5.Electing President

Elections in the United States are very complex.Taking the election of President for example，we may divide it into four stages.First，the major parties hold conventions to choose candidates for President and Vice President and to determine the parties’platforms.The convention is attended by delegates from states.The party’s platform is a very general statement of the party’s philosophy，goals，and position on issues of national and international concern.Once the presidential candidates of the major parties are selected，the general election comes to the second stage，the campaigning stage.By early fall of the election year，the presidential race is on.From that time to Election Day，voters are bombarded from all sides by radio，television，newspapers，and personal communications with political materials.There are whistle stop tours by train，by plane，and by car.The candidates deliver countless speeches and shake countless hands.This is a very important stage in the general election.The third stage is the time for voters to choose a slate of presidential electors in their state who make up the Electoral College.This process of voting takes place on Election Day.The number of the Electoral College in each state is equal to that of its senators and representatives in Congress.There are now 538presidential electors，535from 50states and 3 from Washington D.C.（without seats in Congress）.The candidate with the most votes in a state wins all of that state’s electoral votes.This is known as the“winner-take-all”principle.The candidate who wins the majority（270）of the 538Electoral College votes will be the President in the next four years.Therefore when the Presidential electors in each state are chosen out，people already know the result of the general election.Although the result is already known，the electors still meet in their state capitals and cast their votes for President and Vice President on the 1st Mon.after the 2nd Wed.in Dec.They vote very strictly.The Democratic electors vote for the Democratic presidential candidates and the Republican electors vote for the Republican ones.When the new Congress assembled on Jan.6，the electoral votes are formally counted in a joint session of the two houses and the President of the Senate announces the“state of the vote”.Then the fourth stage comes to its end.If there are three or more candidates，none of them receives more than half of the electoral votes，the House of Representatives，by a majority vote，will choose for President one out of the three having the highest electoral votes.In this case the voting is by state，each state counting as one vote.When none of the candidates for Vice President has a majority of the electoral votes，the Senate will choose one of them to be Vice President by a majority vote with each senator having one vote.As a matter of fact，only the candidates of the two major parties have the chance to win the general election though all political parties can put up their candidates for President and Vice President.

Notes

1.loose interpretation of the Constitution：an explanation that advocates a liberal use of the“Elastic Clause”in order to increase the powers of the US central government.The Elastic Clause refers to Article I，Section 8，Clause 18of the US Constitution.It provided that Congress can make all necessary and proper laws to carry out its enumerated powers.This Clause also known as“implied powers clause”.

2.strict interpretation of the Constitution：an explanation that attempt to limit the powers of the national government by holding it to those powers specifically delegated it in Article I，Section 8of the US Constitution.

3.Primary election：A primary is an election in which voters choose the party’s candidates for the general election or an office.There are two types of primaries.In a closed primary，only aparty’s registered voters may vote；in an open primary，registered voters in either party can participate.

4.Caucus：a normally closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates，plan strategy，or making decisions regarding legislative matters.

Exercises

Ⅰ.Choose the correct answer.

1.The emblem of the Democratic Partyis________.

A.elephant　　　B.donkey　　　C.bear　　　D.bull

2.The first Democratic President was________.

A.George Washington　　　B.Abraham Lincoln

C.Thomas Jefferson　　　 D.Andrew Jackson

3.The first Republican President was________.

A.George Washington　　 B.Abraham Lincoln

C.Thomas Jefferson　　　D.Andrew Jackson

4.The only Democratic President who served two separate terms between the end of Civil War and 1912was________.

A.Grover Cleveland　　　　　　B.William McKinley

C.Theodore Roosevelt　　　　　D.Woodrow Wilson

5.The presidential candidate of the major partyis nominated________.

A.at the state convention

B.at the national convention

C.by the leaders from state party organizations

D.by the party’s national committee

6.In the presidential election year the American voters vote on the________ in November.

A.Tues.after the 1st Mon.

B.1st Tues.

C.Tues.after the 2nd Mon.

D.Mon.after the 1st Tues.

7.The number of the presidential electors in each state is equal to the number of________.

A.its senators

B.its representatives

C.its senators and Representatives

D.its counties

8.The American President is actually elected by________.

A.the House　　　　　　　　　B.the Senate

C.presidential electors　　　D.American citizens

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks.

1.Two factions emerged during the ratification of the US Constitution.One groupwas called ________led by Alexander Hamilton.Theyfavored________development，a ________national government，and a loose interpretation of the Constitution.Another group led by ________was called Democratic-Republicans.They called for a society based on small farms，a relatively________central government，and a________interpretation of the Constitution.The roots of today’s Republican Party lie in the________，while the Democrats can trace their beginnings back to________.

2.In general，Democrats traditionally have supported workers and________，while the Republicans are known for their support of________and________positions on social issues.

3.Before 1971the only state that gave 18-year-old the right to vote was________；all other states set the age at________.In 1971 the________Amendment to the Constitution lowered the voting age to________.

4.The voting percentage now is very________in the United States.In general________people with more________and high________tend to vote，while the youth，especially aged________to________，has the lowest voting percentage in the United States.

5.The candidate with the most votes in a state wins all of that state’s________votes.This is known as the“________”principle.The candidate who wins the ________of the 538Electoral College votes will be the US President in the next four years.

Ⅲ.Questions for Discussion.

1.How did the two major parties come into being？

2.What images do the two major parties hold about each other？

3.How is the conduct of elections regulated in the US？

4.What is the party platform？

5.How is the President elected if no candidates receive a majority of the electoral votes？