US Elections

[LSainsbury]

Evening,

Can somebody explain the basics on how the US elections work please?

What is "Super Tuesday" - apart from a stupid name given by the media no doubt...

[DocDutch]

super tuesday is the day where alot of states are having voting for the prez ....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Tuesday for more info

[Damien]

There are two main groups in American Politics, The Democrats and the Republicans. While it is possible to run as an independent, only a candidate nominated by one of those groups can become president in reality.

A few months before the election, these two parties will nominate someone as their candidate to be president.

The Primaries (which are what is going on now) are how these candidates are decided. Both groups have elections in each state to decide who the nominee will be. Each state has a different amount of delegates to send to their party’s convention. . The candidate with the most delegates win (this is why winning a state with a lot of delegates such as California is more important than winning a small state) although the delegates are often assigned relative to the vote share so a small victory is not the same as a big victory. Usually, only members of the republicans/democrats can vote in their own respective elections (although some states allow independents to vote)

Super Tuesday is a day on which around 20 states all vote at the same time, usually a clear winner is seen from these results. Although this time it's so close it may spill over into the last few states to vote.

When it comes to each party's convention, the delegates vote for who their state chose (maybe relative to the vote count) but at this state everyone knows the winner, they accept the nomination and then they enter the main election.

[tweetypie/8]

Originally Posted by DocDutch

super tuesday is the day where alot of states are having voting for the prez ....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Tuesday for more info

what happens on wed.!!

[DocDutch]

Originally Posted by tweetypie/8

what happens on wed.!!

we get screwed as Bush Junior wins again

[LSainsbury]

So what are the elections in November then???

[Damien]

Originally Posted by DocDutch

we get screwed as Bush Junior wins again

Remember, it is only the candidates for President that are being voted for on Super Tuesday. Not the Position of President, that happens early November. Also, it's not a certainity that we will know who those candidates are after Super Tuesday. Theres nothing stopping it being undecided until they reach the convention itself. Only when the delegates vote at their convention is it final, it's just that usually a clear winner has emerged long before then.

---------- Post added at 19:50 ---------- Previous post was at 19:46 ----------

Originally Posted by LSainsbury

So what are the elections in November then???

That is for the position of President. The Americans will decide between the Democratic nominee and the Republican Nominee, everyone (kinda) can vote in this election, it's the main one.

For example:

4 years ago Bush won the Republican nomination (sitting presidents usually have no serious rivals for the nomination) and John Kerry won the Democratic one after winning enough of the democratic primarys.

In the Summer the Republicans and the Democrates have their conventions and after that the election when into full swing before Bush won in November

[Hom3r]

Originally Posted by tweetypie/8

what happens on wed.!!

That won't happen, his term expires on 2009, and will have served two terms, the maximium allowed under US law
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._United_States

[Damien]

Originally Posted by Hom3r

That won't happen, his term expires on 2009, and will have served two terms, the maximium allowed under US law
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._United_States

Also because Super Tuesday does not decide who becomes President, only who is likely to be nominated for President

[Hom3r]

Originally Posted by Damien

Also because Super Tuesday does not decide who becomes President, only who is likely to be nominated for President

I quoted the wrong thread, I should have quoted this one.

Originally Posted by DocDutch

we get screwed as Bush Junior wins again

Well I knackered, I was up at 6:30, and the rest of the week I'll be up at 6am

[Damien]

So after the Primaries, Super Tuesday being the biggest day of the Primary ‘season’ when 24 states will vote, the two parties have a convention. These happen in the summer before the November Election.
During the primaries the delegates vote for one of their candidates and that person will be nominated for President. (Bear in mind we usually know the winner before the convention, because the primary season ends long before the convention, the convention simply makes it official) At the end of both conventions there will be a Republican nominee and a Democrat nominee and all the fuss at the moment is on who those two nominees will be.

They will then campaign until November when every state votes for President. The person who won the most Electors to the Electoral College wins the presidency. The Electors to the college are assigned to state based on size, so a small state has only a few while a big one will have a lot. This is where the ‘swing states’ come in. These are states that could go either way and have a lot of Electoral College votes. These are usually places like California, Florida, Ohio, and these states can often decide a election because of this.

---------- Post added at 20:18 ---------- Previous post was at 20:15 ----------

Originally Posted by Hom3r

I quoted the wrong thread, I should have quoted this one.



Well I knackered, I was up at 6:30, and the rest of the week I'll be up at 6am

Yeah, Was just making sure it was clear that Super Tuesday and the Primarys do not decide who becomes president only who will be challenging for president.

[BBKing]

What happens is, each party selects a complete ass-wipe to run, then the Republicans try and stop as many people from voting as possible while the Democrats try and get them to. Dubious means are used in both cases. The result is hailed as a 'great day for democracy'. Then the winner spends four years paying off his corporate sponsors in taxpayer's pork, and the whole cycle repeats.

I'd have liked to see a Ron Paul - Dennis Kucinich battle, but I suspect it's going to be Clinton v McCain, which is a shame as it's the only pairing that gives the bloody Republicans a chance. McCain is doing his best to shoot himself in the foot though, by promising more wars if he gets in. Goofball.

[Xaccers]

Some people still think the US public vote for who's going to be President.

[SMHarman]

Who does then or are you going on about the electoral college system

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by SMHarman

Who does then or are you going on about the electoral college system

The electoral college, or "how we can make democracy as complicated as possible part 2"