United States Elections

1. United States Elections

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3. Voting qualification and ways to vote • Eligibility • The eligibility of an individual for voting is set out in the constitution and also regulated at state level. • The constitution states that suffrage cannot be denied on grounds of race or color, sex or age for citizens 18+. • Beyond these basic qualifications, it is the responsibility of state legislatures to regulate voter eligibility. • Some states bar convicted criminals, especially felons, from voting for a fixed period of time or indefinitely.

4. Voting qualification and ways to vote • Registering to vote • Registering to vote is the responsibility of individuals in the United States, since voters are not automatically registered to vote once they reach the age of 18. • Every state except North Dakota requires that citizens who wish to vote be registered. • Some states allow citizens to register to vote on the same day of the election. • The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, in an attempt to increase voter turnout, forced state governments to make the voter registration process easier by providing uniform registration services through drivers' license registration centers, disability centers, schools, libraries, and mail-in registration.

5. Voting qualification and ways to vote • Absentee voting • Voters unable or unwilling to vote at polling stations on Election Day can vote via absentee ballots. • Absentee ballots are most commonly sent and received via the United States Postal Service. • Despite their name absentee ballots are often requested and submitted in person. • About half of all states and U.S. territories allow "no excuse absentee," where no reason is required to request an absentee ballot. • Others require a valid reason, such as infirmity or travel, be given before a voter can participate using an absentee ballot.

6. Voting qualification and ways to vote Absentee voting has many options (video)

7. Voting qualification and ways to vote • Mail ballots • Mail ballots are similar in many respects to an absentee ballot. • However they are used for Mailing Precincts where on Election Day no polling place is opened for a specific precinct. • In Oregon, all ballots are delivered through the mail.

8. Voting qualification and ways to vote Mail ballots

9. Voting qualification and ways to vote Mail ballots in Colorado (video)

10. Voting qualification and ways to vote • Early voting • Early voting is a formal process where voters can cast their ballots on a voting machine prior to the Election Day. • This process is used by Nevada and runs for 14 consecutive days prior to the official Election Day ending on the Friday before the Election Day. • Voters who vote early are not able to vote again on Election Day. Early Voting Begins For US Presidential Election (video 1) (video 2)

13. Voting qualification and ways to vote • Voting machines • Voters casting their ballots in polling places record their votes most commonly with optical scan voting machines or DRE voting machines. • Voting machine selection is typically done through a state's local election jurisdiction including counties, cities, and townships. • Many of these local jurisdictions have changed their voting equipment since 2000 due to the passage of the Help America Vote Act, which allocated funds for the replacement of lever machine and punch card voting equipment forDRE voting machines.

14. Voting qualification and ways to vote Lever voting machine (video) write in （另选他人）

15. Voting qualification and ways to vote Direct-recording voting machines (ATM-like) (video)

16. Presidential Election: Primary • Introduction • United States presidential elections determine who serves as president and vice president of the United States for afour-year term, starting at midday on Inauguration Day, which is January 20 of the year after the election. • The elections are conducted by the various states and not by the federal government. • The presidential election occurs quadrennially (the count beginning with the year 1792) on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November. • The most recent election occurred on November 4, 2008.

17. Presidential Election: Primary • The presidential election begins with the nominating process of U.S. presidential election, which currently consists of two major parts: • a series of presidential primary elections and caucuses held in each state, and the presidential nominating conventions held by each political party in the whole country. • The primary elections and caucuses are run by state and local governments. Some states only hold primary elections, some only hold caucuses, and others use a combination of both. • These primaries and caucuses are held between January and June before the federal election, with Iowa and New Hampshire traditionally holding the first presidential state caucus and primary, respectively. • Iowa Caucus (video) (比例代表制) (人头，15%) • New Hampshire Primary (Republican: Ron Paul) (video) (赢者通吃)

18. Presidential Election: Primary • Like the general election, presidential caucuses or primaries select the candidates indirectly. • The major political parties officially vote for their presidential candidate at their respective nominating conventions, usually all held in the summer before the federal election. • Depending on each state’s law and state’s political party rules, when voters cast ballots for a candidate in a presidential caucus or primary, they may actually be voting to award delegates “bound” to vote for a candidate at the presidential nominating conventions, • or they may simply be expressing an opinion that the state party is not bound to follow in selecting delegates to their respective national convention. • (Senator Hilary conceded at Democratic National Conventionvideo)

19. Presidential Election: general • The election of the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by the Electoral College (选举团), whose members are selected from each state; the president and vice president serve four-year terms. • These electors are appointed by mechanisms chosen by each state’s legislature. • The individual who receives a majority of votes for president will be the president-elect of the United States; and the individual who receives a majority of electoral votes for vice president will be the vice president-elect of the United States.

