Have you ever been watching CBC and seen coverage of the upcoming presidential election in the United States? Have you ever sat there, thinking “I really don’t understand these people and their political system!”? Do you wonder what a caucus is and how Americans vote? Well if you are, I can provide some help. Being an American myself who had to ask a ton of my Canadian friends what was going on last October during the Canadian election for Prime Minister, I understand your confusion. If you want to understand what all those people on CBC are talking about, here’s a guide to understanding elections in the United States.
The Parties
The United States has two major political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans. The Democrats are the liberal, left-leaning party, and bare the logo of the donkey. The Republicans are the conservative, right-leaning party, and bear the logo of the elephant. When looking at electoral maps, blue indicates Democratic votes and states, while red indicates Republican votes and states. There are also many smaller parties that emerge closer to the election date, such as the Independents, Libertarians, and the Green Party, but they usually do not receive many votes. The Democrats and Republicans usually steal all the thunder from the little competitors.
The Candidates
While the list of candidates have changed as the election progressed, here are the candidates still campaigning for president as of February 26, 2016:
For the Republicans, we have:
- Donald Trump: Self-made billionaire turned presidential candidate
- Ted Cruz: current U.S. Senator from Texas
- Marco Rubio: current U.S. Senator from Florida
- John Kasich: Current governor of Ohio
For the Democrats, we have:
- Hillary Clinton: Former Secretary of State, former First Lady and candidate in the 2008 presidential election
- Bernie Sanders: Current U.S. Senator from Vermont
Picking the Two Presidential Candidates
The process of picking the presidential candidates is a lengthy one. Candidates announce they are running for president, then participate in campaigning and their party’s debates. Early in the election year (such as now), there are four crucial states whose primary votes are essential to picking the candidate for each party. Iowa and Nevada hold caucuses, which are when voters enter a room and sit at an area of the room signifying their vote. For example, in a Democratic room there would be supporters for Hillary Clinton on one side and supporters for Bernie Sanders on the other. Whichever side has more people wins, and thus contributes to who will win for the whole state. Doesn’t this whole process sound tiring? New Hampshire and South Carolina hold primaries (along with the rest of the states on March 1), where voters cast their ballots like they would in a regular election. These are then tallied and combined to find the winner (which are then tracked all day on news stations such as CNN…how exciting!!).
How the President is Elected
In the months leading up to the November 4th election date, there are many debates between the Democratic candidate and the Republican candidate, discussing many important issues. These issues often include abortion, economic spending, etc. The big issues expected to be discussed this year include gun control, immigration, and education costs. These debates are meant to help voters decide whose stances appeal to them and who they would like to lead the country. On November 4th, the whole country comes out to vote on who they want to be president. Each state reports the numbers, which then are assigned to delegate votes. Delegates are members of the Electoral College who elect the president based on their representation. The amount of delegates usually depends on the population of the state. For example, California (a very densely populated state) has 55 delegates, whereas North Dakota only has 3 delegates. In Maine and Nebraska, the delegates are split based on the percentage of votes that each candidate gets. In the other 48 states, whoever gets the majority votes gets all the delegates. Whoever receives the most delegates nationwide wins the election and becomes the next president.
How Americans Vote
While Canadians vote for their prime minister by getting a majority in the Parliament, Americans vote directly for their presidential candidate. Usually there are other positions that are up for voting during the same election as the presidential one, such as state senators or Congress positions. Americans go to the precinct where they are registered (this is like your riding in Canada) and cast various votes; one vote for the President, one for the state senator, one for the Congress member, etc. Americans vote twice: once in the primaries (or caucuses) and once in the final election. There also are usually key questions for your state that are voted on. In the past, these questions have included issues such as earned sick time for employees and open school board meetings. You answer either Yes or No, and whichever gets the most votes wins.
All in all, elections can be confusing. Trying to understand the process can be tough, but trying to decide who you will vote for can be much tougher. Interested in which candidate identifies with your ideals and stances? By going to https://www.isidewith.com/, you can take a quiz to find out who you most identify with. While all the excitement of an election won’t be for another couple of months, keeping up with the election can be fun and quite entertaining. Ask your friends, who will/would they be voting for?
Sources:
Washington Examiner, Vote Smart, USA.gov, Ballotpedia, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, U.S. Electoral College
Picture Credits
Cover Picture, 1, 2