Presidential elections are always a big event, regardless of the country in which they take place. At these turning points, the fates of millions, and sometimes billions of people, are decided. When presidential elections are held in such a huge and powerful state as the United States, or, for example, in our country, in Russia, this is an event for the entire globe, because the big powers set the trend for all other countries and decide geopolitics around the world. This is probably why even people far from politics begin to follow the course of events.
This article is about the upcoming US elections. The reader will learn about their similarities and differences with a similar process in our state. In addition, we will describe how the US electoral system works and point out its pros and cons.
Basic principles of the device
So how does the US electoral system work? Power in the United States of America is divided into three branches:
- legislative;
- judicial;
- executive.
In this their system is similar to ours. Legislative and executive representatives are elected throughvoting, and in the judiciary may also be appointed (depending on the laws of a particular state).
The US Congress is the main legislative body, it is divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate. The first includes 435 members who are elected for 2 years. The Senate is elected by 2 people from each state for 6 years.
The US electoral system briefly looks like this - the president, as well as the vice president, is chosen by the electoral college, while the votes of the population are taken into account. The size of the college is equal to the number of representatives of Congress, with the exception of the District of Columbia. She has no congressmen, but she has three electoral votes. In total, the board has 538 members. The US electoral system will be discussed in more detail later.
A bit of history
The first presidential election in the United States of America was held in 1789. At that time, George Washington was the leader and in fact was elected unanimously. He was a very strong political figure and was very popular among the electorate. At that time, only 10 states participated in the elections.
The electoral system of the President of the United States is strictly regulated by the first and second articles of the US Constitution. In addition, there are a number of legal acts aimed at improving the process. As a result, the US electoral system includes the following laws:
- From 1965, which allows all ethnic groups to vote without exception.
- From 1984 on the creation of equipped sites for voters with disabilitiesopportunities.
- A law passed in 1993 related to the registration of voters.
In addition to the above, there are a number of measures aimed at combating fraudulent activities and various falsifications.
If you don't go into too much detail, chapters and amendments, then only two persons are elected on a federal basis (when residents of the whole country vote) - this is the president and vice president. However, due to the national peculiarities of the government system, elections are not held directly, but in two stages, with the help of the Electoral College.
The Board was created in 1787, its essence is that in each state special representatives are elected, who, in turn, choose the president. The very essence of creating such an association is a bit absurd, but at the same time it is the norm for its time. The board was created so that voters would not vote for candidates openly dangerous to the integrity of the United States, for example, various radicals and extremists. And although the idea itself is a little contrary to democracy, the system has been functioning properly for more than two hundred years.
Voters' rights
The US has the strictest voter registration system. Only those voters who have registered at the polling stations participate in the elections. Due to the peculiarity of the system, many voters are deprived of the right to vote, for example, due to a change of residence or due to failure to appear. At the same time, an extremely small number of potential voters are able to return the opportunity to vote.
ExceptAs a result, there is a tendency in some states to have a large number of unlisted youth, but it is impossible to give exact numbers here, as there is no centralized population registration system.
Elector Requirements
As a rule, these are famous people who can be trusted to represent the interests of the state. In general, electors and primaries are features of the US electoral system. Often among them are politicians, human rights activists and other trusted people.
The number of electors is equal to the number of representatives of the congress of this or that state. The logic is simple - the larger the population, the more officials with the help of which the US electoral system functions. The scheme with the number of officials here is similar to any large state. In some states, electors are appointed by the leadership of the parties (Republican and Democratic), and in some, direct elections are used by voting.
Requirements for a presidential candidate
As in most countries, the key criterion is the presence of citizenship of the presidential candidate, in addition, he must be born in the United States. The minimum age of the nominee must be 35 years, and this person must live in America for more than 14 years.
A candidate cannot be president more than twice. A standard set of requirements, the same is practiced in our country and in many other countries.
Election scheme
Based on the actions described above, it is possible to draw up a kind of election algorithm and how the presidential electoral system in the United States works. Here is an example workflow:
- The selection process for electors is underway.
- The ones with the most votes win.
- Electors vote for a certain presidential candidate.
- Results sent to US Congress.
- Meeting of Houses of Congress counts votes.
- The one with the most votes wins.
US electoral system: leading parties
Republicans and Democrats are the two strongest and oldest parties in the United States. What is their difference?
The Democrats are a socially oriented party. Their motto is support for the poorer segments of the population, various benefits for the unemployed, free medicine, and a ban on the death pen alty. In general, the policy of this party is more liberal, which is expressed in various progressive laws, concessions and budgeting.
Republicans are more conservative. They hold more strict views regarding the administration of the state, and this is expressed in many factors. For example, a more rational distribution of budgetary funds, a bet on patriotism and strength, protection of the middle class and business.
There are other parties, but they don't have as much money or support as the two above. It is very difficult for their candidates to get into Congress and somehow advance their interests. Thatthe same applies to the presidential elections - no one will notice the nominees from such parties.
Primaries
This is essentially a primaries. Each party holds its own vote, which decides who will be the only presidential candidate. It defines how the US electoral system works. In short, there are 2 types of primaries - closed and open.
In the first case, only members of the parties in which the candidate is elected, and in the second case, everyone can vote. An interesting feature of the American system is that there are no main branches of parties with a single leadership. Instead, each state has its own Democrats and Republicans.
