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The Electoral Process

Primaries and the General Election: 2012

Elections: Terms to Know General election:

an election, held in November of every year, which determines who holds elective offices.

Primary election: an election, held months before a general election,

which allows party members (closed) to choose which candidate from their party to run in the general election.

Caucuses: (only used by a few states)

series of meetings at the local, county and state level, where members of a party work to select a candidate for their party

Step 1: Self-Nomination

Congress House – about a year before for challengers Senate – 1- 2 years prior to General Election

Governor/major state-wide offices – About a year prior to G.E

State/Local offices – about a year or less prior to G.E.

• For offices below the presidency

**All of these times are approximate; times depend on candidate/office and even the

“mood” of the nation/ electorate

Step 2: Campaign to win party’s nomination

For state/local offices In order to be a party’s official candidate, what must each

parties’ candidates do?

We’ll talk more about primaries another day…but for now, why were the recent statewide primary

elections (which are actually held every spring) in the headlines this past year?

Step 3: Win the State/Local Primaries (and caucuses)

Pennsylvania, like many other states, has a primary election every year… This year, the primary for PA was on April 24th

Primary elections in Pennsylvania are held on the third Tuesday in May in all years except Presidential years, when they are held on the fourth Tuesday of April.

What offices besides the presidency were on the primary ballot this year?

All US Reps in PA, 1 US Senator, PA Attorney General, state Reps and some state Senators, and a multitude of “lower” offices as well.

Step 4: The General Election Campaign

Once the primaries are over, and each party has its candidates, the General Election campaign will begin, and last from May/June until November. We’ll discuss more about what happens during

election campaigns later on…

Step 5: The General Election

What is the general rule for the date of a general election? So, when is the next general election?

General Elections

Luckily, we have a Presidential election coming up next month, which was preceded by primary elections and caucuses in the states (PA too…)

Each and every year there is a general election in every state;

Every even-numbered year election NOT involving a president is referred to as a “mid-term election”. In odd-numbered years there are state and “local” elections…

Often referred to as “off-year elections”

What is interesting about the 2012 general elections?

Republicans “waiting out” incumbency? “Missing nominees” – Christie, Palin, etc.

House and Senate change party control? How will the Supreme Court decision on

Obamacare impact the election?

Seats gained or lost by a president’s party in year of election

Is history a predictor?The president's party has lost House seats in all but two of the last 14 midterm elections. It tended to lose more seats when the president's September approval rating was less than 50%.

*For August before he resigned the presidency. Gerald Ford's approval rating in September of 1974 was 66%. SOURCE: Gallup Poll for data 1954 through 1978; 1982 through 2010 from Washington Post-ABC News poll.