How the President is elected in the USA: 10 interesting facts about the electoral process
The President is the head of government. What do you need to do to become one? According to the US Constitution, the president must be a citizen of that country and must not be under 35 years of age. An interesting fact is that the president becomes not only the head of state but also the head of government.
9 PHOTOS
1. Previously, the president was elected in several ways:
Election of the President by members of Congress.
The president is elected by the state legislatures
The President is elected by the citizens of the United States.
2. Now, the President of the United States is elected by the Electoral College. On the ballots, citizens do not vote for a specific candidate, but for an elector. Then this elector casts his vote in favor of a certain candidate. Each state determines how these electors are chosen.
3. Typically, the selection of electors occurs at state party conferences. Today it is about 538 electors. The most representative states are Texas, California, and New York.
4. How do elections start? The first stage is the primaries. Americans choose candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties, who then will fight for the presidency. The advantage of their system is that citizens can personally choose a party candidate.
5. The second shock consists of the fact that the leadership of the parties officially approves all the candidates. In the end, only 2 lucky candidates for the presidency remain.
6. The third stage is the most important. All US citizens elect state representatives, a president, and electors. It is the electors who will ultimately cast their votes for one of the presidential candidates. The last step is the final one.
7. The fourth stage is all in the hands of the electors! Each of them casts their votes for a particular candidate. This usually happens at the end of December. As mentioned earlier, the maximum number of votes is 538. The results are approved by the Houses of Congress and announced in January of the next year.
8. However, there is a lot of controversy about this electoral system. Some are sure that this system can fail, and that presidential elections are indirect. Others believe that the president should be elected not specifically by the states, but by the entire population. You can argue for a long time, but so far they are not going to change anything.
9. Despite the difficulties and intricate US electoral system, citizens still trust it. Elections are a peculiar process, but it is part of the American political tradition, and there is no escape from it.
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