Presidential Election Process PDF

# The Presidential Election Process ## The President of the United States of America - **What Does a President Do?** - Commands the military - Selects leaders for federal agencies - Makes executive orders - Selects judges - Negotiates with governments - Participates in the...

# The Presidential Election Process ## The President of the United States of America - **What Does a President Do?** - Commands the military - Selects leaders for federal agencies - Makes executive orders - Selects judges - Negotiates with governments - Participates in the law-making process - Pardons criminals - May use emergency powers ## Presidential Candidates Must Be: - A U.S. citizen - Over 35 years old - A U.S. resident for at least 14 years ## What Does A President Do? - The U.S. Constitution gives the president several important powers. - The Oval Office ### 1. Commands the Military - The president is also known as the "Commander-in-Chief," which means they are in charge of the military. - In this role, the president makes important decisions about the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. - However, the president can't start a war by themselves; they need to get approval from Congress first. ### 2. Selects Leaders for Federal Agencies - As the leader of the executive branch, the president makes sure that laws are followed. - To do this, the president picks people to lead federal agencies like The Department of Education, The Department of Energy, and many more. ### 3. Makes Executive Orders - The president can also make executive orders. - These are instructions from the President to the federal government. - Executive orders have the force of a law. - Unlike when making laws, the president doesn't need Congress's approval to make an executive order. However, judges check to make sure these orders fit within the rules of the Constitution. - President Joe Biden signs an executive order. ### 4. Selects Judges - The president also picks judges. This includes the Supreme Court Justices. However, these choices have to be approved by Congress. - Supreme Court Justices - June 2022 ### 5. Negotiates With Foreign Governments - The president talks with leaders from other countries and, with Congress's approval, can make agreements with them called treaties. - The president can also pick ambassadors. An ambassador is a person who represents the U.S. in other countries. - President Kennedy with ambassadors, 1961 ### 6. Participates in the Law-Making Process - The president works with Congress to create laws. - A law stars out as a bill, or an idea that is written down. - After Congress has agreed on a bill, it is sent to the president for approval. If the president signs the bill, or takes no action for ten days, the bill becomes a law. - Bill is introduced. - Voted on by the House & Senate. - Signed into law. ### 7. Pardons Criminals - The president can pardon(forgive) people who have been found guilty of federal crimes. - This means they can let them go free or have their punishment reduced. - President Andrew Johnson pardoning ex-Confederates at the White House ### 8. May Use Emergency Powers - If there is a big emergency, the president can take extra actions to help. - For example, on March 13, 2020, President Trump declared that he would give the states access to up to 50 billion dollars in federal funds to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. - Congress and the courts check to make sure emergency actions fit within the rules of the Constitution. - Break glass in case of emergency. ## Who Can Run For President? - According to the Constitution, a presidential candidate must be: - Born a U.S. citizen. - Over 35 years old. - A U.S. resident for at least 14 years. - Thomas Jefferson, 1796 Candidate - Gerald Ford, 1976 Candidate - Kamala Harris, 2024 Candidate ## Turn and Talk - How many past or current U.S. presidents can you name? ## The Last 10 U.S. Presidents - Lyndon B. Johnson - Richard Nixon - Jimmy Carter - Ronald Reagan - George H. W. Bush - Bill Clinton - George W. Bush - Barack Obama - Donald Trump - Joe Biden ## Political Parties - A political party is a group of people who have similar ideas about how the government should be run. Even though they share some ideas, party members still have different opinions about certain things. - Democrat - Green Party - Independent - Liberal - Socialist - Conservative - Tea Party - Libertarian - Republican - Labor ## What Are Political Parties? - Countries have different numbers of political parties. For instance, many countries in Europe have three or more main parties. Some countries, like China and Cuba, have just one party. - In the United States, there are two major parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. There are also smaller parties, called third parties, but it is very hard for them to win elections. - VOTE - Donkey - Elephant ## Why Do We Have a Two-Party System? - U.S. elections are set up in a way that supports a two-party system. - In the U.S., candidates do not have to get the majority of votes(over 50%) to win. They only need to get more votes than any other candidate. This is called a plurality of votes. - Plurality - Majority - VOTE ## Why Do We Have A Two-Party System? - Since the Democratic and Republican Parties are the largest in the U.S., their candidates often get the most votes. As a result, smaller parties struggle to win elections. - People who support the smaller parties may choose to vote for a candidate from the Democratic or Republican Party instead. They may believe that voting for a major party candidate is more likely to have an impact. - Libertarian Party - Green Party - Constitution Party ## All About The Republican Party - The Republican Party is often called the GOP, which stands for "Grand Old Party." Its symbol is an elephant. - The Republican Party is sometimes called 'the right" and supports conservative ideas like: - A large national government threatens the freedoms of individuals - Thumbs down. - Many