American General Election解析
Election calendar
• The entire presidential campaign and election process usually takes almost two years. The typical periods of this process are as follows: Spring of the previous calendar year – Candidates announce their intentions to run Summer to December of the previous calendar year – Primary and caucus debates January to June – Primaries and caucuses July to early September – Nominating conventions (including those of the minor third parties) Late September and October – Presidential election debates Early November – Election Day December – Electors cast their electoral votes Early January of the following calendar year – Congress counts the electoral votes January 20 of the following calendar year – Inauguration Day
美 国 总 统 候 选 人 辩 论
U.S. President Barrack Obama (R) and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney attend the first presidential debate at Denver University, Denver, Colorado, the United States, Oct. 3, 2012. 10月3日，在美国科罗拉多州丹佛大学，美国总统奥巴马 （右）与共和党总统候选人罗姆尼出席总统选举首场辩论。
奥巴马竞选宣传片 《如果2012奥巴马没有当选》
总统就职
• 美国总统就职仪式有２００多年历史，在 沿袭传统的同时，也随着一些客观和主观 因素而改变。１９３７年富兰克林· 罗斯福 总统首次连任时，就职日期被最终确定为 １月２０日。 总统宣誓仪式一般安排在中 午，首先由副总统宣誓就职，然后总统在 最高法院首席法官见证下宣誓就职。随后， 军乐队奏响《鼓号齐鸣》，向新上任的领 导人表示致敬，并由美国陆军第３炮兵团 鸣２１响礼炮。最后，新任总统发表就职 演说，宣布执政纲领。
美国当地时间2012年3月6日晚（北京时间3 月7日上午），美国共和党将在10个州举行初选， 2012年共和党初选中规模最大的一天。由于该日 的结果往往决定最终人选，因此被称为“超级星 期二”。
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选举人团Electoral College制度
美国总统选举实行选举人团制度，因此选民 Voter投票时，不仅要在总统候选人当中选择，而且 要选出代表５０个州和首都华盛顿哥伦比亚 Columbia特区的５３８名选举人，以组成选举人团。 在大选中，美国绝大多数州和首都实行“胜者全 得”Winner takes all制度，即在一州或首都获得选 民票最多者获得该州或首都所有选举人票。赢得２ ７０张或以上选举人票的总统候选人即获得选举胜 利。因此，根据各州选举人票归属情况，通常大选 日当晚就能决出选举获胜者。
预选有两种形式，分别是政党基层会议和直接预选。 前者是指两党在各州自下而上，从选举点、县、选区到州 逐级召开代表会议，最终选出参加全国代表大会的代表， 获得多数代表支持的竞选人就被认为赢得了该州预选。与 政党基层会议不同，直接预选在形式上如同普选，一个州 的两党选民同一天到投票站投票选出本党全国代表大会代 表。美国大多数州都采用直接预选。
• • • • • •
美国"第一夫人"米歇尔 在 民主党全国代表大会 演讲
美国总统选举第一阶段——预选
预选Preselection是美国总统选举的第一阶段The first stage，通常从大选年年初开始，至６月份结束。在预选 阶段，两党分别在全国５０个州及首都华盛顿 Washington陆续选出参加本党全国代表大会的代表。预 选结束后，两党分别在八、九月份召开全国代表大会确定 本党总统候选Candidate。
美国主要政党
• 美国共和党 (Republican Party) ，又称“老大党”，是 美国两大政党之一，其标志是 大象，代表色为红色。共和党 的前身为１７９２年成立的民 主共和党。１８２５年，民主 共和党发生分裂，其中一派组 成国民共和党，１８３４年改 称辉格党。１８５４年７月， 辉格党与北部民主党和其他反 对奴隶制的派别联合组建了共 和党。 １８６０年１１月， 共和党领导人林肯当选总统， 该党首次执政。 • 美国民主党 (Democratic Party) 其前身是托马斯· 杰斐逊在１７ ９２年创立的民主共和党，建 党初期主要代表南方奴隶主、 西部农业企业家和北方中等资 产阶级的利益。１９世纪初， 民主共和党发生分裂，一派自 称国民共和党，后来改称辉格 党。以安德鲁· 杰克逊为代表的 一派于１８２８年建立民主党， 并于１８４０年正式定名。２ ００８年，民主党人奥巴马成 为美国历史上首位黑人总统。
American General Election
美国选举基本制度
INTRODUCTION
美国 实行总统制 presidential system，总统选 举每四年举行一次。美国总统选举制度复杂，过程 漫长。 选举的主要程序包括： 1预选Preselection、 2各党召开全国代表大会确定总统候选人、 3总统候选人竞选Candidate election、 4全国选民投票Voter vote、 5选举人团投票表决Electoral College vote 6当选总统就职Presidential inauguration。
美国政治体制解析
John G. Roberts
17th Chief Justice of the United States
Executive(行政)
the White House home and workplace of the U.S. president
The president is the commander-inchief of the military, can veto(否决) legislative bills before they become law, and appoints(任命) the Cabinet and other officers, who administer(执行) and enforce federal laws and policies.
