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How to become President of the United States

Explore the journey to the presidency: from qualifications to the Electoral College. Learn about primaries, caucuses, conventions, campaigns, and the critical role of the Electoral College in deciding the presidency.

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How to become President of the United States

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  1. How to become President of the United States The road to the white house

  2. What are five things you would look for in a president? • Education? • Military experience? • Age? • Gender? • Religion? • Character? • Previous government experience? • Personality? • Marital Status? • Criminal history? What else would be important to you?

  3. What does the Constitution say about who can be president? The President must be: Do you agree with the Constitutional qualifications?

  4. Step 1: Primaries and Caucuses

  5. How to become President of the United States People with similar ideas group together and form political parties… • STEP 1 • Primaries and Caucuses There are many people who have their own ideas about how government should work. What are the two main political parties in the United States today?

  6. How to become President of the United States Candidates from each party campaign to gain leadership within their own party. STEP 1 Primaries and Caucuses Multiple people from each party may decide they want to be the candidate. This is where primaries and caucuses come in.

  7. How to become President of the United States Most states hold a primary, in which voters cast secret ballots for the best candidate that will represent the party in the general election. STEP 1 Primaries and Caucuses Click HERE to read more about primaries. This is where voters can cast their vote to determine who will represent each party.

  8. How to become President of the United States In some states, a caucus is held to select the best candidate from each party through discussions and open votes. STEP 1 Primaries and Caucuses Click HERE to read more about caucuses. Which states hold caucuses? Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, Wyoming and Iowa

  9. Step 2: National Conventions Now it’s time to officially decide who will be the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate for each party.

  10. How to become President of the United States Each party holds a national convention to select a final presidential nominee. STEP 2 National Conventions Photo from: http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/09/06/151392934_480x360.jpg Photo from: http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/08/30/151014951_480x360.jpg

  11. How to become President of the United States At the convention, the Presidential candidate announces a running mate (Vice Presidential Candidate). STEP 2 National Conventions Photo from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/files/2012/08/wonk0831.jpg Photo from: http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/09/07/bidenobama-fdc1cd7ef8ae88d3fffb9cae1f3fb6c1e8977604-s3.jpg What do you think a Presidential candidate is looking for in a Vice President?

  12. Step 3: Campaigns

  13. How to become President of the United States The Presidential candidates campaign throughout the country to win the support of the general population. STEP 3 Campaigning What do you think about the campaign ads you have seen?

  14. Step 4: General Election

  15. How to become President of the United States People in every state across the country vote for a President and Vice President. When people cast their vote, they are actually voting for a group of people known as electors who are part of the process called the Electoral College . STEP 4 General Election What is the Electoral College? Who are electors?

  16. Step 5: Electoral College

  17. How to become President of the United States In the Electoral College system, each state gets a certain number of electors based on its representation in Congress. STEP 5 Electoral College

  18. The Electoral College In Florida, electors are nominated by their political party and approved by the Governor. Because Florida has 29 electoral votes, each party (Democrat and Republican) is allowed to appoint 29 electors. The Electoral College is a system where 538 electors cast votes to decide who will be the President and Vice President. Why 538? Why 29? This is the total of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and three votes for the District of Columbia. Florida has 27 Congressional Districts (FL gained two districts due to a population increase) and 2 Senators….for a total of 29. 435* + 100 + 3 = 538 Public Law 62-5 says that 435 will be the number in the House of Representatives. This number does not change, rather other states lose seats as states gain seats in the House.

  19. The Electoral College Whichever candidate receives the popular (majority) vote in a state (>50%), wins the electoral votes. For example, in Florida: Candidate A Candidate B 29 Electors 29 Electors If candidate B wins more than 50% of the popular vote, their 29 electors get to cast their votes for that Candidate. Candidate A loses the race for that state.

  20. How to become President of the United States Each elector casts one vote following the general election, and the candidate who gets more than half (270 of 538) wins. STEP 5 Electoral College Florida has 29 electoral votes.

  21. And the winner is… • The newly elected President and Vice President are inaugurated (sworn into office) in January. Note: Inauguration Day by law is January 20th. However, since the 20th is a Sunday, a private ceremony will be held on January 20th, with a public inauguration taking place on January 21st,

  22. What Do you Think? • Comparing Electoral College models: • Which is better?

  23. Which Model is better? Winner Take All The District system One electoral vote is awarded to each candidate winning the popular vote in each congressional district * The two remaining votes are awarded to the candidates with the most votes statewide Maine and Nebraska use this system • More than 50% of the popular vote wins ALL of the elector votes • 48 of the states use this system *Remember, the number of electors are based on the number of members in the United States House of Representatives (who represent congressional districts within a state)… … and two U.S. Senators.

  24. Sources • http://magazines.scholastic.com/Election-2012/faqs-primary • http://kids.usa.gov/president/index.shtml • http://www.factcheck.org/2008/04/caucus-vs-primary/

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