Presidential elections are always a big event, regardless of the country in which they occur. At these turning points, the fate of millions, and sometimes billions, of people is being decided. When the presidential election is held in such a huge and powerful state as the United States, or, for example, here in Russia, this event is for the whole globe, because the major powers set the trend for all other countries and decide geopolitics around the world. Perhaps that is why even people far from politics begin to follow the course of events.
This article is about the upcoming US elections. The reader will learn about their similarities and differences with a similar process in our state. In addition, we describe how the US electoral system works and indicate its pros and cons.
Basic principles of the device
So how does the US election system work? Power in the United States is divided into three branches:
- legislative;
- judicial;
- executive.
In this, their system is similar to ours. Representatives of the legislative and executive branches are selected by voting, and in the judicial branch they can also be appointed (depending on the laws of a particular state).
The US Congress is the main legislative body, it is divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate. The first includes 435 members, who are elected for 2 years. 2 people from each state for 6 years are elected to the Senate.
The US electoral system briefly looks like this - the president, as well as the vice president, are elected by the electoral college, while taking into account the votes of the population. The college is equal in number to Congress, with the exception of the District of Columbia. She has no congressmen, but there are three electoral votes. In total, the number of members is 538 members. The US electoral system will be presented in more detail below.
A bit of history
The first presidential election in the United States of America took place in 1789. At that time, George Washington was the leader and was actually elected unanimously. He was a very strong political figure and was very popular among the electorate. At that time, only 10 states participated in the elections.
The election system of the US president is strictly regulated by the first and second articles of the US Constitution. In addition, there are a number of regulatory acts aimed at improving the process. As a result, the US electoral system includes the following laws:
- From 1965, which allows all ethnic groups to vote without exception.
- From 1984 on the creation of equipped platforms for voters with disabilities.
- A law passed in 1993 related to the registration of voters.
In addition to the above, there are a number of measures aimed at combating fraudulent activities and various frauds.
If you do not go into too much detail, chapters and amendments, then only two people are elected on the federal principle (when residents of the whole country vote) - this is the president and vice president. Nevertheless, due to the national features of the management system, elections are held not directly, but in two stages, with the help of the electoral college.
The college was created in 1787, its essence is that in each state special representatives are elected, who, in turn, elect the president. The very essence of creating such a union is a little absurd, but at the same time is the norm for its time. The college was created so that voters do not vote for candidates openly dangerous for the integrity of the United States, for example, various radicals and extremists. And although the idea itself is a little contrary to democracy, the system has been functioning properly for more than two hundred years.
Voter Rights
The United States has the strictest voter registration system. Only those voters who registered at polling stations participate in the elections. Due to the peculiarity of the system, many voters are deprived of the right to vote, for example, due to a change of place of residence or due to a failure to appear. At the same time, an extremely small number of potential voters are able to regain the opportunity to elect.
In addition, in some states there is a tendency for a large number of youth not to be included in the voter lists, but it is impossible to give exact numbers here, since there is no centralized population registration system.
Electoral Requirements
As a rule, these are famous people who can be trusted to represent the interests of the state. In general, electors and primaries are features of the US electoral system. Often among them there are politicians, human rights defenders and other trusted people.
The number of electors is equal to the number of congressional representatives of a particular state. The logic is simple - the larger the population, the more officials with whom the US electoral system operates. The scheme with the number of officials here is similar to any large state. In some states, electors are appointed by party leaders (Republican and Democratic), and in some, direct elections are used by voting.
Presidential Candidate Requirements
As in most countries, the key criterion is the presence of citizenship of a presidential candidate, in addition, he must be born in the United States. The minimum age of the nominee must be equal to 35 years, and this person must live in America for more than 14 years.
A candidate may not be president more than twice. A standard set of requirements, the same is practiced in our country and in many other countries.
Election scheme
Based on the actions described above, you can make some kind of election algorithm and how the presidential election system in the United States works. Here is a sample workflow:
- The process of selecting electors is ongoing.
- Those who win the most votes win.
- Electors vote for a particular presidential candidate.
- The results are sent to the US Congress.
- The meeting of the chambers of Congress is counting the votes.
- The winner is the one with the most votes.
US Electoral System: Leading Parties
Republicans and Democrats are the two strongest and oldest parties in the United States. What is their difference?
Democrats are a socially oriented party. Their motto is support for the poorer segments of the population, various benefits for the unemployed, free medicine, a ban on the death penalty. In general, the policy of this party is more liberal, this is expressed in various progressive laws, concessions and budgeting.
Republicans are more conservative. Adhere to more stringent views on government, and this is reflected in many factors. For example, a more rational distribution of budget funds, a bet on patriotism and power, protection of the middle class and business.
There are other parties, but they do not have such money, nor such support as the two above. It is very difficult for candidates from them to get into the congress and at least somehow advance their interests. The same applies to the presidential election - no one will notice the nominees from such parties.
Primaries
This is, in fact, the primary. Each party has its own vote, which decides who will be the only presidential candidate. This determines how the US electoral system works. In short, there are 2 types of primaries - indoor and outdoor.
