The Procedure of Electing an American President Essay Example

included; instead the ballot lets voters choose among "candidates for" each of the tickets. Usually, each state has two Senators; however, the number of representatives depends on the total number of people in the State as per data collected in the most recent census. District of Columbia residents also participates in Presidential elections though it is not a State. (Hudson, et all, 36).

The People in each State vote for their preferred candidate in the Electoral College. In the District of Columbia and many other States, the candidates are chosen depending on the number of votes each ticket gets; whichever ticket receives the most votes in that state (or in D.C ) get all the candidates (Hudson et al, 36). There is some difference in Maine and Nebraska; in these two states, just two of the candidates are chosen from the entire state. The winner in each congressional district then determines the remaining candidates with each district voting for a single candidate.

Finally, the Electoral College then votes for President and Vice-President, with each voter casting only one vote. Each voter votes for his or her preferred candidate for President and Vice-President. Normally, the Presidential candidate who receives more fifty percent of the electoral votes becomes the elected President. The vice-presidential running mate then automatically becomes the Vice President since he or she will have received a majority of votes (Keithly & David, 171)

If there is no Electoral College winner or no Presidential candidate attains more than half fifty percent of the total votes, the House of Representatives take the mandate to choose the President. In this case, the top three presidential candidates who got the highest

number of votes in the Electoral College are considered. As such, each state's delegation in Congress casts one vote (Wilson & Steven, 52). The Vice President is then selected from the top two Presidential candidates who got a large number of votes.

Conclusion

The above procedures ensure that the United States citizens elect their President democratically. The procedure might seem to be long and tedious, but it is vital if the best President is to be elected among all the Presidential aspirants. The rights to vote in all States ensure that the candidate who wins the presidential position is a true representative of the people in all States.

Work Cited

1. Hudson, David L, and Roger Matuz. The Handy Presidents Answer Book. Canton, MI: Visible Ink Press, 2012. Print.
2. Keithly, David M. The USA & the World 2013. Lanham, MD: Stryker-Post Publications, 2013.
3. Polsby, Nelson W. Presidential Elections: Strategies and Structures of American Politics. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2012. Print.
4. Schaffner, Brian F. Politics, Parties, and Elections in America. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
5. Whitby, Kenny J. Strategic Decision-Making in Presidential Nominations: When and Why Party Elites Decide to Support, a Candidate. , 2014.
6. Wilson, Steven H. The U.s. Justice System: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2012. Print.