|
Presidential Elections
There are 2 major political parties in the United States - The Republican Party (symbol- elephant) and The Democratic Party (symbol -
donkey). According to the United States Constitution, a presidential election is to be held once every fourth year.
The actual process for the next election begins immediately after the present elections. Each party selects delegates in every region (electoral district) to represent the party. The
party organizes a series of caucuses and conventions for the delegates. Candidates are chosen from this pool of delegates at local caucuses, narrowed at district conventions and finalized at state conventions. It is
at these primary elections that the citizens directly vote in selecting the Presidential candidate. The winners of primary elections then compete against each other to be the official Nominee.
The candidates
who won the primaries from various states, for example, Dr.Howard Dean, John Edwards (Senator-North Carolina), Dick Gephardt, Joseph Liebermann and John Kerry (senator- Massachusetts) debate each other, campaign for themselves and thus get support from the delegates. The candidate with the most support becomes the official Presidential candidate for that party. This happens in February of the election year. John Kerry got the most support from the Democratic Party and the rest dropped out of the race in Feb 2004.
The candidate for President then must choose a vice-presidential candidate. Generally, a running mate is chosen that will in some way balance the party's ticket for the general
election. This balance may be geographic (choosing a running mate that is very popular in one region where the Presidential candidate is not) or ideological (choosing a running mate with a different ideological
framework than the presidential candidate), and the balance is intended to make the overall general election ticket of a political party acceptable to as wide a range of voters as possible.
The sitting President, even with no opposition from within his own political party, should be nominated at the national convention as the official candidate for re-election. The
candidates campaign right up until Election Day, when the nation finally votes for its President. The candidates travel throughout the country, making public appearance and giving speeches. The parties and the
candidates use media advertising, direct mailings, telephone campaigns, and other means to persuade the voters to choose one candidate over the other(s). They also participate in 2 to 3 debates organized by TV
anchors.
The Presidential elections are held on the first Tuesday of November in an election year. Every citizen who has reached the legal age and is registered to vote, can vote. However, the
President is not chosen by direct vote (also called popular vote). The Constitution requires that a process known as the Electoral College ultimately decides who will win the general election. This means, the
president is elected in a two-step process.
The Electoral College is a method of indirect election of the President of the United States. Voters in each state actually cast a vote for a block of electors who are pledged to vote
for a particular candidate. These electors, in turn, vote for the presidential candidate. Each state is apportioned a number of electors equal to the total number of their Congressional delegation.
After Election Day, on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, these electors assemble in their state capitals, cast their ballots, and officially select the next
President of the United States. Legally, the electors may vote for someone other than the candidate for whom they were pledged to vote. This phenomenon is known as the "unfaithful" or "faithless"
elector. Generally, this does not happen. Therefore, the candidate who receives the most votes in a state at the general election will be the candidate for whom the electors later cast their votes. Two votes are
taken, one for President and one for Vice President. Electors are restricted from voting for two candidates from their state. The candidate who wins in a state is awarded all of that state's Electoral College votes,
except in Maine and Nebraska where the electoral may be split.
The votes of the electors are then sent to Congress where the President of the Senate opens the certificates, and counts the votes. This takes place on January 6, unless that date falls
on a Sunday. In that case, the votes are counted on the next day. An absolute majority is necessary to prevail in the presidential and the vice presidential elections, that is, half the total plus one electoral
votes are required. With 538 Electors, a candidate must receive at least 270 votes to be elected to the office of President or Vice President.
Should no presidential candidate receive an absolute majority, the House of Representatives determines who the next president will be. Each state may cast one vote and an absolute
majority is needed to win. Similarly, the Senate decides who the next Vice President will be if there is no absolute majority after the Electoral College vote.
The President-elect and Vice President-elect take the oath of office and are inaugurated two weeks later, on January 20th.
|
1998-2004, Indianink.net. All Rights Reserved.