Name: ______________________________!

Mod: ________
Date: _______________________________! U3.LP3: Elections and Campaigns

Objective
Students will participate in the election and campaign processes in order to describe how citizens, candidates,
political parties, campaigns and campaign financing influence the election process in the United States

Warm-Up
Read the following text and then answer the questions at the end (7 minutes)

An election is a regularly scheduled process that allows citizens to select people to represent
them within the local, state, and national government. The administrative system surrounding and
supporting elections is referred to as the electoral system.

Why hold elections? Why not just have everyone participate in the government? The answer is
that our country has too many people for each person to have a direct role in government,
meaning we canʼt have a direct democracy. The only exception is when people attempt to create
laws through the initiative process, or try to recall elected officials. Instead, we have a
representative democracy. In a representative democracy, the people select their representatives,
and the representatives make the laws and run the government. Because we have a
representative democracy, we need a good way to select our representatives as well as a good
way to find qualified representatives.

At election time, each candidate, the person wishing to represent the people from a specific area,
aims to convince the voters that he or she will make a better representative. Elections encourage
elected representatives to do a good job and communicate with their constituents--that is, the
citizens whom they are representing. If they donʼt represent their constituents well, they wonʼt be
elected again. Citizens express themselves through their vote.

___ 1. Election A. the citizens whom a government representative represents.

___ 2. Electoral system
___ 3. Direct democracy
___ 4. Representative democracy E. A system of government in which the people select
___ 5. Candidate
___ 6. Constituents
___ 7. Vote
B. The administrative system surrounding and supporting
elections.
C. Each person has a say in the government.
D. An individual wishing to be a representative of the people
from his or her area.
representatives who will make the laws and run the
government.
F. To select a candidate in an election.
G. A regularly scheduled process in which citizens select their
local, state, and national government representatives.

HOMEWORK
Complete the reading and all associated questions on the handout that you picked up at
the beginning of class.

Turn the page for the Intro to New Material

 Main Idea Supporting Details

What is a political Recall that a political __________ is an organization that seeks to accomplish
party? specific goals within the government by electing its members to office.
There are two major political parties in the U.S.: Democrats and Republicans
The Republicans are ___________________, and the Democrats are liberal.

A __________________________ is a person who is looking to run for and

What is a
candidate? be elected to political office.
Barack Obama was a candidate before he went on to become President.

What is the To become the __________________ or a Representative, a candidate must

Election successfully navigate the _______________________ process.
Process? The election process consists of the __________________________ process
and a general election.

The nomination process has two levels: State _________________ and then
What are
________________________ _________________________.
Caucuses and
Primary Caucuses are where candidates _________________ to win voters in each
Elections? of the 50 states.
Each state has a primary election, where the members of a political party
choose their _________________ to represent the party at the next level.

In the General Election, voters select from the _________________ who won
What are general their primary elections.
elections? Once again, candidates must _________________ in each of the 50 states of
the U.S. to gain support and votes.
The winner of the general election wins the _______________________ and
goes on to _______________________ the people.

What does A ______________________ is an organized attempt by the candidate to

campaign mean? gain support to be elected.
Campaigns are incredibly expensive, costing upwards of millions of dollars.
You must receive the ____________________ of friends and acquaintances,
as well as special interest groups and your political party for money.

Once candidates are sure they will raise enough ______________________,

How do you get
they will create a campaign organization.
support?
A campaign _________________________ consists of people who work to
get the candidate elected, and are led by a campaign manager.
A campaign manager develops the _________________ for how to get votes.

How do you Conducting _______________________ to learn what voters like and dislike.
develop strategy? Buy television time and other ___________________________ to help make
the others aware of the candidateʼs views and qualifications.
Set up meetings between candidates, interest groups, and influential citizens.