The Election
Process
From Candidate to Nominee to
President
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Selecting a Vice-President
 Also at the
convention, the
nominated President
will select a running
mate, the VicePresident.
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.
Now what …
H. Ross Perot, 1992
 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.
Election Day
 On the first Tuesday
of November (unless
it is the first day of
the month), everyone
votes for their
candidate for
President.
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.
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.
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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.
The Electoral College
 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.
2000 Presidential Results
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?
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.
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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 vicepresidential candidates.
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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
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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
7/14/2017
president.
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Proposals for Reform
 Eliminate electors but still count electoral
votes.
 Choose the president by direct popular
election.
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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.
2008 Presidential Election
Results