How we elect a President: in the U.S., a candidate can become President even if he or she doesn't receive the most popular votes. Do you know why?Junior Scholastic ELECTION 2004 What's the first thing you need to know about becoming President? Answer: You can win, and still lose! Think back to Election 2000. Republican George W. Bush was elected President--even though he got fewer votes nationwide than his opponent, Al Gore Noun 1. Al Gore - Vice President of the United States under Bill Clinton (born in 1948) Albert Gore Jr., Gore . How could this happen? Part of the answer lies in Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution. It calls for each state to appoint a group of electors electors, in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, the princes who had the right to elect the German kings or, more exactly, the kings of the Romans (Holy Roman emperors). , the people who cast the official votes for President and Vice President. Today, electors are people chosen by the voters in each state. The number of electors a state has is equal to the total number of its Senators (always two) and Representatives (determined by the state's overall population). Populous pop·u·lous adj. Containing many people or inhabitants; having a large population. [Middle English, from Latin popul states like California and Texas have the most electors, 55 and 34, respectively. Small or sparsely sparse adj. spars·er, spars·est Occurring, growing, or settled at widely spaced intervals; not thick or dense. [Latin sparsus, past participle of spargere, to scatter. populated pop·u·late tr.v. pop·u·lat·ed, pop·u·lat·ing, pop·u·lates 1. To supply with inhabitants, as by colonization; people. 2. states such as Delaware and Montana have as few as three. The District of Columbia District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). also has three electoral votes. In almost every state, the party whose candidate receives the most votes (called the popular vote) is considered the winner of that state This means that if 51 percent of people in Pennsylvania vote Republican, all of Pennsylvania's 21 electoral votes will go to the Republican candidate. Finally, the electoral-vote tallies from the 50 states and Washington, D.C., are added up. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Constitution, the candidate who wins an absolute majority of electoral votes (at least 270 of 538) is declared President. That is how candidate Al Gore who won the popular vote by a margin of about 500,000 ballots, failed to win enough electoral votes. This has happened four times in our nation's history. The Electoral College electoral college, in U.S. government, the body of electors that chooses the president and vice president. The Constitution, in Article 2, Section 1, provides: "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, Our country's Founders chose the Electoral College system--rather than election by a direct popular vote--so that the President would be chosen in a calm, intelligent manner. They hoped that the system would also help prevent uninformed citizens and corrupt politicians from exercising too much control. But today, many people argue that the electoral system electoral system Method and rules of counting votes to determine the outcome of elections. Winners may be determined by a plurality, a majority (more than 50% of the vote), an extraordinary majority (a percentage of the vote greater than 50%), or unanimity. takes too much power away from voters. It also limits the range of candidates Since the popular winner in a state usually gets all that state's electoral votes, third parties generally don't get any. Good or bad, the electoral system cannot be changed without a constitutional amendment. For such an amendment to pass, two thirds of the House and Senate would have to approve it. Three fourths of the states would then have to agree. Primary Elections The general election, or final national vote, takes place every four years on the day after the first Monday First Monday is a short-lived U.S. television drama centered on the U.S. Supreme Court. Created by JAG creator Donald Bellisario, the show aired on CBS from January until May of 2002. in November. But the battle for the White House starts well before that time (see "Countdown," p. 7). First, a candidate for President must win the party's nomination (official choice as candidate) from his or her party. During the campaign, primary elections are held in many states. Voters choose a candidate by voting for delegates who will support that candidate at the party's national convention. The candidate with the most delegates usually wins the party's nomination. If a candidate is an incumbent (currently holds office), he or she is usually assured of winning the party's nomination. So, President George W. Bush faces no major competition from other Republicans. But among the Democrats, nine candidates are seeking their party's nomination. (Senator Bob Graham
For other persons named Daniel Graham, see Daniel Graham (disambiguation). dropped out of the race in early October.) Many independent, or minor, parties (such as the Green Party and the Reform Party) will also nominate their top choices for President. Vote for Me! Presidential candidates try to convince voters that they are best suited for the job. They say what they will do to make America a better place, and express their views about such issues as education, gun control, and the environment. Life on the campaign trail can be grueling. Candidates must give speeches, talk to members of the media, attend countless rallies, shake millions of hands, and participate in debates. They must also raise money--lots of it. Why? The cost of TV commercials, mailings, and radio campaigns adds up quickly. In the 2000 campaign, George W. Bush raised a whopping $191 million, the most ever by any candidate. Al Gore raised just over $133 million. Every Vote Matters In the last presidential election, the popular vote in Florida was so close that some districts conducted a machine recount. After that recount, George Bush was ahead by 537 popular votes. But Al Gore got permission from the courts for a hand recount, a process that took weeks. Eventually, in a controversial decision, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the recounts, and George W. Bush was declared the winner of Florida's 25 electoral votes. Bush had 271 electoral votes, just enough to become President. (Green Party candidate Ralph Nader  This page is currently protected from editing until (UTC) or until disputes have been resolved. got 2.86 million popular votes, but no electoral votes.) The Supreme Court's decision to stop the Florida recount will likely be debated for decades. But the controversy prompted election officials across the U.S. to improve the way votes are cast in their area. And it taught Americans an important lesson: Every single vote matters. Getting on the Ballot In America, a popular saying goes, anyone can run for President. While the U.S. is a land of freedom and opportunity, the saying is not completely true. According to the U.S. Constitution, in order to run for