mail. • Supporters say online voting will be more • Critics fear that vote-by-mail is subject to fraud convenient, less expensive, and likely to and may lack privacy. increase voter participation.

• Supporters say the method increases voter • Critics fear technical problems, computer participation, costs less than operating polls, and viruses, and hackers. They also point out that is as reliable as other voting methods. not all Americans can afford a home computer.

Review

• Now that you have learned about how elections are conducted in the United States, go back and answer the Chapter Essential Question. – How fair and effective is the electoral process?