Election Year 2012

1. Election Year 2012 Federally Mandated Constitution Day Lesson of Joy!

2. Who can vote in PA? You must be at least 18. You have to register to vote. Only have to register once unless you move or want to change political parties. Mail in registration form to Montgomery County Board of Elections in Norristown at least one month prior to the elections. Other states have Internet and same day registration – PA does not. You vote at your registered voting site. You can’t just vote at any voting site. There are about 15 in Methacton School District alone.

3. Types of Elections Primary Election General Election *Mid-term elections are a type of general election that happens 2 years into a presidential term Presidential Elections – only nation-wide election in US - Every 4 years

4. Types of Elections State and US Congress positions Even numbered years Local or Municipal Elections (School Board, township, boroughs, etc.) Odd numbered years

5. General Elections Beginning of November First Tuesday after the first Monday Same day across the country Run by states and process varies from state to state Registration process Types of ballots (absentee, etc) Locations of voting sites Poll workers Voting machines and counting/reporting guidelines Voters can vote for any candidate regardless of party

6. Uniqueness of Presidential Election Only nation-wide election Only election where there is public funding or funding paid by the government Funding is established by the Federal Election Commission President is not directly elected

7. The Election Process From Candidate to Nominee to President

8. Constitutional Qualifications to be President The President must be a natural born citizen. Must have lived in the U.S. for 14 years (although they do not have to be consecutive). Must be at least 35 yrs. old.

9. Non-Constitutional Qualifications Government Experience – most frequently as governor or US Senator. Money – candidates could spend up to $37.3 mil. For primaries and $74.62 million for general election (2004). Political beliefs – extremes are often not the answer. Personal characteristics. Personal growth.

10. Important Dates of the Primaries The first two primaries are in Iowa and New Hampshire. They “set the tone” for the remainder of the primaries. Tuesday, Feb. 5th is known as Super Tuesday. Twenty states will hold their primaries. Pennsylvania held their primary on, April 24th.

11. Selecting a Vice-President Also at the convention, the nominated President will select a running mate, the Vice-President. Do you think that the President would pick his best friend to be the Vice-President?

12. NO There are several reasons for picking a Vice-President and friendship a rarely amongst them. So what are the reasons? The state that the Vice-President comes from. The politics of the Vice-President. The Vice-President fulfills a “special role.” Ultimately, the Vice-President should balance out the President.

13. Now what … At this point, the Republican nominee and the Democratic nominee will face each other with the Presidency as the prize. Occasionally, an independent or a third party candidate will emerge, but not very often. A third party candidate will often take votes away from one of the major party candidates, hurting their chances at the Presidency.

14. Election Day On the first Tuesday of November (unless it is the first day of the month), everyone votes for their candidate for President.

15. 2012 General Election Presidential & Congressional Election

16. The Presidential Candidates Republican ChallengerMitt Romney Democratic President Barack Obama

17. Romney v. Obama’s Political Bio BA from BYU, MBA/JD from Harvard MA Gov. 2003-2007 President Bain Capital (Private Equity) CEO Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics Married w/ 7 children Law Degree from Harvard (1991) Community Organizer (1985-1988) State Senator (IL) (1997-2004) US. Jr. Senator (IL) (2005-2008) 44th U.S. President Married w/ 2 daughters

18. Vice PresidentialRunning Mates

19. What is a Vice Presidential Running Mate? This person is asked by a presidential nominee to run with the nominee on a “presidential ticket”. If the nominee becomes President, his VP running mate becomes VP.

20. How does a nominee choose a VP running mate? The Nominee simply asks him/her. The only thing is, the VP running mate has to meet the 3 qualifications the Constitution requires to become president. 35 years old Natural Born U.S. Citizen Must live in the U.S. for 14 years

21. How do Presidential nominees decide to pick a specific person to be the VP running mate on the ticket? There are two primary things a nominee looks at when deciding who to choose as a VP running mate (a presidential nominee and their VP running mate from the same political party is called a “presidential ticket”) Is this person qualified? How will this person help me get elected?

22. Is this person qualified? The nominee has to find out about the possible running mate: job experience views on issues Character any bad things the person did in the past

23. How will this person help me get elected? Each presidential nominee has weaknesses. (For example, Joe Biden was picked for his political experience and his foreign policy experience/Paul Ryan was picked as a deficit hawk and ideas man on how to lower the federal debt) If the nominee picks a candidate that is strong in the areas the nominee is weak in, it could help him win the election (Ex. Joe Biden is 20 years older than Obama, and was the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee)

24. Republican VP nominee: Representative (43 years old) Wisconsin Congressman for 14 years Former Republican speech writer Chairman of the House Budget Committee Known as very conservative WHY DO YOU THINK HE WAS PICKED?

26. Democratic VP nominee: Senator Joe Biden (69 years old) Delaware New Castle, Delaware city councilman (2 yrs.) U.S. Senator (36 years) Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (4 years) Known as moderate liberal WHY DO YOU THINK HE WAS PICKED?