In contrast to a system based on districts and pluralities, proportional representation countries typically have four or more parties. Even though centrist parties receive the most votes, these countries are frequently ruled by coalitions of two or more parties. As everyone’s vote counts in this system, voter turnout is exceptionally high. When it comes to electoral systems, the United States is at the far end of the spectrum, with a single-member district plurality system that has resulted in relatively small and ephemeral third parties. This leads to certain issues, such as low voter turnout, the election being a candidate-selection process, and corruption.
The fact that a president is elected by the entire country explains why the American two-party system is much more rigid. In a single-member district legislative system, there is at least some room for post-election alliances between two parties. The power elite’s domination of both political parties encourages the worst characteristics of a two-party system: avoiding problems, collusion, and focusing on the politicians’ character. There is a substantial body of political science research on how elected officials from both parties use a variety of techniques to vote their policy preferences, even when they are opposed by a majority of people and win reelection (Domhoff, 2022). The distribution of valuable experiences and goods within a community can be considered the most prominent and persistent result of the social system’s power dynamics. People in American society, for example, want to own property, make a good living, and live long and healthy lives (Domhoff, 2005). As there is no political party to establish and disseminate a platform representing their economic interests and preferences, many individuals in the United States can be convinced to vote based on their race, religion, or ethnicity rather than their social class. Therefore, the electoral system is best understood as a candidate-selection process from a power standpoint.
The United States’ election system is more complicated than most countries worldwide because it is a two-party system, and the voters do not directly participate in the governmental decision. It can lead to specific problems; for instance, during the election, the parties are more focused on the candidate’s personality, low voter turnout, and the citizens’ vote based on their race and religion, not on their political and social position. As a result, the United States’ election is considered a candidate election process rather than the parties’ election.
References
Domhoff, W. G. (2022). Who Rules America? The Corporate Rich, White Nationalist Republicans, and Inclusionary Democrats in the 2020s. Taylor and Francis.
Domhoff, W. G. (2005). Basics of Studying Power. Who Rules America? Web.
National polls are a tool used to gather opinions on a certain subject from a particular sample of people representing the same population. The primary goal of such polls is to get an image of an overall nationwide opinion judging by the answers given in the poll. Thereby, population in such polls is usually people representing the same nation or the people living in the same country. For example, polls related to political election and similar matters are associated with general adult population of the country where election is taking place – in other words, the voters (Gelman, 2021). It means that whoever creates such polls is interested in receiving an opinion of people who want to and can vote. That information can be used for predicting, for instance, which person will take a particular political post. The sample in this case would be a specific group of voters that had expressed their wish to participate in such a poll. The differences between sample and population and the correlated potential errors are the main challenge faced by any poll (Gelman, 2021). A poll results can be different for two samples of the same population.
There is an exemplifying poll related to the upcoming election day for the Congress. The poll is a generic ballot aimed to identify whether American voters want to see democrats of republicans in Congress (FiveThirtyEight, 2022). In this case, the poll’s population is the American citizens, and the poll’s sample is people who gave their opinion to the organization conducting the poll, namely FiveThirtyEight. The upcoming election will happen on November 8, 2022, determining which politicians will take seats in Congress this time (FiveThirtyEight, 2022). However, people can already use the national poll to see how many American citizens support democrats, and who is on the republicans’ side.
Public opinion is an important component of the political space in a democratic government as it is useful when determining the preferences of the electorate. Political representatives can use public opinion when making assessments to determine which policies work to the advantage of their electorates and those that enhance their stay in power (Strikovic, et al. 136). Similarly, public opinion can be used as a parameter to measure the satisfaction levels of the masses with their elected leaders. When dissatisfied, the masses can channel their dissatisfaction through different avenues of public opinion to keep the leadership in check. Politicians who fail to take into account the perspectives of their electorate risk not only losing their political mileage but also being voted out of office altogether. Given the influence of public opinion on political discourse, it is considered an indispensable component of any democratic government.
In the US, the presidential elections are held slightly differently from the elections of other political offices. Primarily, all other political positions are determined by the popular vote, whereas the presidential elections are conducted through the Electoral College. Presidential primaries are usually conducted in January and/or February of the election year and are presided over by state and local authorities. Caucuses are then used to vote publicly for preferred candidates. Depending on the population size, each state is accorded a number of delegates who act as representatives in the national party convention, where each major party decides the preferred presidential candidate. On the day of the elections, voters cast their ballots where they indirectly elect the President and the Vice President. Using a winner-takes-all process, election winners are accorded all electors in a state (Polyas). A candidate is only declared a winner if they win at least 270 electors from a possible 538 electors present.
