Source​​: ​My old notes in the US History Folder and JWT book

INTRODUCTION
“There is no excitement anywhere in the world, short of war, to match the excitement of the
American presidential campaign.” Indeed, for voters and political observers alike, the process
leading up to that fateful Tuesday once every four years is the pinnacle of national political
spectacle— “the Super Bowl, the World Series, and, some might say, centre ring of American
politics” all wrapped up in a single event. Americans have come to expect nothing less in the
competition for the most coveted elective office in the nation. Underlying the jockeying,
posturing, and debating that define the long campaign leading the victor to the White House, is a
core belief that presidential elections matter. As commander-in-chief, chief diplomat, and “chief
legislator” the president’s decisions and stances fundamentally shape national and foreign policy
and leave lasting imprints on history.
Article 2 of the Constitution originally established the method of Presidential election. It was a
compromise between those demanded a national popular vote and those who wanted the
Congress to choose the President.
CONCLUSION
The U.S. presidential election is the biggest event in American politics. It’s an exciting and
complicated process that begins immediately after the preceding election and doesn’t end until
the voters have their say.
What happens during this extended campaign is a quest not just for votes, but also for political
contributions, favourable media coverage, Internet attention, endorsements, and all the other
makings of a winning candidacy for the highest elected office in America. Key events along the
way include the primaries and caucuses, the party conventions, and the debates—not to mention
all the speeches, polls, and focus groups, plus the barrage of radio and television commercials
imploring you to vote this way or that.

Conclusion / Assessment of the election process:

a) The Americans had experienced in the past a strong colonial executive and a weak local
legislature. They wanted to strike a balance between the two. Therefore they chose an
executive known as president. The unique feature of this executive authority is that the
congress does not have any power in his election as separate Electoral College is constituted
for this purpose and get dissolved after the election.
b) With the growth of political parties in America, party influences are immense during the
election campaign from nominating candidates, to selection of the electors and to the stage
when actual voting takes place.
According to Lord Bryce:
“The president is the nearest and the dearest substitute of a royal ideal which the Americans
possess.”
c) It is believed that due to the party influences the president does not play a natural role but
tries to strengthen the position of his party through favourable governmental politics.

THE PLAYERS
1. The Voter / People
a. The Decision rests with the Voter
b. Voter eligibility
2. The Candidates
a. From where do the candidates come from
b. Eligibility of the Presidency
3. The Parties: Chief Stakeholder in the election of the US President
a. Two Main Parties
i. The Republican party
ii. The Democrats
b. The National Committees
c. The State and Local Parties
d. Enter the Special Interests: Independent Groups Step Up Their Campaign Activity

4. The Media Wars / The Media Frenzy

a. The Rising Tide of Social Media: Social Media as a New Entrant

5. Money Makes the Mare or the President Go

a. Election Expenditure

i. $7 Billion in 2012 and $6.5 billion in 2016

ii.
 b. Political Election Committees: the election influencers

c. Public Funding of the Presidential Candidate: an attempt at rooting out special

interests from the election campaigns.

d. How Much Can One Give to a Candidate?

i. $2,500

THE PROCESS
1. Early Action
○ From old notes
2. Laying the Groundwork: Campaigning Unannounced

3. The Money Chase: PAC It Up

○ From old notes

4. Competing for Talent: Lining Up Key Advisers and Staff

5. Making It Official: The Announcement

○ A presidential candidate’s formal announcement often looks like a homecoming

rally, with cheering crowds, banners, balloons, and emotional appeals to family,
home, and country. More often than not, the candidates return to their hometowns
so, they can show they’re normal Americans and haven’t forgotten their roots.
6. The Primaries and Caucuses –Choosing the Presidential Candidate

7. Super Tuesday

8. The Conventions

○ From old notes

○ What do Delegates Do?
9. The General Election Campaigns
○ An elaborate production, with the candidates and their supporters crisscrossing
the country and blanketing the airwaves with poll-tested political commercials.
10. The Debate: Contesting Policies, Plans amidst Battle of Words With Rivals
11. The Electoral College: a compromise and an indirect way of directly electing the
President.
○ Add from page 334 JWT US HISTORY and Old Notes saved in the Drive.

○ The National Presidential Election usually consists of a separate election in each of the 51
states (District of Columbia Combined)
 ○ A mechanism enshrined in Article 2, section 1 of the US Constitution.

○ Voters actually cast vote for a block of electors

○ In most of the states with the exception of Maine and Nebraska, the election us
winner-take all whichever ticket receives the most votes in that state (or in D.C) gets all
the electors.

○ Total number of electors in each state = number of Senate seats x number of House seats

○ Currently, the electoral college includes 538 electors. 270 votes for winning Presidential
Election.

○ Faithless electors

12. Election Day, Tabulating the Outcome and Making it Official

13. The Case of No Absolute Majority: the House of Representatives Springs into
Action
○ The President is chosen from the House of Representatives from the top 3
Presidential vote getters in the electoral college; each state delegation in Congress
casts one vote.
○ 2 elections that were decided by the House of Representatives
■ 1801, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr both received same number of
electoral votes. Following 36 successive votes in the House, Jefferson
was finally elected President.
■ 1825, Andrew Jackson received a majority of the popular vote ober John
Quincy Adams but neither of them received a majority of electoral votes.
Adams won the House on first ballot.
14. Inauguration: formerly setting the President into the White House
○ January 20
15. Impact of Technology and Media
16. Criticism
○ The Bandwagon Effect in Primaries

■ Due to the staggered nature of the Primary season, voters in Iowa and New
Hampshire get to cast their votes in Early January. The result in such states build
the momentum of election and sets its tune. So, such states attract greater
campaign activity and media frenzy. When the turn of bigger states like
California, the races are usually over and people's interest is fizzled out.

■ Limits the ability of the lesser known candidates.

 ■ Consequently more States vie for earlier primaries to claim greater influence.

■ Reform proposals

1. National Primaries held on a single day

2. Interregional Primary Plan… states would be grouped into 6 regions and

each if these regions would rotate every election on who would hold their
primaries first.

○ Losing Popular Vote and Winning

■ 4 Presidents

■ 1824, John Quincy Adams received more than 38000 fewer votes than Andrew
Jackson, but neither candidate won majority of the electoral college. Adam was
awarded the Presidency.

■ 1876, Rutherford B Hayes won from a one vote margin in the electoral college
even though he he lost the popular vote to Samuel J Tilden by 264000 votes.

■ 1888, Benjamin Harrison lost the popular vote to Grover Cleveland but won the
electoral vote by 65.

■ 2000 Al Gore had over a half a million more votes than Bush. But after recount
controversy in Florida and the Supreme Court's Ruling, Bush was awarded the
state but 537 popular votes.

○ Other Criticisms

■ Criticism of the Electoral College and and Winner - take -all System

■ Predominant Republican parties and Democratic Parties

■ The 'Swing States’

■ Democratic Safe Havens ( California) and Republican Safe Havens (Texas)

17. Proposals for Improving the Presidential Elections

○ P #338, JWT

○ The Proposed Every Vote Count Amendment….

○ National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

○ The District System

○ The Automatic Plan

○ The Proportional Plan

○ The House Plan