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The presidential election process in the United States is a constant work in progress. The system in place today is quite different in many respects from what the Founding Fathers drafted in the nascent years of America. As the country grew and changed, so too did the election process. The result has granted the public a more influential role in choosing who will govern their country, but it has also produced a highly complex system that many Americans only vaguely comprehend.
The kickoff to the presidential election season is the primaries. Primaries are preliminary elections that narrow the choice of candidates for the final presidential vote. Although voters choose whom they would like to see in the Presidency, their vote is diluted through the use of delegates. Delegates are everyday citizens associated with political parties. Candidates who win from state to state earn a certain number of delegates, who are then required to vote for that particular candidate at the party convention where the final presidential nominee is chosen. The number of delegates to be awarded the winning candidate in each party depends on the regulations of each state. Some states use the winner-take-all method where the losing primary candidate receives no delegates even if he lost the race in that state by one percentage point. Other states use a proportional system awarded on the percentage of votes each candidate earned. Most delegates (again it varies by state) sign a pledge that they will vote at the party convention for the candidate they represent.
Caucuses are less formal primaries and developed in highly rural states. Voters attend regional state meetings where representatives of the candidates stump before the voters. Traditionally, voters would vote by standing behind the representative of their choice. Today ballots are used, but caucuses are generally less secretive and more public than formal primaries. The votes count in the same way as those from primaries and delegates are awarded to winning candidates.
Primaries are essentially a 20th century invention. Before the turn of the century, voters had no say in whom would be a political party’s representative for the presidential race. Party bosses determined who would lead the party. Gradually states adopted the primary system to encourage more direct public influence in the voting process, but delegates were never required to vote for the candidate they represented. Well into the mid-20th century, delegates’ votes were bartered at the conventions among party bosses, rendering the public vote pointless. As the Watergate scandal broke, Americans became disenchanted with the insulated party politics and demanded a more open system. The constitution has no guidelines for the direction of primaries, leaving the particulars up to the political parties. Needless to say, the major political parties have developed a primary system that supports their interests, but is also sensitive to voters. In essence, the popular vote in primaries and caucuses only guarantees which candidates will most likely carry the nomination for their particular party. But everything can change at the party conventions.
Party conventions used to be a forum where power brokers would barter potential votes of delegates in return for favors. The party conventions are more open and televised now, and such vote buying has steadily decreased. Today party conventions are mainly a formal display of which candidate won the right to represent the party in the presidential elections. Officially, delegates assemble at the convention to cast their votes. For the first vote, most delegates will vote for whom they represent, according to the pledge they took. Usually after the first vote, the one candidate overwhelmingly chosen in the public vote is also chosen in the delegate vote and becomes the official presidential nominee. Sometimes, however, the popular vote is very close. Because some states award delegates based on proportion while others award delegates based on winner-take-all methods, the first delegate vote might not yield a clear majority. If this is the case, a second delegate vote will be taken. During the second vote, the delegates are now allowed to vote their conscience, meaning they are not bound to vote for the candidate whom they officially represent. Such conscience voting can dramatically alter the nomination process granting the party mantle to the candidate that did not receive the most popular votes. Most of the time, party convention votes reflect the public’s choice. All established parties (Republican, Democrat, Green, Reform, etc.) may hold conventions, but the two major parties – Republican and Democrat – receive the most press coverage.
After the presidential nominees for each party have been selected, campaigning begins in earnest. Nominees traverse the countryside explaining details of their platform and trying to convince voters to elect them as President. During this period, debates are held to bring the candidates together to discuss relevant issues. Particular organizations, such as the League of Women Voters, sponsor debates. As the sponsoring organization, they choose who is invited to participate in debates, but the rules governing the debate are hashed out among participating candidates. There is no law stipulating that candidates must do a certain number of debates. The candidates are free to choose to debate. If a candidate is far ahead in the polls, he may choose to do one debate for good measure, but not a second to avoid any disasters on public television, which could hurt his candidacy.
Election Day is always held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The ballot contains every candidate from every party, plus candidates for local state elections. Whereas voters in some states are restricted to choose only candidates in their party during the primaries, the final election is completely open. Voters vote for whom they prefer to see as the President, but again their vote is diluted with the Electoral College. Much like delegates, electors are chosen within each state to elect the president and vice-president. The number of electors for each state is equal to the number of representatives that a state has in both houses of Congress. The Founding Fathers invented the Electoral College at a time when the country did not have a strong national consensus; the majority of Americans lived as illiterate farmers in remote areas; and the chances were high that regional third parties would unreasonably split the votes. If a candidate gained a majority in the Electoral College, it was viewed as the equivalent of a national consensus. Although the election process of today would seem to obviate the continuance of the Electoral College, the College has remained. Originally, electors were allowed to vote their conscience, but today they are pledged to support the candidate that won in their state. Every four years the Electoral College is scrutinized for deflecting the will of the populace. Supporters, however, feel that the College maintains the delicate balance of fairly representing a broad spectrum of the nation’s interests.
Despite what many Americans believe about their system, they do not participate in a pure, direct democracy. In the early years, the United States was comprised of a diverse group of immigrants, most scattered on large farms in remote areas. Television, newspapers and radios were unheard of in many parts of the country and illiterate farmers did not have a good understanding of the direction their new government was taking in the remote swamps of Washington. To ensure that the country stayed its proper course, the elite Founding Fathers instituted many checks on the popular will, such as delegates and the Electoral College. As the country has grown, and her people become more educated, some of the vestiges of the old system have been replaced, but others still remain.
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