20. Presidential Election: general • If no presidential candidate receives a majority in the Electoral College, then the president-elect will be selected by a vote of the House of Representatives, with each state receiving a single vote. • If no vice presidential candidate receives a majority, then the vice president-elect will be selected by a vote of the Senate. • Although rare, these latter scenarios have occurred twice in America’s history; the new House of Representatives chose the president in 1825 (√: John Quincy Adams, X: Andrew Jackson), and the new Senate chose the vice president in 1837 (√: Richard Mentor Johnson; X: Francis Granger).

21. Presidential Election: general • Elections take place on the first Tuesday following the first Monday of November in the Election Year (although in many states early and absentee voting begins several weeks before Election Day). The elections are run by local election boards who ensure the fair and impartial nature of the election and prevent tampering of the results. • Voters are required to vote on a ballot where they select the candidate of their choice. The presidential ballot is actually voting “for the electors of a candidate” meaning that the voter is not actually voting for the candidate, but endorsing members of the Electoral College who will, in turn, directly elect the President. • How does electoral college work? (video)

22. Presidential Election Results Order Election Winner Other Major Candidates year 1st 1789 George Washington John Adams (none) (none) John Jay (none) Robert H. Harrison (none) John Rutledge (none) 2nd 1792 George Washington John Adams (Federalist) (none) George Clinton (Democratic-Republican) 3rd 1796 John Adams Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) (Federalist) Thomas Pinckney (Federalist) Aaron Burr (Democratic-Republican) Samuel Adams (Democratic-Republican) Oliver Ellsworth (Federalist) George Clinton (Democratic-Republican) 4th 1800 Thomas Jefferson Aaron Burr (Democratic-Republican) (Democratic-Republican) John Adams (Federalist) Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (Federalist) 5th 1804 Thomas Jefferson Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (Federalist) (Democratic-Republican)

23. Presidential Election Results Order Election Winner Other Major Candidates year 6th 1808 James Madison Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (Democratic-Republican) (Federalist) George Clinton (Democratic-Republican) James Monroe (Democratic-Republican) 7th 1812 James Madison DeWitt Clinton (Federalist) (Democratic-Republican) 8th 1816 James Monroe Rufus King (Federalist) (Democratic-Republican) 9th 1820 James Monroe (not opposed) (Democratic-Republican) 10th 1824*† John Quincy Adams* Andrew Jackson† (Democratic-Republican) (Democratic-Republican) William H. Crawford (Democratic-Republican) Henry Clay (Democratic-Republican)

24. Presidential Election Results Order Election Winner Other Major Candidates year 11th 1828 Andrew Jackson John Quincy Adams (Democrat) (National Republican) 12th 1832 Andrew Jackson Henry Clay (National Republican) (Democrat) John Floyd (Nullifier) William Wirt (Anti-Masonic) 13th 1836 Martin Van Buren William Henry Harrison (Whig) (Democrat) Hugh Lawson White (Whig) Daniel Webster (Whig) Willie Person Mangum (Whig) 14th 1840 William H. Harrison Martin Van Buren (Democrat) (Whig) 15th 1844* James K. Polk* Henry Clay (Whig) (Democrat) James G. Birney (Liberty) 16th 1848 Zachary Taylor Lewis Cass (Democrat) (Whig) Martin Van Buren (Free Soil)

