Registration

• Must register at least 25 days before the election

• You can register by mail, or at post offices, DMVs, libraries, and schools

• Must submit your name, address, age, and proof of citizenship to register

• Must pick a political party– Democrat, Republican, or Independent

• Electorate- all people eligible to vote

Ballots

• Ballot- list of candidates on which you cast your vote

• Electronic-

Touchscreen computer

With results are stored

on a memory cartridge

Ballots cont• Optical Scan- voters fill in ovals and computer

reads

(like a scantron)

Ballots cont

• Punch Card- voter punches a whole in the ballot

Ballots cont• Lever Machine-

voters push or pull a lever

• Paper Ballot- voters mark a box next to the candidate and then drop it into a ballot box

Polling Place

• Polling Place- location where voting is carried out (ex. schools, churches, fire stations, etc.)– Usually open very early and late on election day

• Precinct- voting district

Ways to vote

• Straight ticket- voting for all candidates in one political party

• Split ticket- voting for some candidates from each political party (most common)

• Write-in vote- writing in the name of someone to vote for who is not on the ballot

• Absentee ballot- used for people who can not get to the polls on election day– Out of town, military, sick, elderly, etc.– Must request and return in advance of election day

Exit Polls• Returns-official election results

• In a major election the media and party workers try to predict a winner as soon as possible

• Exit Polls- asking a sample of voters leaving the polling place how they voted

• In some cases the

networks make these

calls with as little as

10% of the vote

Types of Elections

• Initiative- citizens can propose new laws or state constitutional amendments

• Proposition- proposed law put on a ballot because of a petition

• Referendum- citizens can approve or reject state or local laws

• Recall- citizens can vote to remove a public official from office

Voting by region

Voting by region and ethnicity

Voter Apathy

• Voter Apathy- when people don’t care to participate in voting

• #1 reason why people don’t vote

• Do Voter Apathy Political Cartoon Worksheet

• Go over Voting Rights Activity