Political Parties, Campaigns and Elections in American Politics

An election is an organized process of choosing a person to lead others. National elections take place every two years, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. In national elections, Americans vote for the people who will serve in the federal government, including legislators and the president. Presidential elections are held every four years. Each state runs its own state elections, and some states require that people reside in a state for a certain amount of time before they can vote there. Within states, there are local elections for cities and towns for positions such as mayor.

On voting day, eligible voters go to their polling place where they cast a ballot. If people are unable to get to a polling place, they may vote by absentee ballot. In some elections, voters may cast their votes early at polling places. All of the votes are counted, and the results are announced. Voting is private. No one has to tell whom he or she voted for.

American citizens must meet certain qualifications to vote. Voters must be citizens of the United States and be at least 18 years of age. Citizens are not required to pay a tax to vote; however, they do need to register. To register, people fill out a form with their address and other basic information.

Leading up to the presidential election, parties hold primary elections to determine who will run for their party. In a primary election, candidates from a party run against one another to become the party’s candidate in a general election, the election where voters determine which party’s candidate will take office. When candidates seek election, they run a political campaign. For a period of time leading up to the election, the candidates explain their principles and try to win people’s votes.

In political campaigns, candidates tend to explain what problems they see and offer their ideas for solutions. Candidates try to reach voters in several ways. They pay for advertisements on radio, television, billboards, direct mail, and the Internet. They call people’s homes, email voters, and participate in social media feeds. Candidates for office may debate each other on their ideas or attend town hall meetings, where they speak directly to voters about their ideas. People who believe strongly in a candidate can join the campaign, spreading the candidate’s message to other voters.

The electoral process is the method by which the president is elected. Voters are called the electorate. Every American citizen can cast a ballot for a candidate for president, but the voters do not elect the president. The popular vote is the term for the people’s voting choice—that is, the candidate who receives the most votes wins the popular vote. However, the president is elected by the Electoral College, which is made up of representatives from each state who are selected to vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in that state. The electoral vote is the choice made by the electors, the members of the Electoral College.

The Electoral College is described in Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution. Some of the Framers of the Constitution feared that some political parties and groups could become so powerful that they could become tyrannical in their ability to dominate elections. Their intention in creating the Electoral College was to allow the American electorate to vote for the president but allowing knowledgeable electors to cast the final decision.

In the Electoral College, each state has a certain number of electors that is equal to the state’s number of senators and representatives in Congress. To become president of the United States, a candidate must earn at least half of the electoral votes. Because of the Electoral College, the person who receives the majority of the popular votes for president is not always elected president. This has happened several times.