25. Presidential Election Results Order Election Winner Other Major Candidates year 16th 1848 Zachary Taylor Lewis Cass (Democrat) (Whig) Martin Van Buren (Free Soil) 17th 1852 Franklin Pierce Winfield Scott (Whig) (Democrat) John P. Hale (Free Soil) 18th 1856* James Buchanan* John C. Frémont (Republican) (Democrat) Millard Fillmore (American Party/Whig) 19th 1860* Abraham Lincoln* John C. Breckinridge (Republican) (Southern Democrat) John Bell (Constitutional Union) Stephen A. Douglas (Northern Democrat) 20th 1864 Abraham Lincoln George B. McClellan (Democrat) (National Union Party)

26. Presidential Election Results Order Election Winner Other Major Candidates year 21st 1868 Ulysses S. Grant Horatio Seymour (Democrat) (Republican) 22nd 1872 Ulysses S. Grant Horace Greeley (Democrat/Liberal Republican) (Republican) Thomas A. Hendricks (Democrat) B. Gratz Brown (Democrat/Liberal Republican) 23rd 1876*‡ Rutherford B. Hayes* Samuel J. Tilden‡ (Democrat) (Republican) 24th 1880* James A. Garfield* Winfield Scott Hancock (Democrat) (Republican) James Weaver (Greenback) 25th 1884* Grover Cleveland* James G. Blaine (Republican) (Democrat)

27. Presidential Election Results Order Election Winner Other Major Candidates year 26th 1888*† Benjamin Harrison* Grover Cleveland† (Democrat) (Republican) Clinton B. Fisk (Prohibition) 27th 1892* Grover Cleveland* Benjamin Harrison (Republican) (Democrat) James Weaver (Populist) John Bidwell (Prohibition) 28th 1896 William McKinley William Jennings Bryan (Democrat/Populist) (Republican) 29th 1900 William McKinley William Jennings Bryan (Democrat) (Republican) 30th 1904 Theodore Roosevelt Alton B. Parker (Democrat) (Republican) Eugene V. Debs (Socialist)

28. Presidential Election Results Order Election Winner Other Major Candidates year 31st 1908 William Howard Taft William Jennings Bryan (Democrat) (Republican) Eugene V. Debs (Socialist) 32nd 1912* Woodrow Wilson* Theodore Roosevelt (Bull-Moose) (Democrat) William Howard Taft (Republican) Eugene V. Debs (Socialist) 33rd 1916* Woodrow Wilson* Charles Evans Hughes (Republican) (Democrat) Allan L. Benson (Socialist) 34th 1920 Warren G. Harding James M. Cox (Democrat) (Republican) Eugene V. Debs (Socialist) 35th 1924 Calvin Coolidge John W. Davis (Democrat) (Republican) Robert M. La Follette, Sr. (Progressive)

29. Presidential Election Results Order Election Winner Other Major Candidates year 36th 1928 Herbert Hoover Al Smith (Democrat) (Republican) 37th 1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt Herbert Hoover (Republican) (Democrat) Norman Thomas (Socialist) 38th 1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt Alf Landon (Republican) (Democrat) 39th 1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt Wendell Willkie (Republican) (Democrat) 40th 1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt Thomas E. Dewey (Republican) (Democrat)

30. Presidential Election Results Order Election Winner Other Major Candidates year 41st 1948* Harry S Truman* Thomas E. Dewey (Republican) (Democrat) Strom Thurmond (States' Rights Democratic) Henry A. Wallace (Progressive/Labor) 42nd 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower Adlai Stevenson (Democrat) (Republican) 43rd 1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower Adlai Stevenson (Democrat) (Republican) 44th 1960* John F. Kennedy* Richard Nixon (Republican) (Democrat) Harry F. Byrd (Democrat) 45th 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson Barry Goldwater (Republican) (Democrat)

31. Presidential Election Results Order Election Winner Other Major Candidates year 46th 1968* Richard Nixon* Hubert Humphrey (Democrat) (Republican) George Wallace (American Independent) 47th 1972 Richard Nixon George McGovern (Democrat) (Republican) 48th 1976 Jimmy Carter Gerald Ford (Republican) (Democrat) 49th 1980 Ronald Reagan Jimmy Carter (Democrat) (Republican) John B. Anderson (none) 50th 1984 Ronald Reagan Walter Mondale (Democrat) (Republican)