The federal government is composed of three branches:
Legislative（立法）
The United States Capitol(国会大厦), which houses the United States Congtates Congress, made up of the Senate(参议院，上院)and the House of Representatives, (众议院) makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment,(弹劾) by which it can remove sitting members of the government.
the political system of American
美国政治制度用英语简洁介绍
美国政治制度用英语简洁介绍篇一：美国政治制度的英语作文The United State political systemAs far as I am concerned, I believe that the Constitutional federal republish of The United State is democratic. The United State federal system pursues the principe of “Checks and Balan ces”. The American constitution required that the state authority consisted of legislative branch, executive branch, judicial branch , which was parallel to others and restricted others. The Congress consists of the House and the Senate. Each state has two senators despite the population, which ensures that the small states have an equal power in one of the houses of Congress. The House of Representatives are elected according to the proportion of the population states. The main duty of the Congress is to make laws. Only when the House and the Senate vote and pass the bill and then send it to the president for his signature, can it become a law. The chief executive of the United State is the president.He is head of government, commander–in–chief of the armed forces and chief of state. The president is elected by the citizens and he has to be responsible for them. The president can veto the law that the Congressproposes. However,Congress can enact the law despite the president’s views only if two thirds of the members of both houses vote in favour of it. The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court. The judges are appointed by the president. The judges can have lifelong tenure if they do not commit a crime.In my opinion, I think that both the presidential election and the enactment of law in the United State are democratic. Thomas Jefferson ever said“As far as I understand it, the supreme power of the most reliable person in charge can only be the people themselves” in 1820. The American system of government represents the citizens benefit and promotes the economic development rapidly.However, the American system has also existed disadvantages. I think the racial prejudice is a serious problem in American society. A 18‐year‐old black youth named Michael Brown was shot by a white policeman and finally died in Missouri, America on August 9th 2014. whichcaused large‐scale demonstrations and developed the violent incident such as beating,smashing and looting in many places. When the grand jury judgedthat the white policeman can not be accused on November 24th , the protests spread quickly more than 170 cities in America. This issue caused wild public concern not only at home but also all over the world. Unfortunately, the racial problem has not been solved yet.Different from the America, China carried out the system of people’s congress, which fits our country’s situation. In political parties, America has two‐party system but China insists an single‐party system. I think that Chinese system has high efficiency in a short time but has poor long‐term stability, because of lacking power supervision. Instead, American system has low efficiency in short‐term but has high efficiency for a long time. Therefore, we can not say the Chinese system is superior to American system, because they both fit their own country’s situation and have positive impact on the economical development. However,the officials looting has become a more and more serious problem in our country. The officials’duties are serving to the people and doing something beneficial to the public. Butthey failed in their responsibility and looted,which may cause the public feel disappointed to the government. Although the government has taken effective measures to suppress the corruption,officials looting remains a serious problem in our country. So,I think that our government should perfect the power supervision system constantly and prevent the officials from looting. Only by doing this, our country may become better and better.篇二：美国政治制度英文the united state political systemin my opinion, i think that both the presidential election and the enactment of law in the united state are democratic. thomas jefferson ever said“as far as i understand it, the supreme power of the most reliable person in charge can only be the people themselves” in 1820. the american system of government represents the citizens benefit and promotes the economic development rapidly.however, the american system has also existed disadvantages. i think the racial prejudice is a serious problem in american society. a 18‐year‐old black youth named michael brown was shot by a white policeman and finally died in missouri, america on august 9th 2014. whichcaused large‐scale demonstrations and developed the violent incident such as beating,smashing and looting in many places. when the grand jury judgedthat the white policeman can not be accused on november 24th , the protests spread quickly more than 170 cities in america. this issue caused wild public concern not only at home but also all over the world. unfortunately, the racial problem has not been solved yet.the united state political systemin my opinion, i think that both the presidential election and the enactment of law in the united state are democratic. thomas jefferson ever said“as far as i understand it, th e supreme power of the most reliable person in charge can only be the people themselves” in 1820. the american system of government represents the citizens benefit and promotes the economic development rapidly.however, the american system has also existed disadvantages. i think the racial prejudice is a serious problem in american society. a 18‐year‐old black youth named michael brown was shot by a white policeman and finally died in missouri, america on august 9th 2014. which caused large‐scale demonstrations and developed theviolent incident such as beating,smashing and looting in many places. when the grand jury judgedthat the white policeman can not be accused on november 24th , the protests spread quickly more than 170 cities in america. this issue caused wild public concern not only at home but also all over the world. unfortunately, the racial problem has not been solved yet.一、英国政治体制的模式及特点英国的政治制度是典型的君主立宪制，其主要特点是“议会至上”、以内阁为权力核心、君主虚位、政党组织严密。
