1. U.S. Elections

2. True or False
 The president of the United States is directly elected
by the people of the United States?

3. FALSE
 The president is elected by 538 people
 Members of the Electoral College
 Magic number of 270 electoral votes to win

4. Electoral College

5. Electoral College
 Number of electors based on population
 Equal to the number of representatives and senators in
Congress
 435 Representatives in House, 100 Senators, 3 for D.C.
 The members are chosen by voters
 The elector must then vote based on the popular vote
 This means the candidate must win the state
 Winner take all system vs. proportional representation

6. Key States to Win
 Campaigns focus on key “swing” states
 All that is required is 270 electoral votes to win:
 CA 55 IL 21 MI 17
 TX 34 PA 21 GA 15
 NY 31 OH 20 NC 15
 FL 27 NJ 15
This adds up to 271 – meaning it is possible for the candidate to
WIN while LOSING 40 of 51 states
Luckily, it doesn’t work this way

7. Political Parties
 The U.S. is considered a two-party system, although
many parties exist
 Democratic Party
 Republican Party
 Green Party
 Libertarian Party
 Constitution Party

8. Types of Elections
 Primaries and General Elections
 Midterm Elections

9. Primary Elections
 Primary elections choose the CANDIDATE to
represent the party in the General Election
 Voting or Caucusing
 Many people join the race, and as it goes on
candidates drop out as they win or lose state
primaries
 Primaries are held between January and May of
election year
 The party does not necessarily have to choose the
winner to represent them in the General Election
 Party Convention

10. 2008 Election – Primary Candidates
 Democratic
Candidates
 Barack Obama
 Hillary Clinton
 John Edwards
 Bill Richardson
 Dennis Kucinich
 Joe Biden
 Mike Gravel
 Chris Dodd
 Evan Bayh
 Tim Vilsack
 Republican Candidates
 John McCain
 Mitt Romney
 Mike Huckabee
 Ron Paul
 Rudy Giuliani
 Fred Thompson
 Alan Keyes
 Duncan Hunter
 Tom Tancredo
 Sam Brownback
 Tommy Thompson

11. General Election
 Occurs every 4 years
 To elect the President of the United States
 Voting is not compulsory
 Voter turnout is about 50% usually
 The 2008 election was historic with 61% turnout
 About 130 million people voted

12. Mid Term Elections
 Occurs two years after the General Election
 Voting occurs for 1/3 of the Senate and for the House
of Representatives
 Very low voter turnout
 2010 Midterm elections 82.5 million voters
 Compared to 2008 with 130 million voters

13. Political Office – Federal Level
 There are several public offices you can hold in the
United States.
 Their requirements are explained in the U.S. constitution

14. President
 Must be 35 years old or older
 Must be a Natural Born Citizen of the United States
 Must be a resident of the United States for 14 years
prior to election
 Same qualifications for Vice-President
 The 12th Amendment requires that the Vice President be from
a different state than the President
 Four year terms, maximum of TWO terms as of the
22nd amendment

15. Senator
 Must be 30 years old or older
 Have been a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years
 Legal resident of the state they wish to represent
 Six year term, no term limits

16. Representative
 Must be 25 years old or older
 Have been a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years
 Be a legal resident of the state they wish to represent
 Not necessary to be a resident of the district they represent
 Two year term, no term limits