This section focuses on the U.S. electoral systems and the election process. The material presented is designed to help you meet the following objective.
- Analyze the U.S. electoral system and the election process.
Presidential elections
On January 7, 1789, the first U.S. presidential election was held. Voters at the time were white males who were owners of property or who had sufficient wealth for taxation. They cast ballots to choose state electors, who in turn would choose the president; as expected, George Washington was elected, and was sworn into office on April 30, 1789 (History.com, n.d., par. 1). The United States still uses the same system for presidential elections, codified in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution, and further refined in the Twelfth and Fourteenth amendments, as the Electoral College.
The President is elected by United States citizens, 18 years of age and older, who vote in the presidential elections in their states. A vote for a presidential candidate is actually a vote for that candidate's electors, who are generally although not always chosen by the candidate's political party (U.S. National Archives, n.d., pars. 1, 3). The Electoral College was established as a compromise between election by direct popular vote and election by Congressional vote. Electors are assigned to states based on their Congressional delegation: one for each representative and two for senators. Votes are tallied by states. It is possible to have the most popular votes throughout the nation and not win the electoral vote of the Electoral College.
This link provides an overview of the Electoral College.
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html
This link describes the qualifications of electors.
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/electors.html
The road to being elected President of the United States begins by meeting eligibility requirements of citizenship, age, and residency, but a serious run for president usually begins years in advance of the campaign. Presidential candidates must obtain party support and often have gained experience and visibility by holding previous office at the state level. They must raise money for increasingly expensive campaigns and must plan their theme, hire staff, and organize support in key states. They must win primary elections and gain delegates to their national party convention. Finally, they must win the general election campaign, presently held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November, and they must also win the majority of votes in the Electoral College. At noon on January 20 of the following year, the winner is sworn in as President of the United States (How to Become, n.d.).
Learn more on how to become the President of the United States at the following link.
http://2008election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=001566