Strikovic, Edina, et al. “On Behalf of the People: The Use of Public Opinion and the Perception of “the People” in Political Communication Strategies of Dutch MPs.” The International Journal of Press/Politics, vol. 25, no. 1, 2019, pp. 135-157.
The course of congressional elections is mainly guided by the actions of individuals and entities involved in the process, and revealing the importance of all participants for the results is possible when examining their roles. From this perspective, the decisions of candidates to run for office and their initial motivation are quite informative for the above goal. In addition, the way Congress reacts to the corresponding procedures can be viewed as an appropriate source of data on how the balance between people and organizations is maintained. When complemented by general factors affecting the elections, they can shed light on how the political system actually works. Therefore, the candidate’s motivation, Congress’ responses, and the main conditions influencing the outcomes are critical for understanding the principles behind this procedure.
Candidate’s Decisions: Factors
The first aspect is how candidates make initial decisions to run for office, presented by several conditions. First, the possibility of long-term gains, including high salaries, opportunities for further employment, and other sources of income provided by the position, is critical (Gulzar, 2021). These advantages motivate people to win the elections while spending money on campaigns. Second, the promotion of specific policies is a circumstance triggering one’s desire to be politically active (Gulzar, 2021). Third, subjective beliefs, such as the improper state of the political environment, which can be improved, lead to individuals’ intentions to make a change (Gulzar, 2021). In this way, a candidate’s initial decision to run for office is guided by long-term gains, the possibility to promote their views, and the chance to affect the system as a whole.
Elections and the Actions of Congress
The second issue under examination is the way elections has an impact on the actions of Congress, and this area is also multifold. When exercising its authority, this body is responsible for supporting appropriate voter qualification standards, thereby determining which candidates can actually run for office (Tolson, 2019). After imposing such limits, its sphere of influence also includes the specification of details, such as the time and place of elections, alongside ensuring that applicable constitutional provisions are respected (Tolson, 2019). Hence, it can be stated that the actions of Congress during elections are aligned with the main regulations concerning the performance of tasks for establishing their correspondence to the existing practices.
Key Factors, Affecting Elections
The third aspect, allowing to determine the course of this procedure, is the presence of a variety of factors affecting the outcomes. For instance, ongoing presidential elections can be used as the grounds for expressing the concerns of candidates in Congress and supporting specific agendas introduced on the state level, thereby linking both processes (King, 2019). Voter turnout can modify the preferences of the population as a whole and guarantee support for a person whose focus is on particular issues prioritized by citizens (King, 2019). In turn, campaign finance is critical for this initiative, and the presence of significant funds for some candidates increases their chances to win. Thus, the main factors, in this case, are financial resources, federal policies, and shaped mindsets of voters, and they can determine the results of elections.
Conclusion
In conclusion, congressional elections are affected by individuals’ motivation to run for office, reflected in long-term benefits, promotion of one’s agenda, and the possibility of global impact. Their course is also modified by the actions of Congress, which guarantees the constitutionality of procedures. As for the other factors influencing the outcomes, they include voter turnout, presidential elections, and financial capabilities and require a certain degree of flexibility from candidates to manipulate the political environment.
References
Gulzar, S. (2021). Who enters politics and why? Annual Review of Political Science, 24, 253-275.
King, J. D. (2019). Explaining and predicting midterm congressional election outcomes: Factoring in opposition party strategy. The Forum, 17(2), 209-230.
Apart from presidential elections, there are also congressional ones, and although they do not receive as much attention from the wider public, they remain extremely important. Congressional elections and their results directly influence the policies adopted by the government and affect the lives of all citizens of the country. Therefore, it is crucial to explore candidates’ motivations to run for congressional office and determine the impact of the elections on Congress itself.
