U.S. Elections Lecture

The U.S ELECTION S Instructors: Assistant Professor: Sahar Talat Ambassador: Youssef Zada Teaching Assistant: Lara Abdelrazik  Donald John Trump Born: June 14, 1946, New York, USA Party: Republican Party Education: Bachelor's Degree: Economics, Wharton School, University of Pennsyl...

The U.S ELECTION S Instructors: Assistant Professor: Sahar Talat Ambassador: Youssef Zada Teaching Assistant: Lara Abdelrazik  Donald John Trump Born: June 14, 1946, New York, USA Party: Republican Party Education: Bachelor's Degree: Economics, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania(1968) Professional Career: Businessman & Real Estate Developer: Chairman of The (1971-2017) Trump Organization Television Personality: Host of The  Political Career:45th President of the United States(2017-2021) Key Focus Areas: Immigration reform, economic deregulation, trade policy, and judicial appointments Kamala Devi Harris Born: Oct 20 1964, USA Current Role: Vice President of the United States (2021-Present) Party: Democratic Party Education: Bachelor's Degree of Political Science and Economics, Howard University Law Degree: J.D., University of California, Hastings  Career Highlights: California Attorney General (2011-2017)/ District Attorney of San Francisco (2004- 2011) / U.S. Senator from California (2017- 2021) / Vice President: First woman, Black, and South Asian American to hold the office.  Key Focus Areas: Criminal justice reform Climate policy Voting rights Women's rights and equality Harris's political career has emphasized progressive causes, often focusing on social equity and justice.  The U.S. presidential election is a complex process involving several key stages, including primaries, national conventions, the general election, and the Electoral College.  VEEP: VEEP has an official residence. It's called Number One Observatory Circle and is located on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.  This residence has been the official home of the Vice President since 1974. Before that, Vice Presidents lived in their own homes, but the cost of securing these private residences became too high Two major political parties in the United States: In the United States, the two major political parties are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. These two dominate national politics, but several smaller or third parties also participate and influence public discourse.  FIRST Major Political Parties: Democratic Party: Founded: 1828 Ideology: Center-left, liberal, and progressive Symbol: Donkey Color : Blue  Key Policies: Supports expanded social programs (e.g., healthcare reform). Advocates for climate change action and environmental regulations. Promotes civil rights, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. Favors higher taxes on the wealthy and increased government spending for education and welfare. Emphasizes diplomacy in foreign policy and multilateral cooperation. Two major political parties at the United States: Republican Party: Founded: 1854 Ideology: Center-right, conservative Symbol: Elephant Color : Red  Key Policies: Supports limited government, low taxes, and free-market economics.Advocates for traditional values and stricter immigration policies. Opposes large- scale government-run healthcare programs. Promotes a strong military and national security measures. Generally supports fossil fuel industries and less regulation on businesses. Two major political parties at the United States: The Democratic Party's donkey and the Republican Party's elephant have been on the political scene since the 19th century. The origins of the Democratic donkey can be traced to the 1828 presidential campaign of Andrew Jackson. During that race, opponents of Jackson called him a jackass.  However, rather than rejecting the label, Jackson, a hero of the War of 1812 who later served in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, was amused by it and included an image of the animal in his campaign posters. Jackson went on to defeat incumbent John Quincy Adams and serve as America's first Democratic president. Two major political parties at the United States: In the 1870s, influential political cartoonist Thomas Nast helped popularize the donkey as a symbol for the entire Democratic Party. The Republican Party was formed in 1854 and six years later Abraham Lincoln became its first member elected to the White House.  An image of an elephant was featured as a Republican symbol in at least one political cartoon and a newspaper illustration during the Civil War (when "seeing the elephant" was an expression used by soldiers to mean experiencing combat), but the pachyderm didn't start to take hold as a GOP symbol until Thomas Nast, who's considered the father of the modern political cartoon, used it in an 1874 Harper's Weekly cartoon. SECOND MINOR PARTIES: While minor parties rarely win major elections, they influence political debate and raise awareness of specific issues. Libertarian Party: Founded: 1971 Ideology: Libertarianism, advocating for minimal government intervention.  