This leaves just a handful of swing states where the vote can go either way. Candidates tend to focus the majority of their campaigning on these key areas. There are typically just six or seven of them in any given election year and many are considered battlegrounds. States that have typically voted Republican, such as Arizona, North Carolina which went narrowly for Obama in , and Georgia, are also considered to be potential battlegrounds this year.
The electoral college gives "small states much more power in selecting the president than their population warrants compared to large states," said Redlawsk. For instance, California has 55 electoral votes against Wyoming's three even though the population of former is roughly 68 times that of the latter. Additionally, all but two states award electoral votes in a "winner-takes-all" format, which means that "anybody who votes for the candidate who doesn't win the state is essentially unrepresented," said Redlawsk.
That's why you can win the popular vote but lose the election, something that occurred in when George W. More on why the US Senate races matter here. All seats in the US House are up for election as they are every two years and it is widely expected that Democrats will maintain their majority in that chamber. Here are the competitive House races we are watching as well as some House races featuring Muslim and Arab-American candidates. By Steve Chaggaris. Published On 3 Nov Which states should we be watching?
What time will results come in? What else is on the ballot today? A candidate needs the vote of at least electors—more than half of all electors—to win the presidential election.
In most cases, a projected winner is announced on election night in November after you vote. But the actual Electoral College vote takes place in mid-December when the electors meet in their states. See the Electoral College timeline of events for the election. The rare elector who votes for someone else may be fined, disqualified and replaced by a substitute elector, or potentially even prosecuted. It is possible to win the Electoral College but lose the popular vote.
This happened in , in , and three times in the s. If no candidate receives the majority of electoral votes , the vote goes to the House of Representatives. House members choose the new president from among the top three candidates. The Senate elects the vice president from the remaining top two candidates. This has only happened once. The Electoral College process is in the U. It would take a constitutional amendment to change the process.
For more information, contact your U. Lots of people dream of becoming President of the United States. But to officially run for office, a person needs to meet three basic requirements established by the U. Constitution Article 2, Section 1. People with similar ideas usually belong to the same political party. The two main parties in the U. Many people want to be President. In caucuses, party members meet, discuss, and vote for who they think would be the best party candidate.
In primaries, party members vote in a state election for the candidate they want to represent them in the general election. After the primaries and caucuses, each major party, Democrat and Republican, holds a national convention to select a Presidential nominee. The Presidential candidates campaign throughout the country to win the support of the general population.
They make sure elections run smoothly across the country. The United States, however, has no such governing body. In fact, there are thousands of independent local entities that manage elections without uniform procedures.
Every single state does things slightly differently. Decisions made state-by-state by government, local entities, or state political parties include whether to hold a primary or caucus, how to select delegates, how to select electors, whether ID is required to vote, or if you need to register in advance, what the ballots say and look like, how votes are counted, and on and on. Now you understand American politics!
Correction: This story originally stated that the Prime Minister of Canada is not subject to any test of qualification. Of course, constitutional convention dictates that, in practice, prime ministers are members of Parliament—and therefore subject to the same qualifications as every MP. Email amanda. The American election explained or What the heck is going on down there?! Can I run for president?
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