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Life On The Road
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History Trippin' 
In March of 2008 our family of four (plus 1 dog) hit the road for a yearlong tour of the United States,
focusing on American History.
Come with us!
Through this website we’ll pass along how we homeschool on the road and
specifically what we’re learning about American history. In our newsletter we'll provide lesson plans and activity suggestions
so that you can learn along with us! Continue...
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Start with the Constitution. The basic process of selecting the President of the United States is spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, and it has been modified by the 12th, 22nd, and 23rd amendments. Many additional steps have been added over the years, by custom and by state law -- the process has changed quite a bit over time.
Who Can Run? The President and Vice-President are elected every four years. They must be at least 35 years of age, they must be native-born citizens of the United States, and they must have been residents of the U.S. for at least 14 years. (Also, a person cannot be elected to a third term as President.)
How Do the Political Parties Choose Their Candidates? That's up to the political parties. Most political parties hold conventions, which are large meetings attended by "delegates." Some delegates are selected by state "primary" elections, some are selected by state caucuses (very much like primaries, except with public voting instead of secret ballots), and some are chosen for their prominence in the party. A majority of delegate votes is needed to win the party's nomination. In most cases, the delegates let their chosen presidential candidate select a vice-presidential candidate.
Candidates for President and Vice-President Run Together. In the general election, each candidate for President runs together with a candidate for Vice-President on a "ticket." Voters select one ticket to vote for; they can't choose a presidential candidate from one ticket and a vice-presidential candidate from another ticket.
The
Electoral College. The national presidential election actually consists
of a separate election in each of the 50 states and the District of
Columbia; in these 51 elections, the voters are really voting for
"electors" pledged to one of the tickets. These electors make up the
"Electoral College." (In most cases, the names of the electors aren't
written on the ballot; instead the ballot lets voters choose among
"Electors for" each of the tickets, naming the presidential and
vice-presidential candidates each slate of electors is pledged to.)
Each state has the same number of electors as it has senators and
representatives (there are two senators from each state, but the number
of representatives depends on the state population in the most recent
census). The District of Columbia, although it isn't a state, also
participates in presidential elections -- it currently has three
electors.
The people in each state vote for electors in the Electoral College. In
most of the states, and also in the District of Columbia, the election
is winner-take-all; whichever ticket receives the most votes in that
state (or in D.C.) gets all the electors. (The only exceptions are
Maine and Nebraska. In these states, just two of the electors are
chosen in a winner-take-all fashion from the entire state. The
remaining electors are determined by the winner in each congressional
district, with each district voting for one elector.)
The Electoral College Votes for the President. The Electoral College
then votes for President and for Vice-President, with each elector
casting one vote; these votes are called electoral votes. Each elector
is pledged to vote for particular candidates for President and
Vice-President. In most elections, all the electors vote in accordance
with the pledge they made; it is not clear what would happen in the
unlikely event that a large number of electors violated their pledge
and voted differently.
Normally, one of the candidates for President receives a majority (more
than half) of the electoral votes; that person is elected President.
That candidate's vice-presidential running mate will then also receive
a majority of electoral votes (for Vice-President), and that person is
elected Vice-President.
If There's No Electoral College Winner, the House of Representatives
Chooses the President. In the rare event that no presidential candidate
receives a majority of the electoral votes, then the President is
chosen instead by the House of Representatives, from the top three
presidential vote-getters in the Electoral College; each state
delegation in Congress casts one vote. (The Vice-President would be
chosen from the top two vice-presidential vote-getters by the Senate.)
This is bizarre! Does it really work this way? Yes. There are many
arguments pro and con the Electoral College, but this system does
guarantee that the person elected President has substantial support
distributed throughout the U.S. The Electoral College has also been a
major factor in the United States' long-term political stability.
Step-by-Step on the Campaign Trail - How the President Gets Elected
—Holly Hartman
Don't know the difference between a caucus and a convention? Unsure
what the electoral college is? Check out this handy guide to the seven
steps of the presidential election.
Candidate announces plan to run for office.
This announcement launches the candidate's official campaign. Speeches, debates, and baby-kissing begin in full force.
Candidate campaigns to win delegate support.
The first stage of a presidential campaign is the nomination campaign.
At this time the candidate is competing with other candidates in the
same party, hoping to get the party's nomination. The candidate works
to win delegates—representatives who pledge to support the candidate's
nomination at the national party convention—and to persuade potential
voters in general.
Caucuses and primary elections take place in the states.
Caucuses and primaries are ways for the general public to take part in
nominating presidential candidates. Before the 20th century, only the
party leaders in each state could nominate presidential candidates.
At a caucus, local party members gather to nominate a candidate. A
caucus is a lively event at which party leaders and activists debate
issues, consider candidates, choose delegates, and discuss the party
platform, or statement of principles. The rules governing caucus
procedures vary by party and b y state.
A primary is more like a general election. Voters go to the polls to
cast their votes for a presidential candidate (or delegates who will
represent that candidate at the party convention). Primary elections
are the main way for voters to choose a nominee.
Nominee for president is announced at national party conventions.
The main goal of a national party convention is to unify party members
behind the party's platform and nominees. Thousands of delegates gather
to rally support for the platform and to nominate candidates for
president and vice-president.
From the 1820s until the 1930s, party conventions were boisterous
events in which determining a nominee could spark hot debate. By the
mid-20th century, however, primary elections had become the main way of
selecting a nominee.
After the convention, the second stage of the presidential campaign
begins: the election campaign. In this stage, presidential candidates
from different parties compete against each other.
Citizens cast their votes.
Presidential elections are held every four years on the Tuesday after
the first Monday of November. This was decided long ago, when many
voters had to make a long, slow journey to the polling place. By early
November crops were in but the weather was usually not too cold for
travel. And because Sunday was a day of rest, voters would begin the
trip on Monday.
Many Americans think that when they cast their ballot, they are voting
for their chosen candidate. In actuality they are selecting groups of
electors in the electoral college.
The electoral college casts its votes.
Some of the founding fathers wanted Congress to elect the president.
Others wanted the president to be elected by popular vote. The
electoral college represents a compromise between these ideas.
Every state has a number of electors equal to its number of
congresspersons. In addition, there are three electors for the District
of Columbia. At the last presidential election there were 538 electors.
Although laws vary by state, electors are usually chosen by popular
vote. An elector may not be a senator, representative, or other person
holding a U.S. office.
All the electoral votes from a particular state go to the candidate who
leads the popular vote in that state. A candidate can therefore win
millions of popular votes but no electoral votes. This "winner takes
all" system can produce seemingly uneven results; in the elections of
1876, 1888, and 2000, for instance, the candidate who had the greatest
popular vote did not win the greatest electoral college vote, and so
lost the presidency.
On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, the
electors cast their ballots. Nothing in the Constitution or federal law
requires that the electors vote along with their state's popular vote,
though an elector who did not would likely not be reelected. At least
270 electoral votes are required to elect a president. If this majority
is not reached, the House of Representatives will elect the president.
The president is inaugurated.
On January 20, the president enters office in a formal ceremony know as
the inauguration. He takes the presidential oath: "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."
In accordance with the Constitution, the inauguration used to take
place on March 4, because transportation and communication were so slow
that it took time to collect election results and allow winning
candidates to travel to Washington, D.C. With the 20th Amendment in
1933, however, the inauguration date was changed to January 20.
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