I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States - This is the Presidential Oath of Office which will (unfortunately) be repeated by one of these two clowns in January 2017.
This year, the girls are studying American Government. An election year is always a good time to tackle this expansive topic of the American Government.
~First up, who can be the president?
If you want to be the pres, you must be over 35 years old, be a natural-born citizen of the United States, or have lived in the United States for at least 14 years. A president can serve two terms (22 Amendment 1947), four years each term. The only president in history to be elected to serve four terms was Franklin D. Roosevelt. Unfortunately, he died for before completing his four term as the pres.
~If you want to be the VP (vice pres) the above rules also apply. The reason for this is laid out in the 12th Amendment to the Constitution. It states that if you are not eligible to be the president, you are not eligible to be the vice president which makes perfect sense since the VP will take over in the event that the pres can no longer do the job. Back in the day with the original election system, the second place candidate would become the VP. That no longer applies.
~Who can vote? Anyone who is a U.S. citizen, be a legal resident in the state you vote in, and you have to be 18 years old. In 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified which allowed free men of any color to vote. In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment paved the way for women to vote.
~Who cannot vote? People with certain mental illnesses and felons are usually prohibited from voting.
~Who picks the candidates? People with similar thoughts and ideas belong to the same political party. Candidates from political parties campaign statewide. There are conventions leading up to the months before an election. This is where Caucuses and Primaries come in to play. A Caucus is when party members select the best candidate by votes and discussions. In a Primary the party members vote in the candidate who will best represent them in the general election. Once a candidate is secured, more campaigning begins. The candidate will travel nationwide to try to win support from the general population.
~Now that there are candidates, what comes next? People head out to vote. Their vote is actually not a direct vote for a candidate. Nope! The voters have selected delegates which are called electors. It is the electors that pledge their vote for the popular winner in each district. Each state has their own meeting for this which is called the electoral college. They submit the official votes for president based on their state's popular vote. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes. In total there are 538 electoral votes. I can't even believe it but so far idiot Clinton is in the lead. Maybe we will just move to Greece if she takes over the village!
Find a great presidential election map here.
~Who can vote? Anyone who is a U.S. citizen, be a legal resident in the state you vote in, and you have to be 18 years old. In 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified which allowed free men of any color to vote. In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment paved the way for women to vote.
~Who cannot vote? People with certain mental illnesses and felons are usually prohibited from voting.
~Who picks the candidates? People with similar thoughts and ideas belong to the same political party. Candidates from political parties campaign statewide. There are conventions leading up to the months before an election. This is where Caucuses and Primaries come in to play. A Caucus is when party members select the best candidate by votes and discussions. In a Primary the party members vote in the candidate who will best represent them in the general election. Once a candidate is secured, more campaigning begins. The candidate will travel nationwide to try to win support from the general population.
~Now that there are candidates, what comes next? People head out to vote. Their vote is actually not a direct vote for a candidate. Nope! The voters have selected delegates which are called electors. It is the electors that pledge their vote for the popular winner in each district. Each state has their own meeting for this which is called the electoral college. They submit the official votes for president based on their state's popular vote. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes. In total there are 538 electoral votes. I can't even believe it but so far idiot Clinton is in the lead. Maybe we will just move to Greece if she takes over the village!
Find a great presidential election map here.
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