英语国家概况美国部分精讲2
Chapter 17 American History(III) in post-W.W.II Era(1945-1980S)[被屏蔽广告]必背细节1. On Feb 22,1946,George Kennan, a high-ranking official in the American embassy to Moscow, wrote in the telegram that the U.S.policy should be vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies. Later the containment policy became the official policy towards the Soviet Union.1946年2月22日，美国驻苏联大使乔治。
凯南在他的电报中主张对苏联采取遏制政策。
2．The open declaration of the containment policy was made by President Truman on March 12,1949 in a speech to the joint session of congress.1949年3月12日杜鲁门总统在国会联席会议上公开宣布了遏制政策。
3．In order to protect Western Europe from possible Soviet expansion, the U.S.decided to offer Western European countries economic aid. This later came to be called the Marshall plan.为了保护西欧不受苏联扩张影响，美国决定给予西欧国家经济支援，此举后来被称作"马歇尔计划。
"4．The North Atlantic Treaty, which was signed on April 4,1949,marked the beginning of U.S.efforts in setting up a military alliance around the Soviet Union and its allies.美国于1949年4月4日签订的北大西洋公约标志着美国开始致力于在苏联及其盟国周围建立军事同盟。
【2017年整理】Americanelection
United States presidential election1.Brief introduction about United States presidential electionThe election of the President and Vice President of the United States is an indirect vote in which citizens cast ballots for a slate of members of the U.S. Electoral College; these electors in turn directly elect the President and V ice President. Presidential elections occur quadrennially (the count beginning with the year 1792) on Election Day, the Tuesday between November 2 and 8, coinciding with the general elections of various other federal, states and local races. The most recent was the 2008 presidential election, held on November 4 that year. The next will be the 2012 election, to be held on November 6.The process is regulated by a combination of both federal and state laws. Each state is allocated a number of Electoral College electors equal to the number of its Senators and Representatives in the U.S. Congress. Additionally, Washington, D.C. is given a number of electors equal to the number held by the smallest state. U.S. territories are not represented in the Electoral College.Under the U.S. Constitution, each state legislature is allowed to designate a way of choosing electors. Thus, the popular vote on Election Day is conducted by the various states and not directly by the federal government. Once chosen, the electors can vote for anyone, but –with rare exceptions like an unpledged elector or faithless elector – they vote for their designated candidates and their votes are certified by Congress in early January. The Congress is the final judge of the electors; the last serious dispute was in the 2000 election.The nomination process, including the primary elections and the nominating conventions, were never specified in the Constitution, and were instead developed by the states and the political parties. This too is also an indirect election process, where voters cast ballots for a slate of delegates to a political party's nominating convention, who then in turn elect their party's presidential nominee.2.Fierce competition of presidential cand idates: Obama VS Romney3.1】2012年1月3日的共和党艾奥瓦州党团会议正式拉开美国总统大选帷幕。
英语短文：Elections(美国的选举)
英语短文：Elections(美国的选举)Suprises often come in boxes. Birthday presents wrapped in colorful paper, brown paper packages mailed from a friend. No matter what kind of box it is, people like to open it up and see what's inside. In America, and in many other countries, one special kind of box contains the future. It's called a ballot box. What people put into the box on election day can change the course of history.惊奇常常是在箱子里出现：包在彩色包装纸里面的生日礼物…朋友寄来牛皮纸包的包裹…不论是怎样的箱子，人们喜欢打开来看看里面是什么。
在美国以及其它许多国家，有一个特殊的箱子关系着未来，称为投票箱。
人们在选举日投在箱子里的东西可以改变历史的走向。
Elections are the lifeblood of a democracy. The word democracy literally means "the people rule," an important concept in America's history. In the mid-1700s, England began passing laws that made the American colonies angry. The colonists had to pay more and more taxes and enjoyed less and less freedom. They felt the government of England didn't represent their interests. On July 4, 1776, the colonies declared their independence from England. They wanted to establish a democracy where people could have a voice in government.选举是民主的原动力。
american presidential election
• The floor of the 2008 Republican National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
• Each state isห้องสมุดไป่ตู้allocated a number of Electoral College electors equal to the number of its Senators and Representatives in the U.S. Congress. • Additionally, Washington, D.C. is given a number of electors equal to the number held by the smallest state. U.S. territories are not represented in the Electoral College.
• A United States presidential nominating convention is to select the party's nominee for President, as well as to adopt a statement of party principles and goals.
