US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

TWO PARTY SYSTEM

■ In the United States there are two main political parties: Democrats and Republicans.
■ These two parties run much of the government. Because these
two parties are so powerful, the United States government is often
called a "two-party system."

■ The elections in a two-party system are often held in two phases.

■ The first phase is the primary election. In the primary election each party elects a candidate
to represent their party.
■ The next phase is called the general election. In the general election, the public votes
between the winners of the primary election.
■ Democrats
• The Democratic Party was founded in 1828. It is generally associated with larger government
programs and higher taxes.
• Members of the Democratic Party are often referred to as "liberals" or "progressives."
• The symbol of the Democratic Party is the donkey.
TWO PARTY SYSTEM
■ Republicans
• The Republican Party was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists.
• It is generally associated with smaller government and lower taxes.
• Members of the Republican Party are often referred to as "conservatives."
• The symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant.
■ Other Parties
• There are other political parties in the United States, but they have not been able to make
a significant impact in the government.
• Some of these parties include the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, and the
Constitution Party. Political parties that have had power in the past include the Whigs, the
Federalists, and the Democratic-Republicans.
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
■ One may think that the President of the United States is just voted on by all the people in the
country and then the person with the most votes wins.
■ But it's not that simple. The president is actually elected by something called the
Electoral College.
■ Each state has a certain number of delegates in the Electoral College based on the
population of the state.
■ During the election, when one person wins the popular vote in a state, then they win all
the electoral votes for that state (the exception being Nebraska and Maine who apply
electoral votes per each Congressional District).
■ Once all the votes are in, if one candidate has a majority of electoral votes, then they win
the election and become president.
■ In the case where one person does not have a majority of Electoral College votes,
then the House of Representatives votes on who will be president.
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
■ Each state gets an elector for each member of Congress from that state.
■ That is one for each member from the state in the House of Representatives (which is
based on the population of the state) and two more for the state's two senators. For
example, California gets 55 electors, North Carolina 15, and Wyoming 3.
■ The only people prevented from being electors are certain political leaders like
Senators and Representatives. Most electors are people who have been loyal and
dedicated members of their political party for a long time.
■ All or Nothing
■ In most states all the electors are awarded to one president. Even if one candidate won by
a single popular vote, they would get all the electoral votes. There are two states,
Maine and Nebraska, that split up the electors between the candidates.
■ PROCEDURE
■ MERITS AND DEMERITS
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
■ The House decides who will be president if no one wins a majority of votes from the
Electoral College.
■ They select the Vice President if there is no majority in the Electoral College.
CONGRESS
■ The Legislative Branch is also called the Congress.
■ There are two parts that make up Congress: the House of Representatives and the
Senate.
■ Having two chambers of Congress is called a "bicameral" legislature.
■ The Legislative Branch is the part of the government that writes up and votes on laws,
also called legislation.
■ Other powers of the Congress include declaring war, confirming Presidential
appointments for groups like the Supreme Court and the Cabinet, and investigating
power.
HOR (POPULATION BASED)
■ House of Representatives
■ The House of Representatives is sometimes just referred to as "the House" or the "lower"
chamber of Congress.
■ There are 435 total Representatives in the House.
■ Each state has a different number of representatives depending on their total
population. States with more people get more representatives.
■ Representatives are elected to a new term every two years. In order to remain a
representative, a person must get re-elected each time. However, there are no term limits,
so a person can be a representative for as long as they continue to get elected.
■ They must be 25 years old, have been a US citizen for at least 7 years, and live in the state
they represent.
■ The Speaker of the House is the leader of the House of Representatives. The House
elects the member they want to be the leader. The Speaker is third in line in succession
to the President.
HOR (POPULATION BASED)
■ Special House of Representatives Powers
■ The main job of the House of Representatives is to vote on new laws along with the Senate.
There are a few powers, however, that are unique to the House:
i. All tax bills and spending bills must start in the House.
ii. Only the House can impeach certain high ranking federal officials such as the President or
a Supreme Court Justice.
iii. The House decides who will be president if no one wins a majority of votes from the
Electoral College.
iv. The Speaker of the House is second in line to becoming the President of the United
States after the Vice President.
THE SENATE
■ The Senate
■ The Senate is sometimes called the "upper" house of the Congress.
■ There are exactly 100 Senators in the Senate. Each state elects two Senators to represent their
state. It doesn't matter how big or small the state is.
■ Senators are elected every 6 years.
■ To become a Senator a person must be at least 30 years old, have been a US citizen for at
least 9 years, and must live in the state they represent.
■ The United States Vice-President also serves as President of the Senate. The Vice-President only
votes on new laws in the case of a tie in the Senate.
■ The Senate elects the President pro tempore who presides over the Senate when the Vice-
President doesn't attend.
HOR (POPULATION BASED)
■ Special Senate Powers
■ The main job of the Senate is to vote on new laws along with the House of Representatives.
However, the Senate has some unique powers that the House does not have:
i. They approve some appointments made by the President including Cabinet members,
Supreme Court Justices, and high-ranking military commanders.
ii. They ratify treaties with foreign governments.
iii. They try cases of impeachment of federal officers that have been impeached by the
House.
iv. They select the Vice President if there is no majority in the Electoral College.