The voting process is not regulated by any single law of the country, and in each state it happens in its own way. Somewhere parties choose the main candidates, and sometimes they vote for regional leaders.
Current state of affairs
It's 2016, which means the 58th US presidential election is just around the corner. The specific election date is November 8th. From the Democrats at the moment there are two presidential candidates - Hillary Clinton, who served as Secretary of State, and Bernard Sanders, who is a senator of one of the states. Their opponent is Republican Donald Trump, a billionaire with a very aggressive advertising campaign.
Hillary Clinton is a strong Democratic candidate. She has extensive experience in political and administrativeactivities. She is known not only for being married to the 42nd President of the United States of America, but also for her career as a Senator (New York State) and also as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013.
Hillary Clinton's election campaign is a pretty strong promise for the US economy. This will be expressed in raising wages for the middle class, in addition, this is an increase in the minimum wage, as well as budgeting for the social sphere.
Bernard Sanders is the second strong Democratic candidate. He was born in 1941, and began his political career in 1972, in an attempt to take the place of the governor of Vermont (he lost these elections). Further, until 1981, he was pursued by a series of failures, but Sanders still took the post of mayor of Burlington. He was elected to this post three times and later tried to break into Congress as an independent candidate. In 1990, he succeeded. Then he became a congressman for a long time, and then became a senator from Vermont.
The election program of this candidate is very interesting. Sanders is a favorite of US youth. He is considered one of the most honest presidential candidates. The essence of his program is to increase social equality in the United States of America through the creation of a more affordable he alth insurance system, increased oversight of the financial sector, assistance to those in need, and the availability of higher education.
Donald Trump is the strongest Republican. He was a widely public figure even before the start of the election race. Known as a successful billionaire businessman, andas well as a media personality. He often speaks to the media, owns a large construction company, a chain of hotels and casinos, in addition, Trump has written several books on business.
Donald Trump's powerful election program is designed for the conservative part of the US population. He is a fierce opponent of migrants and promises to fight illegal citizens from Mexico and other countries. Like other candidates, he has ideas related to he alth care reform. In his case, the essence of the reform is to reduce the cost of insurance both for the state and for the citizens themselves. In addition, he advocates support for business, stimulating the economy and his views on foreign policy.
Cons of the US electoral system
No matter how well-deserved the US electoral system is, critics point out some disadvantages in it. The most obvious one is that the Democratic and Republican parties are financed from the budget. At the same time, other political associations do not have such an opportunity, since they must gain at least 5% of the vote in the previous elections. It turns out a vicious circle. Classic falsification schemes can also be used, for example, the likeness of stuffing. That is, when voting processes are served by private companies, they can easily be bribed by opponents.
There is also a very bad scheme in the country that determines how the entire US electoral system works. In the 19th century, technology such as gerrymandering was first used. This is the redrawing of constituencies, which allows you to identify potential voters by territorial or ethnicsign, for example, so that residents of certain provinces will vote for a particular candidate due to personal preferences (ethnic, political, due to certain promises).
Pros
Nevertheless, the US electoral system, the scheme of which is presented in the article, has its advantages. Still, the geography of constituencies can be a plus. The electoral law and electoral system of the United States is designed in such a way that if the majority of participants in the electoral mechanism follow all the rules, this will allow the most accurate choice of the favorite of the voters, while taking into account the wishes of both small rural areas and residents of the largest cities in the United States, even despite on cardinal differences in the interests of these categories of citizens.
Our system
The electoral system of the USA and Russia has similarities, firstly, in that in both cases the decision is made by the majority. The democratic approach is the key similarity between the two states.
Secondly, both in the US and in our country the electoral system is based on the constitution. However, this principle works in all developed countries, but it is especially valued in these two superpowers. In our state, any citizen who has reached the age of 18 has the right to vote.
The electoral system in our country refers to the election of deputies of the State Duma, the President, some other federal level bodies, in addition, the election methods used in the above bodies,also apply at the time of voting for positions in regional and municipalities.
One presidential term in our country is equal to six years. The minimum age of the president is 35 years, in addition, he must reside in the country for at least 10 years. At least 100 people nominate a candidate of the association, in addition, their duties include collecting 1 million signatures.
The appointment of elections takes place by the Federation Council. The process is carried out on time (not earlier than 100 days and not later than 90 days before the date of the event). By law, the voting day is set for the second Sunday of the month in which the previous elections took place. Potential presidents are nominated either from parties or independently. Later, the Central Electoral Commission processes the registration of candidates who meet the necessary requirements, including supporting the required number of voters.
Voting is carried out at specially equipped polling stations, under strict control by the public (many different legal acts have been adopted for this, the legislation is being improved to this day). People who come to the polls must mark the desired candidate on the ballot and place the latter in a special sealed ballot box.
The counting of votes is carried out in several stages, starting from the place of voting and through territorial and regional bodies reaches the CEC. The Central Electoral Commission is obliged to announce the results 10 days after the voting.
Key differences fromAmerica
The most important thing is the absence of an Electoral College or similar bodies that can somehow influence the course of the vote. Therefore, our elections are much more democratic than in the United States of America. Despite the tight control of power and law in both countries, it is not customary in Russia to entrust the fate of voting to a small number of people, as in the United States.
Yes, elections are heavy bureaucracy, potential violations and various levers in relation to voters, but both states do their best to prevent any violations and improve their laws. In addition, various public associations are being created here and there to control the course of the elections.