• Late September and October – Presidential election debates • Early November – Election Day • (the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November) • December – Electors cast their electoral votes • Early January of the following calendar year – Congress counts the electoral votes • January 20 of the following calendar year – Inauguration Day
新闻热词英语表达系列之72：“美国总统大选”
新闻热词英语表达系列之72：“美国总统大选”“美国总统大选”的英文表达为US presidential election。
美国东部时间6日零时，四年一度的美国总统选举投票正式开始，美国新罕布什尔州迪克斯维尔山口的选民率先开始投票,这标志着四年一度的美国总统选举投票正式开始。
美国大多数地区的投票将于美国东部时间6日上午至当日晚间进行,将从美国现任总统奥巴马和马萨诸塞州前州长罗姆尼两人中选出美国第57届总统。
尽管计票工作会持续较长时间,但基本反映选举结果的投票站出口民调结果在6日深夜(北京时间7日中午)将会揭晓。
我们来看相关英文报道：Voters in the tiny New Hampshire town of Dixville Notch cast theirvotes just after midnight (0500 GMT Tuesday), kicking off the quadrennial US presidential election on Tuesday.The town is the first to cast ballots in the nation. Polling stations elsewhere are generally open between morning till nightfall on election day.Only ten voters cast their ballots, and the result showed a tie, with President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney each garnering 5 votes.美国新罕布什尔州小镇迪克斯维尔山口的选民周二零时率先开始投票，标志着四年一度的美国总统大选正式拉开帷幕。
这一小镇是全国率先开始投票的地方，其他地方的投票站也都会在大选日的凌晨至傍晚开放。
America's election
America's election美国大选Everything to play for竭力求胜The race for the White House has got even closer. Now the candidates must face up to the real issues问鼎白宫战局胶着，候选人双方现在必须正视现实问题。
Oct 6th 2012 | from the print editionWHAT was starting to seem like a boringly foregone conclusion came alive on the night of October 3rd. In the first of America’s three pr esidential debates, an affable and unruffled Mitt Romney outclassed Barack Obama. The president looked and sounded tired, and failed to mount anything remotely resembling a clear defence of his four years in office, let alone an inspiring vision for the four to come.原本看似已成定局的乏味大选在10月3日晚上发生了逆转。
在三场美国总统候选人辩论的第一场中，米特•罗姆尼的和蔼亲民和沉着冷静令巴拉克•奥巴马相形见绌。
奥巴马的面容和声音都透着疲惫，完全无法为其在四年任期中的所作所为进行任何有力辩护，更别说承诺下一个激动人心的四年了。
For Mr Romney, the debate came as a relief after a difficult month. Since the Republican andDemocratic conventions there has been a sizeable poll bounce for Mr Obama, but nothing of the sort for Mr Romney. Two PR disasters took their toll in September. In one, the Republican contrived to sound petty and unstatesmanlike just as news was breaking that the American ambassador to Libya had been murdered by extremists; in another, the rich businessman appeared to have written off 47% of the country as useless parasites who would vote for his opponent because they did not pay income tax.这场辩论使罗姆尼在一个月艰难竞选后终于松了一口气。
美国宪法-英文原版带中文翻译
其中译文如下：
我们合众国人民，为建立更完善的联邦，树立正义，保障国内安宁， 提供共同防务，促进公共福利，并使我们自己和后代得享自由的幸福， 特为美利坚合众国制定本宪法。
这篇序言并没有赋予或者限制任何主体的权力，仅仅阐明了制定美国 宪法的理论基础和目的。尽管如此，这篇序言尤其是最开头的“我们 合众国人民”（英文为"We the people"三个单词）却成为美国宪法 中被引用频率最高的部分。
12 1804 年6 月 15 总统选举办法
日
13
1865 年12 月 6 日
废除奴隶制度
14
1868 年7 月 9 日 国籍护权
15
1870 年2 月 3 日 所有公民不得由於肤色和种族的区别而受到选举权的限制。 （不包括性别）
16 1913 年2 月 3 日 国会对所得税的征收权
7
1791 年12 月 15 日
民事案件接受陪审团审判的权利
8
1791 年12 月 15 日
禁止过度严厉的刑罚和罚款
9
1791 年12 月 15 日
宪法未列明的权利同样受保护
10
1791 年12 月 15 日
宪法未赋予政府的权利都属于各州和人民
11 1795 年2 月 7 日 限制联邦法院对各州的管辖权
[编辑] 宪法批准程序
主条目：美国宪法第七章
宪法第七章规定了这部宪法本身得以生效的表决程序。起初美国宪法 作为邦联条例的修正形式，需要获得全部 13 个州的批准方能成立。 然而宪法第七章只要求获得 9 个州以上的批准就可以使宪法生效。为 此，许多学者认为一旦只有 9 个州批准了这部宪法草案，那么将从原 有的邦联中脱离出来，成立一个新的联邦体国家。而不批准的其余州 将留在旧邦联体制内。事实上，这种理论并没有得到实践的印证，因 为 13 个州最终全部批准了这部宪法。
美国总统选举英文介绍
election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the 50U.S. states or the District of Columbia cast ballots for members of the Electoral College, known as electors. These electors then in turn cast direct votes, known as electoral votes, in their respective state capitals for President and Vice President of the United States. Each of the states casts as many electoral votes as the total number of its Senators and Representatives in Congress, while Washington, D.C. casts the same number of electoral votes as the least-represented state, which is three.Once the voting for the presidential election has concluded and all the votes for each state have been accounted for, the electors are then advised as to what candidate won the majority in their state. The electors of that state then will cast the vote of that candidate to represent the people of their regions majority decision. However, “Twenty one states do not have provisions that are fairl y specific in directing the electors to vote for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of their party.”[1] This means that an elector could possibly vote against the majority decision of the state due to their being no law that binds electors otherwise in those states. In modern times, almost all electors vote for a particular presidential candidate that theirstates majority decided upon; thus, the results of the election can generally be determined based on the state-by-state popular vote. The candidate who receives an absolute majority of electoral votes for President or Vice President (currently, at least 270 out of a total of 538) is then projected to be elected to that office. If no candidate receives an absolute majority of electoral votes for President, the House of Representatives chooses the President; if no candidate receives an absolute majority for Vice President, the Senate chooses the Vice President.These presidential elections occur quadrennially. Registered voters cast their ballots on Election Day, which since 1845 has been the Tuesday after the first Monday in November (i.e.,the first Tuesday after November 1),[2][3][4] coinciding with the general elections of various other federal, state, and local races. The Electoral College electors then schedule to formally cast their electoral votes on the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December (i.e., the first Monday after December 12) at their respective state capitals. Congress then certify the results in early January, and the presidential term begins on Inauguration Day, which since the passage of the Twentieth Amendment has been set at January 20.The Electoral College and its procedure is established in the U.S. Constitution by Article II, Section 1, Clauses 2 and 4; and the Twelfth Amendment(which replaced Clause 3 after it was ratified in 1804). Under Article II, Section 1, Clause 2, the manner for choosing electors is determined