US Elections System: Primary to Oval Office

One of the most difficult topics to teach on when I was in Austria was definitely that of the American Electoral System. It’s a fairly complex topic to understand, but there are rules and regulations that can help understand how the system works. I found it best to teach this topic by looking at the system through the actual current events of the 2012 election.

To start off, one must know that, in the United States, a new President is elected every four years by vote in the ‘general election’. This four year period is called a ‘term’ and a president can be elected for a maximum of two terms. People outside of the United States often say that the election process can be confusing. They are right!

However, the system is not impossible to understand. Let’s take a look at the system from start to finish on a timeline.

The Primaries (or Caucuses)...and the Two Parties: Democrats & Republicans

Democrats: President Barack Obama is currently the President of the United States. He is a Democrat and this is his first term. He will be the Democratic candidate for the 2012 election, because he can be re-elected for a second term.

Republicans: Many politicians in the party want to become the Republican candidate. This year, the Republicans will hold primaries to see who gets to run in the ‘general election’ against current President Obama.

March 2012: There are still four politicians trying to be the Republican candidate. They are Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Mitt Romney. They have been having debates, raising money for their campaigns, and have been visiting many different states to tell people why they should be the Republican candidate as well as why the others should not.

Each state has either a primary or a caucus. A primary is similar to a general election where Republicans of that specific state vote by secret ballot. People can come in during a certain time, vote, and leave, which results in higher voter turnout. A caucus is different, because voters have to stay for the entire event from start to finish, which often results in a lower voter turnout. The vote is a face-to-face vote and there are often debates that take place.

Furthermore, each state can decide to have a primary or a caucus. After either of the two candidates can receive ‘delegates’ that help them towards becoming the Republican candidate. This year, a Republican candidate needs 1,144 delegates to win. During this process, candidates start to drop out of the race. There are many different reasons for dropping out, including: not receiving delegates, losing debates, campaign bankruptcy or debts, scandal, personal reasons, etc...

April 10, 2012: Rick Santorum drops out. He was defeated by Romney three primaries in a row in Wisconsin, Maryland, and Washington D.C. and his daughter had been put in the hospital for the second time during the election because of a rare genetic disorder.

May 2, 2012: Newt Gingrich drops out. He ended his campaign about $840,000 in debt. His lack of money and delegates caused him to end his campaign.

July 11, 2012: Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are still in the race. Romney has won 1,524 delegates and Paul has won only 154. Romney has already achieved the ‘magic number’ of delegates to become the Republican candidate. Ron Paul wrote: "When it is all said and done, we will likely have as many as 500 supporters as delegates on the Convention floor. That is just over 20 percent! And while this total is not enough to win the nomination, it puts us in a tremendous position to grow our movement and shape the future of the GOP!"

So what happens next? The Conventions!

End of August: Republican National Convention
Beginning of September: Democratic National Convention

Each party has a national convention. At these conventions, the candidates for President and Vice President of each party will be voted for and officially announced. The winners of the nomination give speeches and the party discusses the goals that it hopes to achieve if they are elected into office. Once this is done, there are three debates between the presidential candidates and one debate between their vice presidents.

October 3, 2012: First Presidential Debate
October 11, 2012: Vice Presidential Debate
October 16, 2012: Second Presidential Debate
October 22, 2012: Third Presidential Debate

Once the debates are over, it is time for the general election. This is the final vote that happens on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. This year the election will be held on November 6, 2012. The winner of the general election becomes the President of the United States of America and is welcomed into office on “Inauguration Day”, which is always on January 20. 

Information on the electoral college coming soon!