When a person decides to run for any type of office, they have a strong motivation to do it, which can be based on several reasons. The first and the most common reason why people decide to run for office is the desire to assist the community they live in or somehow belong to. Since congresspeople represent their constituencies, they have the power to propose and adopt policies that can solve local problems (Herrnson et al., 2019). As a result, if they have ideas about how to solve the issues of their state, people will run for office to try to pass legislation that will implement positive changes. Another factor that influences a candidate’s initial decision to run for office is the willingness to advance a certain global cause they believe in. For instance, candidates may be interested in advocating for adopting legislation to prevent climate change or ensuring racial and gender diversity in governmental institutions.
Elections, in their turn, have a considerable influence on the actions of Congress and the policies it adopts. First, the elections help decide which party will have the majority in the two chambers of Congress. When one party has the majority in both chambers of Congress, it finds it much easier to propose and adopt bills consistent with its agenda. Thus, congressional elections directly influence the agenda and the type of bills produced by Congress for the next two years (Jacobson & Carson, 2019). Another type of influence of the elections on Congress’ actions is the candidates chosen by the voters. In every party, there are factions that have their own agendas differing from those of other factions. Thus, the actions of Congress also depend on which factions will be voted into office by citizens. Thus, elections play a major role in influencing the bills which Congress will work on in the future.
Elections themselves are influenced by a myriad of factors, some of which can be extremely crucial. For instance, voter turnout is one of the main components of every election because the more people vote for a certain candidate, the more likely they are to win. As a result, when a party or candidate faces a low voter turnout, they become likely to fail the election campaign and get the result they need. Residential elections also impact congressional ones since voters are likely to vote for the candidate who belongs to the same party as the President if the latter’s actions are approved by the majority of citizens. Thus, candidates of one of the parties can have an advantage in such situations. Finally, campaign finance is also important since candidates with large campaign funds can target more people and conduct their campaigns more effectively (Stonecash, 2019). Thus, elections and their results are shaped by a variety of factors of different levels of significance.
Congressional elections constitute one of the key elements of the political system of the United States and have a vital role in society. People choose to run for office because they wish to bring benefit to their community or advocate for causes they deem important. Elections and their results also directly affect the actions of Congress and the type of bills proposed by its members. Elections are influenced by numerous factors, including candidates’ campaign finance and voter turnout.
References
Herrnson, P., Panagopoulos, C., &, Bailey, K. (2019). Congressional elections: Campaigning at home and in Washington. CQ Press.
Jacobson, G., & Carson, J. (2019). The politics of congressional elections. Rowman & Littlefield.
Stonecash, J. (2019). Interpreting congressional elections: The curious case of the incumbency effect. Routledge.
On August 15, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for early elections. This September election was an opportunistic move two years before the next election. As the leader of the Liberal Party, Trudeau has ruled with a majority of seats in the House of Commons since 2019 (Grenier, 2021). In the summer of 2021, the Liberal Party was doing well in the polls, and the call for the election was to try to translate that voting support into a majority government (Grenier, 2021). The context of the pandemic has made this election unique in Canada and a rare company worldwide. Almost a million Canadians voted by mail (20 times more than in the last election), and another 5.8 million voted early. 99.96% of the votes were counted, and the ultimate turnout was 61.98 percent. The election result also surprised many observers in Canada. Until the last days of the election campaign, polls showed that a Conservative victory was the most likely outcome (or that the election was too close to make predictions). Ultimately, Canadians gave the Liberals the most seats in parliament without a majority.
Discussion
During the election, the scandal around Prime Minister Justin a Trudeau resumed again, who announced on June 25, 2020, that the government had chosen WE Charity to manage Canada’s long-promised $912 million student service grant. The program would have provided up to $5,000 to young people who volunteer for COVID-19-related issues in the summer and fall (Hudson, 2021). However, there were complaints from the opposition parties that Trudeau’s family was affiliated with WE Charity. The Ethics Commissioner on July 3, 2020, announced an investigation into Trudeau and the government’s decision to have the charity run a summer student grant program that could help students financially during COVID-19 (Hudson, 2021). The Commission found that Trudeau’s family and cabinet members were improperly paid.
Polls during the election campaign showed that the difference between Liberals and Conservatives was two percentage points or less, which indicated a virtually equal national race. However, the distribution of votes by region gave the Liberals an advantage in counting seats — as it was in 2019 when the Liberals lost the popular vote but won more seats than the Conservatives. Until the last few days, many experts predicted the victory of the Conservative Party, which focused on more advanced healthcare spending, ethical rules in politics, and economic recovery (Tasker, 2021). On the other hand, the Liberal Party emphasized housing issues, environmental concerns, and improved childcare policies (Tasker, 2021). Ultimately, the election results were similar to the 2019 outcomes, not changing the political structure.
