- Editorials
How do presidential elections take place? An insight into the 2020 presidential election in the USA.
We are often curious about who our future president may be, what their values will bring, and how they might carry out their term of the presidency—but are we aware of how candidates are elected and win over the nation’s hearts? How exactly are they chosen? Are the best methods being used to choose a political leader? Or could
The United States follows and utilizes a central process for presidential elections in order to maximize its efficiency. Candidates ‘running for president’ should be aware of the regulations listed by the US Constitution, however, there are three conditions established by the government. First, the applicant must be conceived in the US and be a citizen. Secondly, the candidate should be at least 35 years old. Lastly, the candidate must hold residential experience in the US for at least 14 years.
1. Primaries and Caucuses
The two central political parties, Democrats and Republicans, begin campaigning for their selected nominees a year before the elections. This can be done by giving speeches, participating in discussions, and speaking out for the community, in order to win popular support from the citizens. The two methods, primaries and caucuses, although different, both serve the purpose to select each party’s presidential nominee. According to USA Today, primary elections are run by the state government while caucuses take place within the party. During a primary election, voters cast secret ballots and if it is an open process, a person registered in the
2. National Convention
Although numerous candidates are selected during the primaries and caucuses, the final votes are cast and each party’s
3. General Election
After each party’s
4. Electoral College
Despite the significance of the popular vote, the president is chosen by the electors, through a process called the Electoral College system. Each state has a select number of electors, equal to the amount that they have in the Congress. Currently, there are 538 electors in total, combining all the states. Therefore, a candidate must receive more than 270 votes to win the election. For instance, in the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 2,864,903 votes but lost the electoral votes with 227, while Donald Trump gained 304. As a result, Trump won the election and was declared President of the United States.
The next presidential election will take place on November 3rd, 2020 and is centered on the prospect of Trump’s re-election. There are numerous
For instance, there are more than 224 million Americans eligible for voting, but in 2016, 30% of people decided not to vote or were blocked, as stated