32. Presidential Election Results Order Election Winner Other Major Candidates year 51st 1988 George H. W. Bush Michael Dukakis (Democrat) (Republican) 52nd 1992* Bill Clinton* George H. W. Bush (Republican) (Democrat) Ross Perot (none) 53rd 1996* Bill Clinton* Bob Dole (Republican) (Democrat) Ross Perot (Reform) 54th 2000*† George W. Bush* Al Gore† (Democrat) (Republican) Ralph Nader (Green) 55th 2004 George W. Bush John Kerry (Democrat) (Republican) 56th 2008 Election in November John McCain (Republican) (NA) Barack Obama (Democrat)

33. Presidential ElectionVoter turnout Election Voting Age Turnout   % Turnout Year Population Population 2004 215,694,000 122,295,345 56.69% 2000 205,815,000 105,586,274 51.31% 1996 196,511,000 96,456,345 49.08% 1992 189,529,000 104,405,155 55.09% 1988 182,778,000 91,594,693 50.11% 1984 174,466,000 92,652,680 53.11% 1980 164,597,000 86,515,221 52.56% 1976 152,309,190 81,555,789 53.55% 1972 140,776,000 77,718,554 55.21% 1968 120,328,186 73,199,998 60.83% 1964 114,090,000 70,644,592 60.92% 1960 109,159,000 68,838,204 63.06%

34. Congressional electionSenator elections • Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution lists three qualifications for senators: 1. each senator must be at least 30 years old, 2. must have been a citizen of the United States for at least the past nine years, and 3. must be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the state they seek to represent. • Senators serve terms of six years each; • the terms are staggered so that approximately one-third of the Senate seats are up for election every two years. • The staggering of the terms is arranged such that both seats from a given state are never contested in the same general election except when a mid-term vacancy is being filled.

35. Congressional electionSenator elections • Senate elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years, Election Day, and coincide with elections for the House of Representatives. • Each senator is elected by his or her state as a whole. • Generally, a primary election is held first for the Republican and Democratic parties, with the general election following a few months later. • Ballot access rules for Independent and minor party candidates vary from State to State. • The winner is the candidate who receives a plurality of the popular vote. • In some states, runoffs are held if no candidate wins a majority. • Once elected, a senator continues to serve until the end of his or her term, death, or resignation.

36. Congressional electionHouse elections • Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution sets forth three qualifications for representatives: 1. each representative must be at least twenty-five years old, 2. must have been a citizen of the United States for the past seven years, and 3. must be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the state they represent. • Representatives and delegates serve for two-year terms. • Once elected, a representative continues to serve until the expiry of his term, death, or resignation.

37. Congressional electionHouse elections • The House of Representatives has 435 members, elected for a two year term in single-seat constituencies, which cover the United States. • Elections of the House of Representatives are held every two years on the first Tuesday after November 1 in every even-numbered year. • Generally, the Republican and Democratic parties choose their candidates for each district in primary elections, which are typically held several months before. • The House elections are first-past-the-post elections that elect a Representative from each of 435 House constituencies. • Special House elections can occur between if a member dies or resigns during a term.

38. Congressional electionHouse elections • House elections are usually, but not always, correlated with presidential elections. • Typically, when a House election occurs in the same year as a presidential election, the party of the presidential winner will gain seats. • On the other hand, there is a historical pattern that the incumbent president’s party loses seats in elections that are held in the middle of a presidential term. • This may be because the President’s popularity has slipped since election, or because the President’s popularity encouraged supporters to come out to vote for him in the presidential election, but these supporters are less likely to vote when the President is not up for election.

39. State elections • State law and state constitutions, controlled by state legislatures regulate elections at a state level and local level. • Various officials at state level are elected. Since the separation of powers applies to states as well as the federal government, state legislatures and the governor are elected separately. • Governors and Lieutenant governor are elected in all states, in some states on a joint ticket and in some states separately, some separately in different electoral cycles. • In some states, executive positions such as Attorney General and Secretary of State are also elected offices. • All members of state legislatures are elected, state senators and state representatives/assembly members. • Nebraska’s legislature is unicameral, so only senators are elected. In some states, members of the state supreme court and other members of the state judiciary are elected. • Proposals to amend the state constitution are also placed on the ballot in some states.

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