FW: Quick Guide: US Presidential Process: Oasis

[sandeep...@kotak.com]

 

Dear All,

 

1.       Who can be president?

 

Technically, to run for president, you only need to be "a natural born" US citizen, at least 35 years old, and have been a resident for 14 years. In reality, however, every president since 1933 has been a governor, senator, or five-star military general. And that's before you even consider getting a party nomination and securing national media attention. In this 2016 election, at one stage there were 10 governors or former governors and 10 who are or were senators, although many have since dropped out. One person is nominated to represent the Republican and Democratic parties in the presidential election.

 

2.       What are the key dates between now and the election?

 

The first votes were cast in Iowa on 1 February - it was the first US state to have a contest (although in Iowa's case, it's a caucus, which is a vote of people present rather than through a ballot). Other early states include New Hampshire on 8 February and South Carolina, which means they have presidential candidates visiting them for months on end. On 1 March, a dozen states pick their presidential nominees, so it's called Super Tuesday. In 2016, the primaries held on 15 March, including Florida, Ohio and North Carolina, could be significant because so many delegates are up for grabs. By the end of April, most states have cast their votes and in most election campaigns, it's clear by then who each party has picked as their presidential candidate. But it's not official until the party conventions in July. That happens after the summer, when the two candidates hold a manic, mammoth journey whizzing across the country to make their case. There are three televised presidential debates in the last six weeks before - finally - votes are cast on Tuesday, 8 November.

 

3.       What is the difference between Primaries and Caucuses?

 

-          Primaries, which are funded by state governments, are structured like a general election: Registered voters go to a polling location and place their votes for a candidate. Primaries can be open or closed. Open primaries allow any registered voter to vote for any candidate, irrespective of party affiliation. In such a primary, even if you're registered as a Republican or an independent, you may vote for a Democratic candidate. Closed primaries allow only voters registered within a party to vote for that party's candidates. In this kind of a primary, only registered Democrats can vote for Democratic candidates, and only registered Republicans can vote for Republican candidates.

 

-          Caucuses differ from primaries in their organization, sponsorship, and purpose. Unlike primaries, which are run by state governments, caucuses are organized by political parties, which coordinate and fund them. Beyond selecting candidates, caucuses also take care of other party business, such as choosing party leaders and prioritizing issues within the party’s platform. Unlike primaries, which involve registered voters, caucuses involve delegates: party members who are typically local leaders, officials, or activists. Think of a caucus as a state party’s own little convention. Participants are required to attend for a few hours. Usually delegates attend caucuses knowing which candidate they’ll support. A candidate will try to persuade undecided delegates to come to his or her side. Caucuses are also more flexible than primaries. Primaries must comply with regulations and laws set by the state — which means parties cannot choose primary dates or say who can participate. With a caucus, a party has the freedom to choose its timing and has more leeway in planning. Caucuses, however, must be funded by the parties themselves, whereas the state runs primaries.

 

4.       How does the vote in November work?

 

The candidate with the most votes in each state becomes the candidate which that state supports for president. It's all down to a system called the electoral college, a group of people who choose the winner - 538 of them, in fact. Just half of them - 270 - are needed to make a president. But not all states are equal - California, for example, has more than 10 times the population of Connecticut, so they don't get an equal say.

Each state has certain number of these "electors" based on their population in the most recent census (it so happens that it's the same number of districts in a state, plus two senators). When citizens vote for their preferred candidate, they're actually voting for the electors, some of which are pledged to one candidate, some for another. But here's where it gets interesting. In almost every state (except Nebraska and Maine), the winner takes all - so the person who wins the most electors in New York, for example, will get all 29 of New York's electoral votes. In the race to get to the magic number - 270 - it's the swing states that often matter most.

 

5.       What are swing states?

 

So, we've got two candidates, both in a race to get to 270 electors by winning whole states at a time. Both parties think they can bank on certain states, big and small. Republicans will count on Texas, and not waste their money campaigning to a great extent there. Similarly, California is likely to sit in the Democrats' column. The others are known as "swing states" - where it could go either way. Florida in particular, with its 29 votes, famously decided the 2000 election in favour of George W. Bush, who lost the popular vote nationally but, after a Supreme Court case, won the electoral college. Other swing states include: Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina, Nevada.

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