Election Process Core Curriculum Reading-Social Studies (RH) 1. Use relevant information and ideas from documents to support analysis 2. Determine the main idea of a document 3. Use information/ideas to determine cause and effect Writing (W) 4. Produce writing appropriate to task, purpose and audience. Speaking and Listening (SL) 1. Participate in collaborative discussion 6. Demonstrate command of formal English Language (L) 1. Demonstrate appropriate grammar usage in writing and speaking (sentence complexity) 4. Build vocabulary and expand word choice NYS Standards- World History Standard 2, Key Idea 1 Standard 2, Key Idea 2 Standard 2, Key Idea 4 Standard 2, Key Idea 3 AIM: Does the election process guarantee that the most qualified person wins the presidency? Objectives: After this lesson, students will be able to: Identify/Explain: Primary, Conventions, nomination, coattails, 3 rd party Describe the nomination, funding and election process. Discuss the role of conventions, ads and public appearances in the election process. Evaluate whether the primary elections effectively deliver the most qualified candidate. Assess the increasing length of the electoral process and its impact on Americans. Analyze whether the election process guarantees the best candidate win. Skills Read, interpret and discuss the documents Formulate and take notes of important ideas Motivation: Political Cartoon 1. What is the meaning of the cartoon? 2. Is this an important part of the election process? 3. Will this help voters decide who the best choice for President is? Content: Students will walk around (or pass around the room) to understand the steps in the electoral process. They will looking at a variety of sources including text, images and video. Students will answer all questions posted and on handouts as they go, until they reconstruct the election process on their handout. When students have looked at and taken notes on all of the material they will return to their seats. Questions to consider In your own words, summarize the steps a candidate follows when he/she runs for president? Which step do you think is the most important? Which step is the least important? Why do you think candidates announce their candidacy so far in advance of the election? How might people react to these drawn-out campaigns? Is this process effective? What, if anything, would you change? Materials needed: Two computers to watch video from Obama s announcement and McCain s campaign manager Hang up steps around the room Handouts to take notes Summary: Answer AIM: Does the election process guarantee that the most qualified person wins the presidency?
STEP 1- Requirements A) US Constitution, Article II, Section 1 No person except a natural born citizen, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to (reached) the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States. Question 1. What are the requirements for the presidency? Question 2. What else might a candidate need to begin a campaign? Other Requirements? Did you know? It s not exactly a secret that Arnold Schwarzenegger the actor turned Governor of California turned actor, once again has presidential ambitions. But there has always been one small detail standing in his way. Schwarzenegger was born in Austria to foreign parents and is a naturalized citizen. The Constitution prohibits anyone not born in the United States from holding the office of President (Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 and yes, President Obama is a naturalborn (American parents but born outside the U.S.) citizen, as is Ted Cruz). Schwarzenegger, however, is lobbying for a change to the law, according to Page Six, which would allow to him to mount a run for the White House.
STEP 2- Announcement of Campaign President Obama's campaign kickoff speech May 05, 2012 "We came together because we believe that in America, your success shouldn t be determined by the circumstances of your birth. If you re willing to work hard, you should be able to find a good job. If you re willing to meet your responsibilities, you should be able to own a home, maybe start a business, give your children the chance to do even better -- no matter who you are, or where you come from, or what you look like, or what your last name is. CHILD: "We love you, Barack Obama!" OBAMA: "Thank you. Now we face a choice. For the last few years, the Republicans who run this Congress have insisted that we go right back to the policies that created this mess." AUDIENCE: "Booo." "Governor Romney is a patriotic American who has raised a wonderful family, and he has much to be proud of. He s run a large financial firm, and he s run a state. But I think he has drawn the wrong lessons from those experiences. He sincerely believes that if CEOs and wealthy investors like him make money, the rest of us will automatically prosper as well." AUDIENCE: "Booo." OBAMA: "Governor Romney doesn t seem to get that maximizing profits might not always be good for the average American or for the American economy. "Why else would he want to spend trillions more on tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Why else would he propose cutting his own taxes while raising them on 18 million working families? "Somehow, he and his friends are just hoping you won t remember what happened the last time we tried it their way. "Well, Ohio, I m here to say that we were there, we remember, and we are not going back. We are moving this country forward. Question 1. What is Obama s message? Question 2. Is his message effective for winning people s votes?
