Voting in Elections
polling place
Specific voting area; each voter is assigned a particular place within the district where he lives.
How does the voting machine open automatically?
The voter walks in and closes the curtain behind him
office-bloc arrangement
Titles of offices appear across the ballot; the candidates of parties for each office are below the titles
How do you know where to vote, and who gives you this info?
a county clerk or other election official gives you a card telling you where you are to vote
When a person votes in an election using a ballot obtained from his county election officer either in person beforehand or by mail it is called:
absentee voting
Why do most states require that the ballot boxes be sealed and kept in a safe place for several months after the election?
because contested or disputed elections are always a possibility
Who chooses the election officials?
by election board
Who does a person send the absentee ballot to?
county clerk
Election officers are chosen by the:
election board
When do you go to your voting place?
election day
Who's responsible for maintaining order and fairness at the polling place?
election officers
T/F: Few big cities already use some form of automated voting.
false, most big cities
T/F: Not all counties or election districts have an election board.
false; EACH
When was oral voting used in the US?
in the early days of its democracy
When the founding fathers of our country met in Independence Hall, what were they concerned with?
individual freedoms; one of them is voting right
Who's responsible for the proper conduct of the election?
inspectors and judges
How can you recognize the polling place?
it will display the United States flag
What's the role of a poll "watcher"?
keep a watchful eye on the voters and the officials
What appears across the face of a voting machine?
names of all candidates, each with a separate lever
Do most states have one party that controls the state?
no
Is voting required in the US?
no
Do all states allow those who are absent on business, or those who are ill or physically disabled, to vote?
no; NEARLY all
In absentee voting, a person marks the ballot and then swears before a ___________ that he is a registered and qualified voter. He then sends his ballot to the county _______.
notary public, clerk
What type of governments do China, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam have?
one-party governments
Who was initially given the privilege to vote?
only white men
In the early days of our democracy, voting was done:
orally
Who pays and appoints poll "watchers"?
political parties
A ______ watcher is a citizen who is paid by the parties to keep a watchful eye on the voters and the officials.
poll
Each county, district, or city is divided into:
precincts
How does a voter vote on a voting machine?
pulls the levers which indicate the names of his choices.
When are ballots received under the absentee-voting system?
received beforehand
A contested election means that the losing candidate is demanding a _____.
recount
What's the accepted voting procedure in America?
secret ballot
If a candidate contests the election for fraud, who has jurisdiction of the charge of fraud?
the courts
How does the voting machine automatically record a vote?
the voter opens the concealing curtain
How's the Australian ballot used in the US today?
throughout the country
T/F: Candidates were present during oral voting, and they knew who voted for them and who voted against them.
true
T/F: Every county, district, or city is divided into precincts, with a fairly equal number of voters in each.
true
T/F: Voting involves many areas, from the polling places and election officers to the types of ballots used in elections.
true
T/F: You have the right to elect servants to state offices, but in some states, the legislature or the governor will appoint judges to office.
true
What's the estimated amount of voting done by machine?
well over half of the voting
Can private homes be used as voting places in some states?
yes, but it's expensive because the county pays about $10-$50/day for the use of a private home, the election officials too often have rented the homes of party workers as political patronage.
Upon entering a polling place, what will you be asked to give?
your name and address -Some states require that you present your voter identification card and sign the voting book
Two reasons why voting in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea, is not representative of a democratic process: -The ballots offer only offer one choice for each position. -Voting rights can be removed by a court decision. -Voters may disapprove candidates. -The voting process serves as a census to account for its citizens.
-The ballots offer only offer one choice for each position. -Voting rights can be removed by a court decision.
What is the advantage for the use of voting machines? -fraud is nearly impossible -assure absolute secrecy -do away with the need for numerous officials to count ballots -all of the above
-all of the above
How can an absentee ballot be obtained?
-county election officer by mail -in person
How are members of an election board selected?
-county supervisors -district election board -appointed by the county clerk (in some states) -appointed by the county court (in some states)
When have close elections occurred?
-gubernatorial elections -senatorial races -presidential elections
Characteristics of election officers include: -inspectors and judges who make certain ballot boxes are not illegally stuffed -every state must provide officers from both parties -are volunteer positions who watch election officials -they are independent of party affiliation so they maintain a non-biased viewpoint
-inspectors and judges who make certain ballot boxes are not illegally stuffed
Three distinctive features of the Australian ballot are: -it is distributed by the candidates -names of all candidates appear on a single ballot -it is a short ballot -it is prepared by the state or county at public expense -it is printed by the state's majority party -it is distributed at polling places by election officials
-it is prepared by the state or county at public expense -it is distributed at polling places by election officials -names of all candidates appear on a single ballot
What are the Australian ballot's 4 distinctive features?
-it's a secret ballot -includes the names of all candidates from all parties -prepared by the state or county and is printed at public expense -distributed only at the polling places and only by the election officials
What does a person using the absentee ballot have to do?
-mark the ballot he/she received beforehand -swears before a notary public that he/she is a duly registered and qualified voter
What are the 2 ways the Australian ballot can be arranged?
-party column method -office-bloc arrangement
Which of the following are types of public buildings used for polling places? Select all that apply. -schools -court houses -libraries -prisons -police stations -fire stations
-police stations -fire stations -schools -libraries
Who is at a polling place?
-poll "watchers" -inspectors and judges -usually 3-5 election officials who are chosen by an election board(with the exception of a few states where one party controls the state, these officers must come from both parties)
Which public buildings are the usual voting place for each precinct?
-school -police station -fire station -library building
Most states do what they can to encourage a higher voter turnout, including: -using touch screen computers at the polls -sending out ballots to those who may be absent, disabled or unable to get to the polls for whatever reason -allowing people to vote in front of a notary public -encouraging as many voters as possible to mail in their ballots -keeping polls open eight to twelve hours
-sending out ballots to those who may be absent, disabled or unable to get to the polls for whatever reason -allowing people to vote in front of a notary public -encouraging as many voters as possible to mail in their ballots
What are the advantages of automatic voting machines?
-they make fraud more difficult -they assure absolute secrecy -they do away with the need for numerous officials to count the votes
How many polling/voting places should there be for every few hundred voters?
1
When was the Australian ballot introduced into the United States, and where was it first used?
1888: first in Louisville, Kentucky in city elections; then several months later it was adopted by Massachusetts
There are generally between ____ to _____ election officers at each polling place.
3, 5
How long are polls open after they close?
8-12 hours, so officials can begin counting the ballots (which takes many hours)
poll watcher
A citizen who is paid by the parties to keep a watchful eye on the voters and the officials.
Australian ballot
A secret ballot, originated in Australia
This form of voting was introduced in the United States in 1888:
Australian or secret ballot
secret ballot
Ballot that is kept private and distributed only at the polling places and only by the election officials.
Which countries don't offer voting?
China, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam
contested election
If a losing candidate feels that fraud has occurred he may call the commission to recount the votes
The first place in the United States where the Australian ballot was used was:
Louisville, Kentucky
If a state is controlled by 1 party, do election officers have to be from both parties?
NO
Are poll "watchers" election officials?
NO (implies that bc they are IN ADDITION TO ELECTION OFFICIALS)
party column method
Names of the parties appear at tops of the columns; titles of various offices are shown at sides.
oral voting
Older form of voting where voters would call out the name of the candidate.
inspector
One who is responsible for the proper conduct of the election
absentee voting
Process for those who cannot be present at their polling place because of health or obligation
election board
Selected by district election board, a group that sees to the fairness and efficiency of an election.