decisions should be left up to state and local governments. - Thumbs up. ## All About The Republican Party - The Republican Party believes the free market brings wealth to America. American companies, instead of the government, should have the chance to solve problems. Republicans typically want fewer government rules for businesses. - Capitalism (noun) - Economic system founded by Adam Smith based on private property, profit, free market and competition. - Many Republicans want the government to spend less money and believe everyone should pay low taxes. - \$ - We pay too much in taxes!! ## All About The Republican Party - In general, Republicans want to spend money on a strong military that can keep the country safe. - Many Republicans care about religion and traditional family values and support government intervention in such matters. - In addition, many value the right to own guns and don't support strict gun laws. - Although these are some basic ideas of the Republican party, Republicans do not agree with each other on every issue. - Republican Presidents - Ronald Reagan - George H. W. Bush - George W. Bush - Donald Trump ## All About The Democratic Party - The Democratic Party uses a donkey as its symbol. - The Democratic Party is sometimes called 'The Left" and supports liberal/progressive ideas like: - A large national government can help solve problems and promote equality. ## All About The Democratic Party - The free market is not fair to everyone. The government should help people with less power and money. - HELP - Stacks of money. ## All About The Democratic Party - The Democratic party supports a strong federal government that intervenes in the economy. Many liberals believe businesses may not prioritize the average American, so the government should set rules for them. - RULES ## All About The Democratic Party - The Democratic Party believes the government should help pay for things like doctor visits and childcare. - \$ - Doctor with a child ## All About The Democratic Party - In addition, Democrats think that people who have a lot of money should pay more in taxes. - The rich should pay more in taxes!! - The Democratic Party supports laws that create equal opportunities for everyone. ## All About The Democratic Party - Like Republicans, Democrats support the freedom to practice any religion. However, they often argue more strongly for keeping religion separate from schools and the government. Also, many Democrats want stricter laws about guns. - While these are some of the main ideas of the Democratic party, Democrats do not agree on every issue. - Democratic Presidents - Jimmy Carter - Bill Clinton - Barack Obama - Joe Biden ## What Is The Presidential Election Process - Presidential candidates try to gain support from their political party and the American people through ads and speeches. - A national convention is a big meeting where each party announces its final presidential nominee. Then, the nominees announce their vice-presidential candidates. - On election day, people in every state vote for President and Vice President. - When citizens vote in the general election, they are not directly choosing the president. Instead, they are selecting the electors for their state who will later vote to decide the president. - Each state receives a particular number of electors based on its population size. - There are 538 electors in total. A candidate needs more than half of these votes (at least 270) to win. - The new President and Vice President are officially sworn in and start their terms in January. - **HINT: look for green words** ## I. Campaigns Begin - People who want to become president are called Presidential candidates. - About a year before the election, these candidates start campaigning. A campaign is an effort to win support from a political party and the American people. This includes making ads, giving speeches and interviews, and traveling around the country to meet people and raise money. - Presidential campaign button for Abraham Lincoln, 1860 ## 2. Primaries and Caucuses - Primaries and caucuses are how each party chooses the best candidate for the general election. - A caucus is a meeting where people from a political party come together to choose their candidate for the election. They discuss their choices and then vote to pick the best one. - Primaries are special elections where people in a political party vote to chose their candidate for the election. - 2016 presidential primary election ballots ## 3. National Conventions - Next, each political party holds a national convention. - A national convention is a big meeting where each party announces its final presidential nominee. Then, the nominees announce their vice presidential candidates. - 1876 Democratic National Convention - 2008 Republican National Convention ## 3. National Conventions - After the convention, the two final candidates travel around the country to get support from American voters. - The candidates also participate in TV debates where they answer tough questions about their plans for the country and argue their views. - 1960 presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon ## 4. General Election - On election day, people in every state vote for President and Vice President. - Election day is usually the first Tuesday of November. This year, election day is November 5. - VOTE HERE ## 5. Electoral College - When citizens votes in general election, they are not directly choosing the president. Instead, they are selecting the electors for their state who will later vote to decide the president. - Each state receives a particular number of electors based on its population size. - Cases of certificates of the electoral college votes, 2020 ## 5. Electoral College - There are 538 electors in total. A candidate needs more than half of these votes (at least 270) to win. - The new President and Vice President are officially sworn in and start their terms in January. - Electoral votes given to each state - State abbreviations and electoral votes.