In the first case, only members of parties in which the candidate is elected vote, and in the second, everyone can vote. An interesting feature of the American system is that there are no main party branches with a single leadership. Instead, each state has its own Democrats and Republicans.
The voting process is not regulated in any way by any single law of the country, and in each state this happens in its own way. Somewhere, parties select the main candidates, and sometimes vote for regional leaders.
Current state of affairs
Now is the year 2016, which means that the 58th presidential election is on the way. The specific election date is November 8th. There are currently two presidential candidates from the Democrats - Hillary Clinton, who served as secretary of state, and Bernard Sanders, who is a senator in one of the states. Their opponent is Republican Donald Trump, a billionaire leading a very aggressive advertising campaign.
Hillary Clinton is a strong Democratic candidate. She has extensive experience in political and administrative activities. She is known not only for being married to the 42nd President of the United States of America, but also for her career as a senator (New York State), and also as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013.
Hillary Clinton's campaign represents quite strong promises regarding the US economy. This will be reflected in an increase in wages for the middle class, in addition, this is an increase in the minimum wage, as well as budgeting for the social sphere.
Bernard Sanders is the second strongest candidate for the Democratic Party. He was born in 1941, and began his political career in 1972, in an attempt to take the place of governor of Vermont (he lost this election). Further, until 1981, he was haunted by a series of setbacks, but Sanders still took over as mayor of Burlington. He was elected to this post three times and later tried to break into Congress as an independent candidate. In 1990, he does it. Then he became a congressman for a long time, and then took the post of senator from the state of Vermont.
The election program of this candidate is very interesting. Sanders is a favorite of U.S. youth. He is considered one of the most honest presidential candidates. The essence of his program is to increase social equality in the United States of America by creating a more affordable health insurance system, strengthening supervision of the financial sector, helping those in need, and access to higher education.
Donald Trump is the strongest Republican. He was a widely public figure before the start of the election race. Known as a successful billionaire businessman, as well as a media person. He often speaks to representatives of the media, owns a large construction company, a chain of hotels and casinos, in addition, Trump has written several books on business.
Donald Trump's powerful election program is designed for the conservative part of the US population. He is a fierce opponent of migrants and promises to fight illegal citizens from Mexico and other countries. Like other candidates, it has ideas related to health care reform. In his case, the essence of reform is to reduce the cost of insurance for both the state and citizens themselves. In addition, he advocates supporting business, stimulating the economy and his views on foreign policy.
Cons of the US Electoral System
No matter how well-deserved the US electoral system, criticism notes in it some disadvantages. The most obvious is that the parties of Democrats and Republicans are financed from the budget. At the same time, other political associations do not have such an opportunity, since they must gain at least 5% of the vote in previous elections. It turns out a vicious circle. Classic falsification schemes can also be used, for example, a kind of stuffing. That is, when the voting processes are served by private companies, opponents can easily bribe them.
Also in the country there is a very bad scheme that determines how the entire US electoral system works. In the 19th century, technology such as jerrymandering was first applied. This is a drawing of electoral districts, which allows you to identify potential voters on a territorial or ethnic basis, for example, so that residents of certain provinces vote for a particular candidate in connection with personal preferences (ethnic, political, in connection with certain promises).
pros
Nevertheless, the US electoral system, the scheme of which is presented in the article, has its own advantages. Still, the geography of constituencies can be a plus. US suffrage and the electoral system are designed in such a way that if most of the participants in the election mechanism follow all the rules, this will make it possible to select the favorite of voters most accurately, while taking into account the wishes of both small rural areas and residents of major US cities, even though to fundamental differences in the interests of these categories of citizens.
Our system
The electoral system of the United States and Russia is similar, firstly, in that in both cases the majority makes a decision. A democratic approach is a key similarity between the two states.
Secondly, both in the USA and in our country the electoral system is built on the constitution. However, this principle works in all developed countries, but it is especially appreciated in these two superpowers. In our state, any citizen who has reached 18 years of age has the right to vote.
The election system in our country refers to the election of deputies of the State Duma, the President, some other bodies of the federal level, in addition, the election methods used in the above bodies are also applied at the time of voting for positions in regional and municipal entities.
One presidential term in our state is equal to six years. The minimum age of the president is 35 years, in addition, he must live in the country for at least 10 years. At least 100 people nominate a candidate for the association; moreover, their duties include the collection of 1 million signatures.
The election is called by the Federation Council. The process is carried out on time (no earlier than 100 days and no later than 90 days before the day). Legislation is set for voting day on the second Sunday of the month in which previous elections were held. Potential presidents are nominated either from parties or independently. Later, the Central Election Commission registers candidates who meet the necessary requirements, including supporting the required number of voters.
Voting is conducted in specially equipped precincts, under strict control by the public (for this many different regulatory legal acts have been adopted, the legislation is still being improved). People who come to the polls should mark the candidate in the ballot and place the latter in a special sealed ballot box.
Counting of votes is carried out in several stages, starting from the place of voting and through territorial and regional bodies it reaches the CEC. The Central Election Commission is obliged to announce the results 10 days after the vote.