STEP 3- Primary Season A) Function of the Primary The Primary Election is the election where members of the same political party compete for the spot to run for President. Each party will nominate their candidate for President. Candidate will travel the country in attempts to win the most votes. Votes in the states earn them DELEGATES (votes from their party). This vote chooses the candidates from each party for the final election. Question 1. What is a primary election? How does it work? B) Primary Schedule A key aspect of the primary system is that the elections are not held on the same day (like the general election) but are spread out over a period of months, from January to June. As the convention date approaches, the public generally gravitates toward the front-runners (winners) who have proven to be strong candidates. Eventually, the losing opponents will drop out rather than waste money on a lost cause. The states that hold their primary elections in the beginning are very important. In order to promote the candidate that would best represent their states, Several Southern states came together in 1988 to hold their primaries on the second Tuesday in March. This date came to be known as "Super Tuesday." Other states eventually caught on to the Super Tuesday strategy, scheduling their primaries in groups. Due to the sheer number of delegates, these key primary dates have earned the reputation of making or breaking a candidate. Holding early primaries in groups is called "front loading". This practice is criticized because it quickly forces many good candidates (who never had a chance to promote themself) out of the race. Question 2. Explain the scheduling of the primaries.
STEP 4- Conventions A) Function of the Conventions Political parties generally hold national conventions at which a group of delegates announce which candidate they will run for the presidency. While not as important as they were in the past, conventions still play a key role in each party's election strategy. Obama Convention 2008 First, since the TV networks cover the conventions, they provide parties with free prime-time coverage to showcase their candidate. This part of any convention is heavily scripted to make it look as "spontaneous" as possible. It all leads to the candidate's acceptance speech on the final night of the convention, which is traditionally when the candidate makes his or her first public appearance at the convention. But the party also uses the convention to decide on a platform (beliefs, plans, and intentions) for the election. While candidates are not obliged to follow these platforms, contentious debate over a controversial plank can hurt or help a candidate during the general election.. Question 1. Explain what happens at the convention? Question 2. Why is the television coverage important?
Step 5: Final Election Campaign Watch the following clips from the Obama-Romney Presidential Election. There is a clip of the Presidential Debate, Television Ads, Political Speeches, and a news interview. Then answer the following: Question 1. Describe what you see in each video. Question 2. Does the candidate or the media control their image?
Does the election process guarantee that the best candidate wins the Presidency? The election process in the United States is a long and arduous task that sometimes begins many years before an election. There are various laws and rules that govern how, when, and if a candidate can run for President. In today s activity we will break the process down into five basic steps that start with the announcement that a candidate will run going all the way to the Presidential campaign itself. As a backdrop for our investigation, we will use the recent 2012 presidential Election campaign between Mitt Romney and the incumbent President Barack Obama. DIRECTIONS: Working in groups, you will analyze the FIVE STEPS of the Presidential election process. For each step there is a document with corresponding questions. As your group views each document DISCUSS the answers to the questions. Write your answers below. STEP Question 1 Question 2 STEP 1 Requirements What are the requirements for the presidency? What else might a candidate need to begin a campaign? Other Requirements? STEP 2 Announcement of Campaign What is Obama s message? Is his message effective for winning people s votes? STEP 3 Primary Season What is a primary election? How does it work? Explain the scheduling of the primaries. STEP 4 Conventions Explain what happens at the convention? Why is the television coverage important? STEP 5 Final Election Campaign Describe what you see in each video. Does the candidate or the media control their image? Does the election process guarantee that the best candidate wins the Presidency? Discuss with your group, then write your answer below.