by each state legislature, not directly by the federal government. Many state legislatures used to select their electors directly instead of using any form of popular vote, but the political parties in the various states now conduct their own separate elections to help choose their slate of electors. The Twenty-third Amendment, ratified in 1961, then granted electoral votes to Washington, D.C. Electors can vote for anyone, butunpledged electors or faithless electors have been rare in modern times.The nomination process, consisting of the primary elections and caucuses and the nominating conventions, was not specified in the Constitution, but was developed over time by the states and thepolitical parties. These primary elections are generally held between January and June before the general election in November, while the nominating conventions are held in the summer. This too is an indirect election process, one in which voters in the various states, the District of Columbia, as well as those in U.S. territories, cast ballots for a slate of delegates to a political party's nominating convention, who then in turn elect their party's presidential nominee. Each party's presidential nominee or the convention may then choose a vice presidential running mate to join with him or her on the same ticket, and this choice is often rubber-stamped by the conventions, depending on that convention's rules. Because of changes to national campaign finance laws since the 1970s regarding the disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns, presidential candidates from the major political parties usually declare their intentions to run as early as the spring of the previous calendar year before the election (almost 18 months before Inauguration Day).[5]A 2016 general election ballot, listing the presidential and vice presidential candidates Contents[hide]∙1History∙2Procedureo 2.1Eligibility requirementso 2.2Nominating processo 2.3The popular vote on Election Dayo 2.4Electoral collegeo 2.5Election calendar∙3Trendso 3.1Previous experienceo 3.2Technology and media∙4Criticismso 4.1Proposed changes to the election process∙5Electoral college results∙6V oter turnout∙7Financial disclosures∙8Presidential coattailso8.1Comparison with other U.S. general elections∙9See also∙10Notes∙11External linksHistory[edit]Article Two of the United States Constitution originally established the method of presidential elections, including the Electoral College. This was a result of a compromise between those constitutional framers who wanted the Congress to choose the president, and those who preferred a national popular vote.[6]Each state is allocated a number of electors that is equal to the size of its delegation in both houses of Congress combined. With the ratification of the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution in 1961, the District of Columbia is also granted a number of electors, equal to the number of those held by the least populous state. However, U.S. territories are not represented in the Electoral College.Constitutionally, the manner for choosing electors is determined within each state by its legislature. During the first presidential election in 1789, only 6 of the 13 original states chose electors by any form of popular vote.[7] Gradually throughout the years, the states began conducting popular elections to help choose their slate of electors, resulting in the overall, nationwide indirect election system that it is today.Under the original system established by Article Two, electors could cast two votes to two different candidates for president. The candidate with the highest number of votes (provided it was a majority of the electoral votes) became the president, and the second-place candidate became the vice president. This presented a problem during the presidential election of 1800 when Aaron Burrreceived the same number of electoral votes as Thomas Jefferson and challenged Jefferson's election to the office. In the end, Jefferson was chosen as the president because of Alexander Hamilton's influence in the House of Representatives. This added to the deep rivalry between Burr and Hamilton which resulted in their famous 1804 duel.In response to the 1800 election, the 12th Amendment was passed, requiring electors to cast two distinct votes: one for President and another for Vice President. While this solved the problem at hand, it ultimately had the effect of lowering the prestige of the Vice Presidency, as the office was no longer for the leading challenger for the Presidency. The separate ballots for President and Vice President became something of a moot issue later in the 19th century when it became the norm for popular elections to determine a state's Electoral College delegation. Electors chosen this way are pledged to vote for a particular presidential and vice presidential candidate (offered by the same political party). So, while the Constitution says that the President and Vice President are chosen separately, in practice they are chosen together.The 12th Amendment also established rules when no candidate wins a majority vote in the Electoral College. In the presidential election of 1824, Andrew Jackson received a plurality, but not a majority, of electoral votes cast. The election was thrown to the House of Representatives, and John Quincy Adams was elected to the presidency. A deep rivalry resulted between Andrew Jackson and House Speaker Henry Clay, who had also been a candidate in the election.Since 1824, aside from the occasional "faithless elector," the popular vote determines the winner of a presidential election by determining the electoral vote, as each state or district's popular vote determines its electoral college vote. Although the nationwide popular vote does not directly determine the winner of a presidential election, it does strongly correlate with who is the victor. In 52 of the 56 total elections held so far (about 93 percent), the winner of the national popular vote has also carried the Electoral College vote. The winners of the nationwide popular vote and the Electoral College vote differ only in close elections. In highly competitive elections, candidates focus on turning out their vote in the contested swing states critical to winning an electoral college majority, so they do not try to maximize their popular vote by real or fraudulent vote increases in one-party areas.