This document outlines the process for electing the President of the United States through a multi-stage process. It begins with primaries and caucuses at the state level where each party selects their nominee. The parties then hold national conventions to finalize their nominees. This is followed by a general election campaign and popular vote where candidates aim to get over 270 electoral votes. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the House of Representatives decides the winner. The document also discusses requirements to run for President, key issues in elections, the role of debates and media, and includes citations.

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American Political System (Paper-VIII)
Presidential Election Process
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2. Stages of Presidential Election/ Swarup Jadhav A/66
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Requirements/ Simran Dhawan A/60
Issues / Pratiksha Verma A/92
Presidential Debate/ Omkar Gaikwad A/62
Role of Media in Election/ Saloni Patkar A/81
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Contents of the Presentation
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3. Election to the Office of President of the Oldest
Democracy, Super-power, Economic Giant, and A
Military Power. An Office of Power and
Responsibility. To hold this Office of Power is to Weild
a Double-Edged Sword, Hence the Leader Who Wields
It Has To Be Supreme in Action, Thought, Speech,
Behaviour, Responsibility and Statesmanship.
Thus the Process to Elect a Person to this Office has to
be Stringent, Smooth and Flawless. This presentation
takes you through the Process of Election of the
President of the United States of America
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Introduction
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4. Stages of Election
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Stage 1
Primaries and Caucuses (Party level elections in States)
Primary: A primary is a state-level election where party
members vote for the best candidate that will represent them in
the general election.
Caucus: A caucus is a local meeting where registered members of
a political party in a city, town or county gather to vote for their
preferred party candidate
Stage 2
National Conventions of Each Party
Each party holds a national convention to finalize the
selection of one presidential nominee.
Stage 3
General Election Campaigning
General election campaigning begins after a single nominee
is chosen from each political party, via primaries, caucuses,
and national conventions.
Stage 4
General Election (Popular Vote)
To win the election, a candidate needs to secure more than
270 electoral votes.
Stage 5
Electoral College (Electors vote for the US President
a candidate gets the most votes within a state they receive
that state’s full quota of electoral college votes.
There are a total of 538 electoral votes.

5. Requirements and Eligibility
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The President must:
Be a natural-born citizen of the United States
Be at least 35 years old
A resident of the United States for 14 years
Anyone who meets these requirements can declare their
candidacy for president. Once a candidate raises or spends
more than $5,000 for their campaign, they must register
with the Federal Election Commission.
That includes naming a principal campaign committee to
raise and spend campaign funds.
The Electoral Votes for the majority in the house is 270, with
538 seats in total.
It is important for candidates to campaign in all states, even
ones with smaller populations and fewer electoral votes, in
order to get a total of 270 electoral votes.
Special Situations:
It is possible to win the Electoral College but lose the popular
vote. This happened in 2016, in 2000, and three times in the
1800s.
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.

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Presidential Debate
Origin
A tradition that was borne from the Presidential Election Race
between America’s finest President Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A
Douglas. A Tradition that has now become an Event of Importance
in the Presidential Race.
The topics discussed in the debate are often the most controversial
issues of the time, and arguably elections have been nearly decided
by these debates.
First Official Presidential Debate.
The first official Presidential Debate took place in the Election Year
of 1960, between Massachusetts Presidential Candidate John F.
Kennedy (Democrat) Vs. Richard Nixon (Republican).
The People were witness to an intellectual and thoughtful exchange
of ideas in a time when the Civil Rights Movement and the African-
American Rights Movement were in full swing.
Post the Kennedy-Nixon Debate the Presidential debate was not a
part of the Election Race until 1976

7. Importance of Debate.
The Basic Principle of Democracy is Freedom of Expression and
the duty is of Every Citizen of a Democratic Country to bear
tolerance towards others opinions. Hence the Debate has to be an
integral part of Democracy and the Elections that create the
Leaders of The Democratic Nation.
The basic purpose is to bring forward the policies and opinions of
the Leaders.
Rules and Format
Depending on the agreed format, either the moderator or an
audience member can be the one to ask questions. Typically
there are no opening statements, just closing statements.
A coin toss determines who gets to answer the first question
and who will make their closing remarks first.
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8. Role of Media in Election
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Educating the masses
Providing a Platform for Election
Campaign
Providing A Platform To Masses For
Voicing Their Opinion
Use of Public/exit polls
Role of new media /social media
Media Bias and False information
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9. Election Issues
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Slavery, Secession, and States’ Rights
The 1860 presidential election turned on a number of issues
including secession; the relationship between the federal
government, states, and territories; and slavery and abolition.
Opposition to Corruption
In 1828, Andrew Jackson campaigned against what he called the
corrupt bargain between John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay
Foreign Policy and Peace
Issues surrounding the aftermath of World War I launched
Warren Harding’s presidency. The wartime boom had collapsed.
Diplomats and politicians were arguing over peace treaties and
the question of America’s entry into the League of Nations.

10. Gun Control and Gun Rights
The national political debate surrounding mass shootings in the U.S.
has become so predictable in recent years that a frustrating, familiar
pattern emerges when one inevitably happens.
Climate Change
From 16-year-old Greta Thunberg to the Green New Deal, climate
change is in the spotlight, and nearly two-thirds of Americans see
climate change as a crisis or a serious problem.
Immigration
Immigration policy is one of the most divisive issues in this election.
The United States has long been a top destination for foreigners,
attracting roughly 20 per cent of the world’s immigrant population.
Abortion Rights
Abortion has been an issue in presidential campaigns ever since the
1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing the procedure nationwide
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11. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20556862
https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/elections/issues-from-past-presidential-campaigns/
https://www.debates.org/
blob:https://web.whatsapp.com/877da0a4-a5ae-47ba-928e-eb5f45f70577
Citations & References
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