Key Policies: Strong focus on individual liberty and free-market principles. Supports civil liberties and non-interventionist foreign policy. Advocates for reduced taxation and government spending. Cont… Green-Party: Founded: 2001 (as a national party)= Ideology: Environmentalism, social justice, grassroots democracy. Key Policies: Focus on climate change action and sustainability. Advocates for universal healthcare and social equality. Supports reducing corporate influence in politics SECOND MINOR PARTIES: Constitution Party Founded: 1992 Ideology: Conservative, constitutionalist. Key Policies: Emphasizes strict adherence to the U.S. Constitution. Promotes states' rights and a smaller federal government. Opposes abortion and supports traditional family values.  THIRD Independent Movements & Candidates: Some candidates run without formal party affiliation, such as Bernie Sanders, who identifies as an Independent but aligns with Democrats.  Other Notable Groups: The Working Families Party and the Reform Party have emerged over time with specific issue-driven agendas. ELECTIONS & THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM.  Primary Elections and Caucuses Purpose: Choose party nominees(candidates) for president. When : From January to mid-summer of the election year. How: Primaries: Voters cast ballots for preferred candidate. Caucuses: Local- meetings where party members discuss and vote for candidates. Cont… Parties Involved: Major parties (Democrats and Republicans) and some minor ones. Delegates: Candidates earn delegates based on their performance in their primaries and caucuses. These delegates later vote for the nominee at the party's national convention. National Conventions: Purpose: Officially select the party's nominee and adopt the party platform. When: Summer of the election year. From the conventions until Election Day in early November.  What Happens: Delegates vote the party's presidential and vice- presidential nominees. The candidate with the majority of delegates becomes the nominee. The party unveils for the election. its policy platform General Election Campaign: When : From the conventions until Election Day in early November. Activities: Candidates from each across the country. They participate in debates, run and hold rallies to promote their agendas. Campaigns focus on swing states, these are the states where either party has a Election Day When: The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November (every four years).party campaign ads, This year it is on Tuesday November 5. Voters' Role: Citizens cast their votes for a slate of electors pledged to a candidate.  What is meant by the Popular Vote & the Electoral College: The popular vote in U.S. elections refers to the total number of votes cast by eligible citizens for a candidate or a specific issue, regardless of electoral districts or states. In presidential elections, it reflects the sum of all individual votes nationwide for each candidate.  2016 Election: Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by over2.8 million votes, but Donald Trump won the Electoral College, becoming president. Why the Popular Vote Matters??? 1- Influences Electoral College Decisions: Winning the popular vote in a state typically determines how its electoral votes are assigned. 2- Symbolic Importance: The national popular vote reflects t h e overall preference of the American electorate. 3- Controversy and Reform: Some advocate for eliminating the Electoral College and deciding presidential elections purely by the popular vote to ensure every citizen's vote counts equally. The Electoral College: How It Works: Each state has a number of electors equal to its total members in Congress (House +Senate).  The House of Representatives and the Senate are the two chambers of the United States Congress, which together make up the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. They share the responsibility of making laws, but each has distinct structures, powers, and procedures. The House of Representatives: Total Members: 435 voting members, plus non-voting delegates from U.S. territories and Washington, D.C. Representation: Based on population. States with larger populations have more representatives (e.g., California has 52 representatives).= Term Length: 2 years (no term limits).  Leadership: Speaker of the House: The presiding officer and leader of the majority party.  Majority and Minority Leaders: Manage party activities and strategies. Responsibilities: Initiating revenue (tax) bills: Only the House can propose legislation related to taxes. Impeachment Powers: The House can impeach (accuse) federal officials ,including the president, which acts like an indictment.  Closer to the people: Representatives are elected more frequently and are expected to reflect the immediate needs and opinions of their constituents.  The Senate: Total Members: 100 (2 senators from each state, regardless of population). Term Length: 6 years (no term limits), with one-third of the Senate seats up for election= Leadership: Vice President of the United-States: Serves as the President of the Senate but only votes to break ties.  