[8]However, candidates can fail to get the most votes in the nationwide popular vote in a Presidential election and still win that election. In the 1824 election, Jackson won the popular vote, but no one received the majority of electoral votes. According to the12th Amendment in the Constitution, the House of Representatives must choose the president out of the top 3 people in the election. Clay had come fourth, so he threw his support to Adams, who then won. Because Adams later named Clay his Secretary of State, Jackson's supporters claimed that Adams gained the presidency by making a deal with Clay. Charges of a "corrupt bargain" followed Adams through his term.Comparison of the popular vote totals since 1900.RepublicanDemocratAll other candidates togetherThen in 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016, the winner of electoral vote lost the popular vote outright. Numerous constitutional amendments have been submitted seeking to replace the Electoral College with a direct popular vote, but none has ever successfully passed both Houses of Congress. Another alternate proposal is the National Popular V ote Interstate Compact, an interstate compact whereby individual participating states agree to allocate their electors based on the winner of the national popular vote instead of just their respective statewide results.The presidential election day was established on a Tuesday in the month of November because of the factors involved (weather, harvests and worship). When voters used to travel to the polls by horse, Tuesday was an ideal day because it allowed people to worship on Sunday, ride to their county seat on Monday, and vote on Tuesday–all before market day, Wednesday. The month of November also fits nicely between harvest time and harsh winter weather, which could be especially bad to people traveling by horse and buggy.[9]Until 1937, presidents were not sworn in until March 4 because it took so long to count and report ballots, and because of the winner's logistical issues of moving to the capital. With better technology and the 20th Amendment being passed, presidential inaugurations were moved to noon on January 20–allowing presidents to start their duties sooner.[9]The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 was enacted to increase disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns. Subsequent amendments to law require that candidates to a federal office must file a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission before they can receive contributions aggregating in excess of $5,000 or make expenditures aggregating in excess of $5,000. Thus, this began a trend of presidential candidates declaring their intentions to run as early as the Spring of the previous calendar year so they can start raising and spending the money needed for their nationwide campaign.[5]The first president, George Washington, was elected as an independent. Since the election of his successor, John Adams, in 1796, all winners of U.S. presidential elections have represented one of two major parties. Third parties have taken secondplace only twice, in 1860 and 1912. The last time a third (independent) candidate achieved significant success (although still finishing in third place) was in 1992, and the last time a third-party candidate received any electoral votes not from faithless electors was in 1968.Procedure[edit]Eligibility requirements[edit]The hand-written copy of the natural-born-citizen clause as it appeared in 1787 Article Two of the United States Constitution stipulates that for a person to serve as President, the individual must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, at least35 years old, and a resident of the United States for a period of no less than 14 years.A candidate may start running his or her campaign early before turning 35 years old or completing 14 years of residency, but must meet the age and residency requirements byInauguration Day. The Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution also sets a term limit: a President cannot be elected to more than two terms.The U.S. Constitution also has two provisions that apply to all federal offices in general, not just the presidency. Article I, Section 3, Clause 7 states that if the U.S. Congress convicts any officer on impeachment, they may also bar that person from holding any public office in the future. And Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits the election to any federal office of any person who had held any federal or state office and then engaged in insurrection, rebellion or treason; this disqualification can be waived if such an individual gains the consent of two-thirds of both houses of Congress.In addition, the Twelfth Amendment establishes that the Vice-President must meet all of the qualifications of being a President.Although not a mandatory requirement, Federal campaign finance laws including the Federal Election Campaign Act state that a candidate who intends to receive contributions aggregating in excess of $5,000 or make expenditures aggregating in excess of $5,000, among others, must first file a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.[10] This has led presidential candidates, especially members from the two major political parties, to officially announce their intentions to run as early as the spring of the previous calendar year so they can start raising or spending the money needed for their nationwide campaign.