1. “ RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE”: U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

2. George Washington Bill Clinton Th. Jefferson F.D. Roosevelt J.F. Kennedy Abraham Lincoln Ronald Reagan

3. The President & the U.S. Federal Government

4. Separation of Powers

5. Rules for who can be … Natural Born Citizen At Least 35 Years of Age Resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years Each term is four years. A president can only be elected twice (Amendment XXII of the Constitution following President Franklin Delano Roosevelt demise during his fourth term) A Vice-President runs for office along side of the President Would become President if the President is to die, to resign or to be removed from office.

6. Beginning of a Two-Party System  The first president, George Washington, was not affiliated with a party and hoped a two- party system would never form.  From his advisors came the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties.

7. Federalist vs Democratic-Republican Strong Central Government Strong Link between Government and Business Limited Government Populist approach to government Federalists Democratic-Republican

8. Becoming the Current Two-Party System  The Whigs replaced by the Republican Party which held many of the same values.  By the 1820’s, the Federalist Party had dissolved while the Democratic-Republican Party split into two parts – The Whigs and The Democrats.

9. Two-Party System Every President since 1848 has been either a Democrat or Republican. The House of Representatives and the Senate have been controlled by either a Democrat or Republican since 1856 Though the names have not changed in over a century, the ideologies and policies championed by each party have shifted.

10. Democrat Donkey Republican Elephant The now-famous Democratic donkey was first associated with Democrat Andrew Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign. His opponents called him a jackass (a donkey), and Jackson decided to use the image of the strong-willed animal on his campaign posters. Later, cartoonist Thomas Nast used the Democratic donkey in newspaper cartoons and made the symbol famous. Nast invented another famous symbol—the Republican elephant. In a cartoon that appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1874, Nast drew a donkey clothed in lion's skin, scaring away all the animals at the zoo. One of those animals, the elephant, was labeled “The Republican Vote.” That's all it took for the elephant to become associated with the Republican Party. Democrats today say the donkey is smart and brave, while Republicans say the elephant is strong and dignified.

11. Other parties

12. The road to the Presidency Primaries Party Convention s Presidential Campaign Presidential Election Voting Electoral College Voting Feb to June late July Aug to Nov Nov 8 Dec 19 Inauguration Day January 20, 2017 at Noon.

13. Two stages of elections For the candidate who will represent each party in a General Election There are primary elections for the Democratic candidate and the Republican candidate in each state Between January and June For the candidate who will become President of the United States Held in November. Primary ElectionsGeneral Election 2008 Debate

14. Campaign battle: primaries and caucuses  During primaries and caucuses, the citizens of each State vote to nominate a candidate.  Candidates hold rallies prior to the vote.

15. Each Party Selects Its Candidate The DemocratsThe Republicans

16. An important stage: the debates

17. Main issues debated: Gallup survey, May 2015

18. The Primaries  Most states hold a primary  The candidate with the most votes wins the delegates of that state for party election  New Hampshire holds the first primary. Dropped out: Bush, Carson, Christie, Fiorina, Gilmore, Graham, Huckabee, Jindal, Pataki, Paul, Perry, Rubio, Santorum, Walker Last updated: April 27, 2016, Delegates Tracker, AP. Dropped out: Chafee, Lessig, O'Malley, Webb

19. The caucuses  Local nominating conventions where members of a political party discuss which candidate to support.  The discussion is followed by; Republicans: a secret ballot/Democrats: Voters swarm into groups+an “undecided” group/Candidates with less than 15% of the total head count are removed.  Iowa held the first Caucus of 2016 on February, 1.

20. The Conventions: Seeking consensus Democrats and Republicans ratify the nomination of their respective candidates.

21. General Elections  After the candidates are chosen, the candidate for each party campaigns in the general election to become the President.

22. The Vote  To vote, one must:  Be over 18 years of age  Not be a convicted felon  Be a U.S. citizen  Possible issues:  Fraud (rare)  Low turnout of voters participation and registration.

23. The Electoral College  Voters do not vote directly for a presidential candidate  They vote indirectly through electors who pledge to vote for the chosen candidate. Electoral College 2012 (results)  538 members distributed amongst the states  Number of electors is equal to the number of senators (2) and representatives of each State.

24. The Electoral Vote  The candidate must win at least 270 electoral votes in order to be elected  Electors vote formally in December  Ballots counted in January by Congress  It is possible to win the electoral vote (by electoral college) and lose the popular vote (overall votes by the people). 2000

25. Red states, blue states

26. Who are the voters that make up America?

27. Demographic Changes  U.S. Census Population Projections: 2010 2050  Caucasians 63.7% 46.3%  Hispanic-Am 16.4% 30.2%  African-Am 12.2% 13.0%  Asian-Am 4.6% 7.8%  Native-Am 0.9%

28. Key and Decisive Issues: Swing States “Swing states” are neither strongly Republican nor strongly Democratic.

29. Demographics are only one part of the US election puzzle. Control of the White House and Capitol Hill will be determined by the voters who actually go to the polls. As in every election, those voters will be motivated by enthusiasm and unhappiness, hope and fear, and — just a little bit — by the weather!

30. Simultaneous elections  Other elections may be held simultaneously to the presidential election: governor elections, elections of representatives to the Assembly of each State, local elections, referendums on various topics, etc.

31. Inauguration Day On Friday, January 20, 2017, the 45th President of the United States will be sworn in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol at noon, when the term of President Barack Obama expires. The peaceful transition of power will be accomplished with a simple oath, first taken by George Washington In 1789. “I do solemnly swear 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. So help me God.” The long campaign for President will be over.

32. Important dates Feb 1 Primaries and Caucuses began June 7 Last day of primary elections Five states, including California, go to the polls July 18-21 Republican National Convention July 25-27 Democratic National Convention Sept 26 first presidential debate at Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio) Nov 8 Election Day Jan 20, 2017 Inauguration Day ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

33. SOURCE: New York Times

36. Questions?