Moving to the 2025 federal election, the Liberal Party faces numerous concerns. The latest polls show that the Conservative Party has approximately a 5% lead; however, the advantage is not critical, and the new government is likely to last until 2025 (Bricker, 2022). The new leader of the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, presents a real challenge due to the increased influence of the opposition and open criticism of Trudeau’s actions (Bricker, 2022). Moreover, as the research shows, a phenomenon known as an “insincere vote” might occur similar to elections of the past (Schimpf, 2019).
Conclusion
This concept means that when citizens feel that their preferred party is losing popularity, they might switch to the opposition even if they are not confident in its programs and initiatives (Schimpf, 2019). This factor might be detrimental to the Liberal Party in the 2025 federal election in case the Conservatives continue to attract more people.
References
Bricker, Darrell. “With Newly-Elected Poilievre at the Helm, Conservatives (35%, +1) Nudge Ahead of Liberals (30%, -3).” Ipsos, September 28. Web.
Schimpf, Christian. 2019. “Anticipated Election Result and Protest Voting: Why and When Canadian Voters Signal Discontent.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 52, no. 4: 847-863.
As the November US Midterms are nearing, different national issues are anticipated to decide the elections. Major topics dominating the race include abortion rights and the economy. Before the court nullified nationwide abortion rights, inflation was prominent in all political conversations. Today these two issues are still evident in the political divide as each party is performing differently on the two issues. For instance, if one cares about the economy, they are likely to vote for the Republicans, while those inclined towards the economy are likely to vote for the democrats. Sanders is advising the Democrats not to concentrate so much on abortion rights.
The senator asks the democrats to align their campaigns towards issues currently affecting the US economy. The big problem, preserving democracy, has been sidelined in movements toward the 8th November 2022 US Midterm (Hains, 2022). Sanders reveals that it is time for America to re-evaluate its relationship with Saudi Arabia because of its role in the global upsurge in oil prices, support of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and abuse of citizens’ rights and freedoms in the monarchy.
The article is related to level 7, which entails Voting and Elections. The US elections are held to fill federal, state, and local government offices. Within the national level, the head of state within the nation is the president, who the people in every US state indirectly elected through the Electoral College. The US constitution gives citizens over 18 eligibilities to exercise their right to vote irrespective of their sexual orientation, religion, disability, race, or sex.
Apart from North Dakota, every citizen is mandated to vote, with different states having different registration processes. The article elaborates on the situation in the US as the date for the Midterm elections in November approaches. The article outlines critical issues likely to sway voters to vote either for the Republicans or the Democrats. The level 7 discussions on voting and elections are recommended when Federal elections are held in the US. The Midterm election in the US is crucial as they determine who controls the congress, state legislatures, and the governors’ offices. The outcome of the Midterm elections will be influential in winning the 2024 presidential campaign.
The article’s primary political issue is the upcoming US midterm elections on November 8th, which will significantly affect Americans’ daily lives all across the nation. The election results will produce a shift in policy that Americans will notice, since whichever party wins at the federal and state levels will modify or enact new legislation (Hains, 2022). If Republicans win the election, changes to immigration law, the focus on serious offenses, and religious freedom are likely. On the other hand, if the Democrats triumph, they will prioritize topics like environmental protection, healthcare reform, voting rights, and gun control.
The political significance of US relations with Saudi Arabia is also emphasized in the article. I concur with Sanders’ claim that the United States should review its relations with Saudi Arabia. President Biden has tried to reason with Saudi Arabia multiple times in an effort to negotiate better oil prices and supplies. The president appears overconfident in his ability to forge strong ties between the US and Saudi Arabia. The US government cannot continue to cooperate with Saudi Arabia while the Kingdom is improving ties with Russia in support of abuse of human rights.
References
Hains, T. (2022). Bernie Sanders: Thanks To the Right Wing, We’re Debating Democracy Itself Instead of Health Care and Income Inequality. RealClear. Web.
