1. Elections The election process is at the very heart of the democratic concept.

3. BUT the Constitution states that Congress has the power to fix “the Times, Places and Manners of holding Elections” of members of Congress.

4. Congress has set the date for holding congressional elections as the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November of every even-numbered year. It has the same date every fourth year for presidential elections.

6. upgrade the way elections were handled, especially better training of local officials and poll workers.

7. centralize and computerize voter registration system, to identify qualified voters quicker and cut down on fraudulent voting.

8. provide for provisional voting, a person will still get to vote even if their eligibility is challenged so their vote will count later.

10. prevents election day from falling on the first day of the month, which is often payday and therefore peculiarly subject to campaign pressures.

14. smallest geographic unit for the conduct of elections.

15. A polling place – the place where the voters who live in a precinct actually vote – is located somewhere in or near each precinct.

16. Polls are usually open from 7:00 or 8:00 am to 7:00 or 8:00 pm.

18. State law requires that ballots be cast in secret.

19. They use to be either by voice or just a slip of paper (sometimes colored paper). The political corruption of the post-Civil War years brought widespread demand for ballot reforms.

21. It lists the names of all candidates in an election

22. It is given out only at the polls, one to each qualified voter

23. It is marked in secret.

24. Two types: Office-Group ballot and Party-Column ballot.

27. it lists each party's candidates in a column under the party's name.

28. encourages straight ticket voting.

30. First used in Oregon in 1907, an official voter's pamphlet is mailed to voters before every election.

32. Longest ballots are found at the local level.

33. Critics reject the notion that the more people you elect, the more democratic you are.

34. Many believe the rule should be: Elect those who make public policies; appoint those whose job it is to administer those policies.

36. Lever operated machines were used for a long time, but they were quite cumbersome.

40. Vote by mail is integral in absentee voting.

41. Critics – threatens the principle of the secret ballot, worry about fraud.

42. Supporters – can be as fraud-proof as any other method of voting, increases voter turn-out in elections, reduces the cost of conducting them.

44. Supporters – it will make participation much more convenient , increase voter turnout, and reduce the costs of conducting elections.

45. Critics – electronic infrastructure is not ready for e-voting, jammed phone lines, blocked access, hackers, viruses, denials of service attacks, fraudulent vote counts, and violations of voter secrecy. Not everyone can afford home computers.