The Election Process

1. The Election Process From Candidate to Nominee to President

2. Constitutional Qualifications to be President • The President must be a natural born citizen. • Must have lived in the U.S. for 14 years (although they do not have to be consecutive). • Must be at least 35 yrs. old.

3. Non-Constitutional Qualifications • Government Experience – most frequently as governor or US Senator. • Money – candidates could spend up to $37.3 mil. For primaries and $74.62 million for general election (2004). • Political beliefs – extremes are often not the answer. • Personal characteristics– likable personality.

4. The Primaries • Candidates that are members of the two major political parties vie for the parties nomination for the presidency. • Beginning in January of an election year, the states will hold elections for each of the major political parties to become the presidential nominee from each state.

5. Important Dates of the Primaries • The first two primaries are in Iowa and New Hampshire. They “set the tone” for the remainder of the primaries. • The first Tuesday in February is known as Super Tuesday. Twenty states will hold their primaries. • Pennsylvania will hold the primary in April.

6. The Convention • Delegates (representatives) from each state go to the Party Convention to vote for a President. • After the states officially announce their candidates, the Presidential candidate is officially nominated. • The Convention is a big pep rally for the parties to begin the general election.

7. Selecting a Vice-President • Also at the convention, the nominated President will select a running mate, the Vice-President.

8. Picking a Vice-President • There are several reasons for picking a Vice-President and friendship a rarely amongst them. • The state that the Vice-President comes from. • The politics of the Vice-President. • The Vice-President fulfills a “special role.” • Ultimately, the Vice-President should balance out the President.

9. Now what … • At this point, the Republican nominee and the Democratic nominee will face each other with the Presidency as the prize. • Occasionally, an independent or a third party candidate will emerge, but not very often. • A third party candidate will often take votes away from one of the major party candidates, hurting their chances at the Presidency. • A third party currently has no chance to win the election. H. Ross Perot, 1992

10. Election Day • On the first Tuesday of November (unless it is the first day of the month), everyone votes for their candidate for President.

11. Historical Background • The framers of the Constitution disagreed on how to elect a president • Congressional selection • direct popular election. • The electoral college was a compromise • combining features of both approaches.

12. The Electoral College and Federalism • The electoral college also reflects the federal nature of the Constitution • Ensures that the states have a role in selecting the president.

13. WHO ARE the Electors? Individuals selected in each state to officially cast that state’s electoral votes. Ohio selects 20 electors to cast the state’s 20 electoral votes. Framers anticipated that electors would be state leaders who would exercise good judgment. Today, party leaders select electors who are typically long-time party activists. Electors almost always vote for their party’s candidates.

14. The popular vote is tabulated in each state. The winner of the popular vote is given all of the electoral votes of the state. The amount of electoral votes that each state has is the combination of Representatives and Senators in the state. How many electoral votes does PA have? Answer – 20. The Electoral College

15. 2000 Presidential Results

17. And the winner is …. • The candidate who receives 270 electoral votes (538 total votes) is declared the President of the United States. • Are there any flaws with this system?

18. The Real Election • In December of election year • The electors gather in their respective state capitols to cast ballots for president and vice president. • In January • Congress comes into session • They open the ballots received from each state • They announce the official outcome.

19. What if no one receives a majority? • To win, a candidate needs a majority, • 270 electoral votes. • If no candidate has a majority • the House of Representatives selects the president from among the three presidential candidates with the most electoral votes. • If this happens, each state has one vote. • Happened only once! • 1824 Congress chose John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. • The Senate selects the vice president from the top two vice-presidential candidates.

20. Popular Vote v. the Electoral Vote • In a close race, the popular vote winner may not win the electoral college. • One candidate may win states by lopsided margins while the other wins states by narrow margins. • Electoral vote winners who lost the popular vote • Bush over Gore in 2000 • Benjamin Harrison over Grover Cleveland in 1888 • Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel Tilden in 1876

21. Criticisms of the Electoral College The popular vote winner may lose the presidency. Electors may vote for persons other than their party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates. If no candidate receives a majority, Congress will pick the president and vice president.

22. Proposals for Reform Eliminate electors but still count electoral votes. Choose the president by direct popular election.

23. The Complaints • The first complaint goes back 200 years. • #1 - Big states have more electoral votes than smaller states. • #2 – The a presidential candidate may win the popular vote (2000 election), but not win the Presidency.

24. 2008 Presidential Election Results