[5] Potential candidates usually form exploratory committees even earlier to determining the feasibility of them actually running.Nominating process[edit]Main articles: United States presidential primary and United States presidential nominating conventionA 2008 Democratic caucus meeting in Iowa City, Iowa. The Iowa caucuses are traditionally the first major electoral event of presidential primaries and caucuses.Madison Square Garden in New York City, the site of the 1976, 1980, and 1992 Democratic National Conventions; and the 2004 Republican National Convention.The floor of the 2008 Republican National Convention at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.The modern nominating process of U.S. presidential elections consists of two major parts: a series of presidential primary elections and caucuses held in each state, and the presidential nominating conventions held by each political party. This process was never included in the United States Constitution, and thus evolved over time by the political parties to clear the field of candidates.The primary elections are run by state and local governments, while the caucuses are organized directly by the political parties. Some states hold only primary elections, some hold only caucuses, and others use a combination of both. These primaries and caucuses are staggered generally between January and June before the federal election, with Iowa and New Hampshire traditionally holding the first presidential state caucus and primary, respectively.Like the general election, presidential caucuses or primaries are indirect elections. The major political parties officially vote for their presidential candidate at their respective nominating conventions, usually all held in the summer before the federal election. Depending on each state's law and state's political party rules, when voters cast ballots for a candidate in a presidential caucus or primary, they may be voting to awarddelegates "bound" to vote for a candidate at the presidential nominating conventions, or they may simply be expressing an opinion that the state party is not bound to follow in selecting delegates to their respective national convention.Unlike the general election, voters in the U.S. territories can also elect delegates to the national conventions. Furthermore, each political party can determine how many delegates to allocate to each state and territory. In 2012 for example, the Democratic and Republican party conventions each used two different formulas to allocate delegates. The Democrats-based theirs on two main factors: the proportion of votes each state gave to the Democratic candidate in the previous three presidential elections, and the number of electoral votes each state had in the Electoral College.[11] In contrast, the Republicans assigned to each state 10 delegates, plus 3 delegates per congressional district.[12] Both parties then gave fixed amounts of delegates to each territory, and finally bonus delegates to states and territories that passed certain criteria.[11][12]Along with delegates chosen during primaries and caucuses, state and U.S. territory delegations to both the Democratic and Republican party conventions also include "unpledged" delegates that have a vote. For Republicans, they consist of the three top party officials from each state and territory. Democrats have a more expansive group of unpledged delegates called "superdelegates", who are party leaders and elected officials.Each party's presidential candidate also chooses a vice presidential nominee to run with him or her on the same ticket, and this choice is rubber-stamped by the convention.If no single candidate has secured a majority of delegates (including both pledged and unpledged), then a "brokered convention" results. All pledged delegates are then "released" and are able to switch their allegiance to a different candidate. Thereafter, the nomination is decided through a process of alternating political horse trading, and additional rounds of re-votes.[13][14][15][16]The conventions have historically been held inside convention centers, but since the late 20th century both the Democratic and Republican parties have favoredsports arenas and domed stadiums to accommodate the increasing attendance.The popular vote on Election Day[edit]A Texas voter about to mark a selection for president on a ballot, 2008 Election Day Under the United States Constitution, the manner of choosing electors for the Electoral College is determined by each state's legislature. Although each state designates electors by popular vote, other methods are allowed. For instance, insteadof having a popular vote, a number of states used to select presidential electors by a direct vote of the state legislature itself.However, federal law does specify that all electors must be selected on the same day, which is "the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November," i.e., a Tuesday no earlier than November 2 and no later than November 8.[17] Today, the states and the District of Columbia each conduct their own popular elections on Election Day to help determine their respective slate of electors. Thus, the presidential election is really an amalgamation of separate and simultaneous state elections instead of a single national election run by the federal government.Like any other election in the United States, the eligibility of an individual for voting is set out in the Constitution and regulated at state level. The Constitution states that suffrage cannot be denied on grounds of race or color, sex or age for citizens eighteen years or older. Beyond these basic qualifications, it is the responsibility of state legislatures to regulate voter eligibility.Generally, voters are required to vote on a ballot where they select the candidate of their choice. The presidential ballot is a vote "for the electors of a candidate" meaning that the voter is not voting for the candidate, but endorsing a slate of electors pledged to vote for a specific presidential and vice presidential candidate.Many voting ballots allow a voter t o “blanket vote” for all candidates in a particular political party or to select individual candidates on a line by line voting system. Which candidates appear on the voting ticket is determined through a legal process known as ballot access. Usually, the size of the candidate's political party and the results of the major nomination conventions determine who is pre-listed on the presidential ballot. Thus, the presidential election ticket will not list every candidate running for President, but only those who have secured a major party nomination or whose size of their political party warrants having been formally listed. Laws are in effect to have other candidates pre-listed on a ticket, provided that enough voters have endorsed the candidate, usually through a signature list.The final way to be elected for president is to have one's name written in at the time of election as a write-in candidate. This is used for candidates who did not fulfill the legal requirements to be pre-listed on the voting ticket. It is also used by voters to express a distaste for the listed candidates, by writing in an alternative candidate for president such as Mickey Mouse or comedian Stephen Colbert (whose application was voted down by the South Carolina Democratic Party). In any event, a write-in candidate has never won an election for President of the United States.Because U.S. territories are not represented in the Electoral College, U.S. citizens in those areas do not vote in the general election for President. Guam has held straw polls for president since the 1980 election to draw attention to this fact.