A democratic country must ensure the process is free and fair and that all people participate in the voting process. Since the 2016 election of Donald Trump, the United States has failed at these two metrics where a disputed election in 2020 saw post-election violence. In addition, despite an increased number of youths voting in 2020, their numbers were the smallest of all age groups. This research paper aims to find ways to increase election integrity and perceptions of free and fair elections among Americans. It will also recommend ways to get more youths to vote in the next US presidential election. Secondary sources especially journal articles were used for this research which adopted a descriptive research methodology.
Background
The United States presidential election is a winner take all election, meaning that the loss of an election is always devastating to the contestant and their supporter. In this regard, supporters and candidates do everything possible to clinch the presidency. It is against this background of a winner take all system that the 2020 US presidential election was conducted. The 2020 presidential election pitted the incumbent president at the time (Donald Trump) against his democratic challenger and the current president, Joe Biden.
During his presidency, Trump exhibited unorthodox behavior, and he was widely seen as incompetent due to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other domestic and foreign gaffes. In addition, major polling companies showed that he was losing the presidency to Joe Biden. He dismissed any news about his loss as “fake news” and assured his supporters that he would emerge the winner, just like in 2016 when everybody had doubted him.
However, the 2020 US presidential election turned out very different from what he had imagined and promised to his followers. At the end of the tallying, he was defeated by more than 5 million votes and 74 points in the electoral college. Rather than graciously accept defeat as tradition demanded, former president Trump alleged that the US presidential election of 2020 was rigged. His allegations set off a string of conspiracy theories that culminated in the January 6, occupation of the Capitol building. Donald Trump’s allegations have never been substantiated. However, evidence suggests that a more than usual voter turnout especially among the youth turned the tide in favor of Joe Biden. In addition, the few irregularities that were identified in some voting areas do not qualify to generalize the 2020 US presidential as devoid of integrity.
Aim of the Research
This research aims to propose strategies that can be used to ensure that the US presidential election is above reproach. It will also propose ways to increase youth participation in the political process in the United States, especially voting in the presidential election.
Specific Aims
To propose ways in which the integrity of the American election can be improved.
To propose ways in which more participation by young people in the electoral process can be increased.
Research Project Approach
The research adopted a descriptive methodology and used research from other authors to propose solutions to the research questions. In descriptive research, information is collected without manipulating the variables. It is sometimes called correlational or observational study and focuses on the “what” of a study rather than “why.” However, in this research secondary data sources will be used to meet the specific aims of the research. Secondary sources used information already collected by primary researchers to answer specific research questions. Using secondary sources is beneficial because one does not incur costs associated with raw data collection. The primary secondary data sources for this research were books, print media, and journal articles.
Literature Review
Improving Election Integrity
The 2020 US presidential election saw the polarization of society with accusations of fraud by some quarters who could not stomach their electoral loss. To support their wild accusations, they accused companies that provided the voting technology of being hacked, they also alleged vote stuffing through mail-in voting (Mochtak et al., 2021). Despite their groundless accusations, it is important to improve the integrity and transparency of the elections (Garnett, H., & James).
To ensure that such actions never occur again, it is important to eliminate all opportunities that could enable a future presidential contender to allege that their votes were stolen or that the election was somehow electronically manipulated to ensure they do not ascend to the presidency. To accomplish this, strong cyber security measures that prevent attacks by malicious software and dedicated denial of service attacks are possible. It is also imperative to carry out civil education on the voting and tallying mechanisms and the fail-safes that exist per state to ensure that the election of a president is without material errors that could invalidate it or lead to questions about its integrity.
A Congressional report released before the 2020 US presidential election noted that the vulnerability of the US electoral systems to attacks by malicious software and dedicated denial of service attacks posed the greatest threat to the American electoral system. The report noted that any use of software for voting, tallying or transmission of election results increases the risks of a malware attack (Brown et al., 2020).
In addition, the report was categorical that online voting and transmission of results faced the threat of a denial of service through a DDoS attack. To mitigate this threat, the report noted that the US government could take several steps including boosting its cyber defense and identifying and publicly naming state-sponsored online attacks on US critical systems (Brown et al., 2020). None of the identified cyber-attacks in the report occurred during voting day on November 2020. However, that did not stop the Trump team from alleging that the election was hacked and votes diverted to his rival.
