Essential Question

• How do we elect the president?

The Presidential Election

The Road to The Election

• Direct primary

• In each state party members select people to run in the general election

State Primaries

• The candidate with the most votes wins that state

• First primary held in February, last in June

Nominating Conventions

• States elect delegates to attend the convention where the official nomination occurs

The General Election

• Democrats• Republicans

• Third Parties

How Do We Elect the President?

• Is it a direct, popular vote?

When Do We Vote?

• The Tuesday after the first Monday in November

The Electoral College

• Created in Article I, Section 2

• Each state will choose electors

How Many Electors?

• Number of senators plus number of members of the House in Congress

• Plus 3 from the District of Columbia

• 538 total

Electoral College

• Winner take all system

• The winner of the popular vote in a state gets all electors

Exceptions?

• Maine and Nebraska

Electoral College• Meets on the

Monday following the second Wednesday of December

• Ballots cast, official count taken

Weakness #1

• Winner Take All

• Unfair to those who voted for a losing candidate?

• A candidate may win the popular vote but lose the electoral college vote

Weakness #2

• Third Party Candidates

• Could prevent a majority voting win by either major party candidate

No Winner?

• If the election does not give a majority of electoral college votes to one candidate, what happens?

No Winner?

• The House of Representatives chooses the president

• Each state has one vote

The Inauguration

• The new president takes office at noon on January 20th of the following year

Oath of Office

• I do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

The Inauguration

• Held outside in Washington D.C.

• The new president rides with the outgoing from the White House to the Capitol for the ceremony