President pro tempore :A senior member of the majority party who presides in the vice president's absence. Majority and Minority Leaders: Manage the Senate's legislative agenda.  Cont… Responsibilities: Confirming Appointments: The Senate approves presidential appointments (e.g., federal judges, Cabinet members, ambassadors). Ratifying Treaties: Treaties negotiated every two years. by the president must be ratified by a two-thirds Senate vote.  Impeachment Trials: After the House impeaches a federal official, the Senate holds the trial to decide whether to remove the person from office. Longer-term perspective: With 6- yearterms, the Senate is designed to be more deliberative and insulated from public opinion compared to the House. Comparison Between the house of representatives and the Senate: Together, the House and Senate perform checks and balances on each- other to ensure thoughtful and representative legislation.  This bicameral structure ensures that both the population (through the House) and House the states (through the Senate) have a voice in federal lawmaking. There are 538 total electors. A candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes to win. State Rules: In most states, the winner of the popular vote takes all the state’s electoral votes (winner-takes-all).  Two states (Maine and Nebraska) use a proportional system to allocate their electors use a proportional system to allocate their electors.  Electoral College Vote: When: Mid-December after the election. Process: This elaborate process ensures that the president is chosen through both popular participation and state representation, balancing the federal nature of the U.S. system. Electors meet in their state capitals to cast their votes for president and vice president.= These votes are sent to Congress for counting.  FRIDAY OCT 25: FRIDAY OCT 25 In U.S. presidential elections, swing states (or battleground states) are those where no single candidate or party has overwhelming support, making them highly competitive and crucial in determining the election outcome.  While the list can vary slightly between election cycles, the following states are generally considered swing states based on recent trends (as of 2024) Common Swing States : 1. Arizona Traditionally Republican but has trended more Democratic in recent elections. Key factors: Growth in urban areas like Phoenix and changing demographics. 2. Georgia Historically Republican, but Democrats made significant inroads, winning the state in 2020. Key factors: Strong turnout among African American voters and urban centers like Atlanta.  Common Swing States : 3. Wisconsin Flipped back to Democrats in 2020 after narrowly supporting Trump in 2016. Key factors: Rural-urban divide and labor union influence. 4. Michigan Critical in both 2016 and 2020, with significant blue-collar and African American populations. Key factors: Economic issues and the automotive industry. 5. Pennsylvania pivotal battleground with a mix of rural, suburban, and urban voters. Key factors: Issues related to energy policy (fracking) and the economy.  Cont.. 6. North Carolina Leans Republican but remains competitive due to population growth in suburban areas. Key factors: High turnout among African American voters and shifting suburban demographics. 7. Nevada Slightly leans Democratic but can swing based on turnout in Las Vegas and surrounding areas. Key factors: Latino voters and service industry workers. Cont… 8. Florida perennial battleground, though it leaned more Republican in recent cycles. Key factors: Latino voters, especially Cuban Americans, and retirees. Emerging Swing States: 1.Texas Traditionally Republican, but increasing urbanization and demographic changes are making it more competitive. Key factors: Latino voters and growth in cities like Houston, Austin, and Dallas. 2. New Hampshire Small but crucial, with independent voters playing a large role. Key factors: A mix of rural, suburban, and liberal college-town voters. Cont… 3. Minnesota Has leaned Democratic but was closer in 2016 and 2020. Key factors: Urban-rural divide and strong labor influence.  These states often receive a disproportionate amount of attention during campaigns, including candidate visits, ad spending, and grassroots efforts, as they have the potential to swing the Electoral College outcome in close races.  Cont…. Certification by Congress: When: Early January of the following year. What Happens: Congress meets in a joint session to count the electoral votes.  The vice president, as president of the Senate, announces the results. A candidate receives 270 or more electoral votes, they become the president-elect. Inauguration: When : January 20th following the election. What Happens: The president- elect takes the oath of office and becomes the president of the United States.  Contingency Situations Electoral College Tie: If no candidate receives 270 votes, the House of Representatives chooses the president from the top three candidates.  Disputes: Legal challenges may arise regarding vote counts, which can be settled through the courts or Congress.