[18]Electoral college[edit]Main article: Electoral College (United States)Electoral College map showing the results of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Republican candidate Donald Trump won the popular vote in 30 states (denoted in red) to capture 305 electoral votes (plus 1 electoral vote from Maine's second congressional district). Democraticcandidate Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 20 states and Washington, D.C. (denoted in blue) to capture 232 electoral votes.Most state laws establish a winner-take-all system, wherein the ticket that wins a plurality of votes wins all of that state's allocated electoral votes, and thus has their slate of electors chosen to vote in the Electoral College. Maine and Nebraska do not use this method, instead giving two electoral votes to the statewide winner and one electoral vote to the winner of each Congressional district.Each state's winning slate of electors then meets at their respective state's capital on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December to cast their electoral votes on separate ballots for President and Vice President. Although Electoral College members can technically vote for anyone under the U.S. Constitution, 24 states have laws to punish faithless electors,[19] those who do not cast their electoral votes for the person whom they have pledged to elect.In early January, the total Electoral College vote count is opened by the sitting Vice President, acting in his capacity as President of the Senate, and read aloud to a joint session of the incoming Congress, which was elected at the same time as the President.If no candidate receives a majority of the electoral vote (at least 270), the President is determined by the rules outlined by the 12th Amendment. Specifically, the selection of President would then be decided by a contingent election in a ballot of the House of Representatives. For the purposes of electing the President, each state has only one vote. A ballot of the Senate is held to choose the Vice President. In this ballot, each senator has one vote. The House of Representatives has chosen the victor of the presidential race only twice, in 1800 and 1824; the Senate has chosen the victor of the vice-presidential race only once, in 1836.If the President is not chosen by Inauguration Day, the Vice President-elect acts as President. If neither are chosen by then, Congress by law determines who shall act as President, pursuant to the 20th Amendment.Unless there are faithless electors, disputes, or other controversies, the events in December and January mentioned above are largely a formality since the winner canbe determined based on the state-by-state popular vote results. Between the general election and Inauguration Day, this apparent winner is referred to as the "President-elect" (unless it is a sitting President that has won re-election).Election calendar[edit]The typical periods of the presidential election process are as follows, with the dates corresponding to the 2016 general election:∙Spring 2015 – Candidates announce their intentions to run, and (if necessary) file their Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission ∙August 2015 to March 2016 – Primary and caucus debates∙February 1 to June 14, 2016 – Primaries and caucuses∙April to August, 2016 – Nominating conventions (including those of the minor third parties)∙September and October, 2016 – Presidential election debates∙November 8, 2016 – Election Day∙December 19, 2016 – Electors cast their electoral votes∙January 6, 2017 – Congress counts and certifies the electoral votes∙January 20, 2017 – Inauguration DayTrends[edit]Previous experience[edit]See also: List of Presidents of the United States by previous experience and List of Presidents of the United States by other offices heldJohn Adams was the first of a record-high 26 presidents who had been lawyersA number of trends in the political experience of presidents have been observed. Between 1956 and the last completed 2012 election, the presidential nominees of both major parties have been either incumbent presidents seeking re-election, sitting or former vice presidents, sitting or former U.S. Senators, or sitting or former state Governors.Fourteen Presidents have served as Vice President. However, only John Adams (1796), Thomas Jefferson (1800), Martin Van Buren (1836), Richard Nixon (1968) andGeorge H. W. Bush (1988) began their first term after winning an election. Among the remaining nine who began their first term as President according to thepresidential line of succession after their respective predecessor died or resigned from office, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry S. Truman, andLyndon B. Johnson were reelected. John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, and Gerald Ford served as President but became president through succession and not election. Ford became President after Nixon's resignation in 1974 through the processes of the Twenty-fifth Amendment and then lost the 1976 presidential election, making him the only President to have not to have been elected to national office. Sixteen presidents had served in the Senate, including four of the five Presidents who served between 1945 and 1974. However, only three were sitting U.S. Senators at the time they were elected president (Warren G. Harding in 1920, John F. Kennedy in 1960, and Barack Obama in 2008). Major-party candidate Senators Andrew Jackson (1824), Lewis Cass (1848), Stephen Douglas (1860), Barry Goldwater (1964), George McGovern (1972), John Kerry (2004), and John。