How the President of the U.S. Is Elected
Most people who run for president are already famous. After all, if you want to be chosen by a majority of the people in America, it helps if many of them know who you are.
Most people who run for president are already serving in government, as members of the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives or as state governors. Former military officers have also run for president.
A
presidential candidate first makes an official announcement that he or she is
running for president. Then, he or she or someone else on his or her behalf
must file papers with the federal elections commission, which regulates the
election process. Candidates usually make these announcements at least a year
before the presidential election, in order to give themselves enough time to
get their messages out and also to give voters enough time to get to know the
candidates.
Once the
announcement is made, the candidate begins to work very hard to make sure that
he keeps his or her name in the public eye.
When January
of an election year rolls around, the candidates begin their heavy lifting for
the campaign ahead. As more months go by, people in the American states gather
to show their support for the various candidates. (It is very rare for just one
candidate from a major political party to run for president, so many names
means many people running for the same job.) These gatherings are called
primary elections or caucuses. A primary election looks very much like a
general election: Voters get ballots that list the names of the people running
for president and then go to a polling place and vote for one of those people.
A caucus is a gathering of people who discuss the issues and the candidates at
a central location and then cast their votes for candidates.
The various
states have their caucuses or primary elections throughout the late winter and
spring and then have a major national gathering called a convention in the
summer. Each political party picks a group of people from each state to
represent the state at this convention. At the convention, the delegates cast
their votes for the candidate who was the top vote-getter in that state in the
caucus or primary election. (This is a warm-up for the Electoral College, which
comes later.)
Once the
conventions are finished, the home stretch for the presidential election
begins. Speeches, fundraisers, and debates follow, with all candidates trying
to keep themselves in the public eye as much as possible. The popularity of the
Internet has added a dimension to candidates' ability to get their message
across.
.The presidential candidate who receives the most votes in each states gets all of the electoral votes for that state.
When all the electoral votes are counted, the president with the most votes wins. In most cases, the candidate who wins the popular vote also wins in the Electoral College.
The presidential election takes place in November, but the new president doesn't take office until January 20 of the following year. Every four years, the process starts all over again.
Who can run for President?
He must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years of age, and have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.How long is the President in office?
He is in office for 4 years.
Can the President be reelected?
Yes. He can be reelected once. Overall he can be in office for 8 years.
Who can vote?
Anyone who is 18 years of age. There is no national list of eligible voters, so a citizen must first qualify by becoming registered. Citizens register to vote in conjunction with the place they live, if they move to a new location, they typically have to register again. Registration system has been designed to eliminate fraud.
Is the President elected directly?
No. Voters are voting for electors who are members of a party.
When is election day?
Election day is the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
When is the Inauguration of the President?
The President will be inaugurated on January 20 in the year after the election. From this time he is in office.
What are primaries?
At the primaries the parties nominate their candidates. This takes place about 1 year prior to the election.
There are
- closed / semi-closed primaries (e.g. Arizona)
- open primaries (e.g. Missouri)
- blanket primaries (e.g. Lousiana)
What are"caucuses"?
In some states (e.g. Iowa) there are three levels.
1st: local
2nd: district
3rd: state
Voters are voting for electors here, too. (e.g. North Dakota)
What is "Super Tuesday"
At this day there are pre-elections in at least 8 states. The winner of the primaries is most likely the candidate for the elections.
Kinds of Voting Technology
Elections in the United States are administered at the state and local level, and the federal government does not set mandatory standards for voting technologies. 1. Paper Ballots
2. Lever Machines
3. Punchcards
4. Computer (push-buttons)
5. Marksense Forms
6. Electronic Voting
Electoral College
There is a total of 538 electors. In December the electors meet in each states’s capitol to formally elect the President.
The congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes January 6.
Voting pattern in America
The turn out at the election is only 50%. The problem that has made worse the issue of voter representation is the fact that an individual must initiate voter registration well before election day.