With the US electoral systems not subject to cyberattacks and a dedicated denial of service, the only plausible explanation for what happened on January 6, 2021, is the lack of civic education on voting and electoral systems in the US. At the heart of the ignorance of electoral systems is mail-in voting. Much of the allegations of fraud in 2020 centered on the notion that mail-in votes were dumped at the last minute to change the results of the elections. Unsurprisingly, a significant number of people believed so, especially in areas where the election was too close to call and it took more time to tally the votes. Media reports that a significant number of people do not know what mail-in voting is. This points to a lack of civic education which complicated and led people to believe the 2020 election was rigged in favor of the current president.
Getting more Youth to Vote
Youths are an important constituency for anyone seeking to lead to the US because they constitute more than a fifth of the population. However, despite their impressive numbers and involvement in civic engagements and activism, youths in the US are not represented in Congress and most of them tend not to vote. Their suboptimal representation and refusal to engage in elections undermine the democratic credentials of the United States. Democracy is built on the idea that the government in power represents the face of the country. However, in the United States, the average age for members of the House of Representatives in 2021 was 58.4 years while the average age for Senate members was 64.3 years (Levy, & Akiva, 2019). In addition, the president is almost eighty years old and there are fears that he may be too old by the end of his term as president. Even then, he could opt for reelection because of a lack of an upper limit on the age of a president of the US.
Interestingly, the US constitution requires that any candidate for the United States presidency be at least 35 years, be a natural-born citizen of the US, and must have lived in the US for at least 14 years. At the age of 35 years, one is already past their youthful day and officially enters mid-life. In essence, the US constitution precludes the chance of a youth ever leading the country as president. This implicit ban on youths running for the presidency is one of the reasons many youths fail to turn out to vote. The age difference between them and the people on the ballot means that they cannot relate at the most basic level. The older generation is also removed from the daily life and experiences of young people and with most people electing the older generation, some people may feel that electing one or two young people may not make a difference.
Youth participation in the United States electoral process has traditionally been lower than in other developed countries. The lack of interest in politics by the youth is often attributed to a realization that despite voting, nothing will change. However, despite the relatively smaller number of registered youth voters when compared with other demographics, their full participation has the potential to change US politics completely. For example, a significant number of youths who felt let down by the administration of Donald Trump shifted the election in favor of Joe Biden. Had the voting patterns of the 2016 elections stuck in 2020, the incumbent at the time was guaranteed victory. However, his victory was averted by youth participation in the 2020 election.
Despite the impact of policy decisions made by successive governments affecting young people more, they have historically failed to vote in sufficient numbers that would make a difference (Levy, & Akiva, 2019). Instead, people who could not otherwise be employed by corporations due to their advanced age are entrusted with voting and leading Americans (Daniller, & Mutz, 2019). To encourage young people to participate in elections in the US, researchers propose outreach programs from a young age, and the use of social media, among several others (Persily & Stewart, 2021). Those suggestions will be explored through this research and expanded further.
Conclusion and Summary
The continued existence of the US as a strong democracy will require the building up of trust in public institutions and democratic processes. As the polarization and politicization of issues have shown currently, not much can be done when the country is divided. This research paper contributes to the building of public trust in democratic processes in the US by proposing ways to ensure the integrity of the Presidential election is not questioned and that participation by young people increases. The proposed solution to the integrity issue will also contribute to a cohesive society able to support initiatives by the government in power for the betterment of all people.
Daniller, A., & Mutz, D. (2019). The dynamics of electoral integrity a three-election panel study. Public Opinion Quarterly, 83(1), 46-67. Web.
Garnett, H., & James, T. (2020). Measuring electoral integrity: using practitioner knowledge to assess elections. Taylor & Francis Online, 31(3). Web.
Levy, B., & Akiva, T. (2019). Motivating political participation among youth: An analysis of factors related to adolescents’ political engagement. Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship. 31. Web.
Almost every nation in the world conducts presidential elections at one point in time. This is done so that the nation can choose a leader of their choice to rule and govern them. As such, presidential elections are significant in all nations since the citizens get the opportunity to choose the president of their country.
Different government systems use different methods to elect their presidents as well as conducting the election process at different periods. In this paper, the USA presidential election process as well as the criterion used in elections will be discussed.
In the United States, elections are normally carried out on the Election Day which falls between the 2nd and 8th of November after every four years. The trend in the United States from 1792 has been that the presidential elections take place quadrennially. For instance, the previously held elections in the USA took place November 4, 2008. In that case, the next presidential elections are bound to take place on November 6, 2012 according to the stipulated election laws.