President you must * be a natural-born U.S. citizen; * be at least 35 years old; * have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years. You must also get yourself on state primary ballots. This can be more complicated than you think. According to Richard Winger Richard Lee Winger (born August 27, 1943) has been for the last forty years the leading advocate in the United States for minor political parties, in particular for more equitable laws allowing access to the ballot for minor parties. , publisher of Ballot Access News Ballot Access News is a monthly newsletter edited and published by Richard Winger of San Francisco, California. Mr. Winger is a leading expert on ballot access law in the United States. Published since 1985, the newsletter advocates "fair and equitable ballot access laws. , each state makes its own ballot-access laws, and they vary greatly. "The U.S. is the only country in the world where someone running for national office has to worry about ballot-access laws in each segment of the country, instead of having one law covering the entire nation," Winger told JS. In some states, a candidate for either the Democratic or Republican Party nomination must submit a certain number of signatures from registered voters. In many states, this requirement is waived (dismissed) if candidates are major figures known to the public. For instance, Connecticut law instructs the Secretary of State to place on the ballot any person who is "generally and seriously advocated or recognized according to the reports in the national or state news media." Any candidate not placed on the ballot by the Secretary of State must gather his or her signatures. In Florida and Georgia, three party officials simply choose the nominees. Winger advises would-be candidates to "be ready to go out in the street and convince a lot of people to sign a piece of paper." A candidate must also have money in the bank. Hiring a firm to circulate cir·cu·late v. cir·cu·lat·ed, cir·cu·lat·ing, cir·cu·lates v.intr. 1. To move in or flow through a circle or circuit: blood circulating through the body. 2. petitions can cost up to $2.50 per signature. Election 2004 Countdown >>SEPTEMBER 1, 2003 Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894. marks the unofficial start of the 2004 presidential campaign. >>JANUARY 19, 2004 The Iowa caucuses Since 1972, the Iowa caucus has been the first major electoral event of the nominating process for President of the United States. It has served as an early indication of which candidate for President of the United States might win the nomination of his or her political party at (meetings to choose delegates to the party conventions) are the first major events leading up to the 2004 presidential election. >>JANUARY 27, 2004 All eyes will be on New Hampshire New Hampshire, one of the New England states of the NE United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts (S), Vermont, with the Connecticut R. forming the boundary (W), the Canadian province of Quebec (NW), and Maine and a short strip of the Atlantic Ocean (E). , which holds the "first in the nation" primary election. >>MARCH 2, 2004 Candidates hope to "sweep" on Super Tuesday “Super Tuesday” redirects here. For ESPN program, see Super Tuesday (TV series). In the United States, Super Tuesday commonly refers to a Tuesday in early March of a presidential election year. , when the greatest number of states hold caucuses and primaries. >>JUNE 8, 2004 Montana and New Jersey are the last states to hold presidential primaries. >>JULY 26-29, 2004 The Democratic National Convention nominates its presidential and vice-presidential candidates in Boston, Massachusetts “Boston” redirects here. For other uses, see Boston (disambiguation). Boston is the capital and most populous city of Massachusetts.[3] The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the unofficial economic and cultural center of the entire New . >>AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 4, 2004 Delegates to the Republican National Convention meet in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. to nominate President George W. Bush for re-election. >>NOVEMBER 2, 2004 General Election Day >>DECEMBER 13, 2004 Electors meet in their state capitals to vote for President and Vice President. >>JANUARY 20, 2005 Inauguration INAUGURATION. This word was applied by the Romans to the ceremony of dedicating some temple, or raising some man to the priesthood, after the augurs had been consulted. It was afterwards applied to the installation (q.v. Day ELECTION WORDS POWER BOX * Electoral College A group of people, chosen by the voters from every state, who elect the U.S. President and Vice President * Primary Election An election held by a political party to determine the party's candidate in a general election Your Turn THINK ABOUT IT 1. Which system do you prefer: the Electoral College or direct popular vote? Why? 2. If the Electoral College were replaced by the popular vote, why might the concerns of smaller states be ignored? LESSON PLANS OBJECTIVES Students should understand: * The U.S. Constitution's requirements for electing a President and how the Electoral College functions. TEACHING STRATEGY Ask students to consider why there has never been a woman President, and which well-known woman might be an ideal presidential candidate. BACKGROUND The 12th Amendment, ratified rat·i·fy tr.v. rat·i·fied, rat·i·fy·ing, rat·i·fies To approve and give formal sanction to; confirm. See Synonyms at approve. by the states in 1804, created the system in which electors vote for one person as President and another for Vice President. Previously, electors voted for two candidates without identifying which person they wanted for President. The candidate receiving the most electoral votes would become President and the runner-up would become Vice President. If candidates tied, the House of Representatives would choose between the two. This happened in 1800 when Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr burr (bur) bur. burr n. Variant of bur. burr 1. a plant seed capsule carrying many hooked structures which catch in animal coats thus promoting dissemination of the plant. each received the same number of votes. The House, voting by state, elected Jefferson as the third U.S. President. THINKING SKILLS MAIN IDEA: For whom do people actually vote during a presidential election? (People vote for a slate of electors that will later cast official ballots for U.S. President and Vice President. This system is known as the Electoral College.) MAKING JUDGEMENTS: Why is it unlikely that the Electoral College system will be replaced? (Changing the system requires a constitutional amendment. Two thirds of the Senate and the House would have to approve the change. Three fourths of the states would then have to agree.) ACTIVITY POLITICAL OUTSIDERS: Instruct students to write a biography of a third-party or independent presidential candidate in U.S. history. Students should explain that candidate's political platform and how his or her candidacy affected the election's outcome. |
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