The laws of the state and federal government normally regulate the USA presidential elections (Mayer and Bernstein). As such, the process entails a certain number of electors from the Electoral College being allocated to each state. The allocation is made in such a way that it corresponds to the number of senators as well as the Representatives of the U.S Congress.
The candidates wishing to contest for any post in the government are required to be certified by the Congress as early as in the month of January in the Election year. The voters on the other hand are given the authority to vote for any candidate they deem fit for the post according to their opinion. In order to ensure fairness in the elections, the votes are cast in secured ballot boxes.
For one to be certified as a presidential candidate in the United States they must bear the following characteristics:
They must be 35 years and above
They must have been U.S residents for a period of at least 14 years.
They must be native citizens of USA by birth.
They must have served as USA presidents for only one term or none at all.
From the above requirements, it means that one cannot be elected as the president of the USA for a third term. In that case, the constitution stipulates that the presidents are only to serve for a maximum of two terms only. In addition to this, the presidential candidates are normally selected through primary elections conducted by the delegates of the political party. In this case, the presidential candidate is entitled to win the nomination by a majority vote from the delegates.
In other instances, the presidential candidates are selected because of the prominence they have in the party. In the presidential election, a number of candidates contest for the seat depending on the number chosen from different parties. For instance, during the 2008 USA presidential elections, two candidates from the Republican and Democrats parties contested the seat.
Once the presidential candidate wins the election, they are given the option of selecting their vice presidents. As the trend has been in the United States, most presidential candidates normally have running mates who end up being the vice-president once the candidate wins.
Works Cited
Mayer, William and Bernstein, Jonathan. The Making of the Presidential Candidates. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012. Print.
USA has held more elections than many other countries in the world. Nonetheless, some of these elections record a low voter turnout. It has also had weak political parties with many political offices to fill. There are two political parties that fill all office vacancies. Voter participation has been high in parliamentary democracies where few elections have taken place.
The question arises on how best people can achieve democracy. This is possible through limiting the number of elected offices, focusing voter attention and increasing political participation or keeps the wide range of elected offices with a correspondingly lower rate of political participation. This paper seeks to give views on how the government can increase participation in elections.
USA has many elective offices; on estimation there are about 521,000 posts filled through the election process. As a result, there are many names for voters to familiarize themselves with, which largely de-motivates voters. The mechanics of voting procedures also are another reason for low voter turnout. To increase voter turnout, government needs to reduce offices to be filled in the elective process. This will reduce the names the voters need to know before the election date.
Reform programs can play a role to increase the voter turnout. Nevertheless, these restructures need to focus on the benefits and voting cost. Usually, the winner in an election spends more than his or her opponent. It is important for challengers than for incumbent to outspend the loser.
Incumbents have been correspondingly receptive to restricting spending. The campaign money comes from some major donors. These reforms limited how much an individual could give to a candidate in each election, authorized public funding for primary elections and presidential general campaign and allowed organizations to establish political action committees to fundraise. This shows that current reforms focus on campaign cost only.
A free and fair election process shows how democratic a country is. Democracy is the freedom to do what one wants so long as it is within the law without a person forcing another to do against his or her will.
America is a democratic country; the constitution is the huddle on the way to force people to register as voters and vote. Policies are the tools that will urge people to register and vote. Make good policies by the candidates and urge people to register to support the policy. Policies, however, good they maybe will encounter opposition, slowing change.
It is accurate that election campaign should insight people to participate in election in large numbers. Prior governing experience is not necessary during campaigns. The voter turnout in a presidential election has decreased drastically by a margin of 10 percent since 1960, from 62 percent to 52 percent.
People no longer value politicians as they did years ago. The most preferred candidate could be that he/she has not enough money to do the regular advertising that his /her opponents do. Two years to elections, Television will start airing campaign adverts for a certain candidate. This candidate could not be the people’s choice thus demoralizing them from registering. The merit is for the most popular candidate. Therefore, I agree with the author of Op-Ed Case Study.
In conclusion, so as to increase voters turn out, government needs to eliminate most of the elections de-motivators. Policies that encourage voters to vote can help achieve this objective. It is essential to give the voters a reason to vote. This will surely increase their numbers during elections.