The US Government
Elections |
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THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
The Electoral College is the system set in place to elect the president. Presidential elections are held every four years. Each state has a number of electors that is equal to their members in Congress and proportionate to the population of the state. The presidential candidate that receives the most votes in a given state receives all the electoral votes from that state.There are 538 electoral votes; the candidate that receives the most votes wins. There are certain states that are always dominated by either a Republican or a Democratic majority (for example, California almost always votes Democratic whereas Texas almost always vote Republican). The campaigning technique that parties use is to target “swing states” or states that may vote either way (Republican or Democratic) in order to receive the most votes possible. Millions of dollars are spent on these electoral campaigns.Along with presidential elections there are Congressional elections. The House of Representatives is elected every two years, halfway through the presidential term. The seats in the House of Representatives that a state has are proportionate to the population of the state. Candidates for the House are separated through the districts of a state that are divided roughly by population. Most candidates represent a party but some are independent. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives. The candidate that receives the most votes within a district takes up the seat in the House of Representatives. Elections for the Senate happen every two years but only a third of the Senate is re-elected. Senators are voted on from within a state. There are two Senators to each state making 100 members of the Senate. A Senators term is six years long.
The House of Representatives and the Senate together form Congress.
The Electoral College is the system set in place to elect the president. Presidential elections are held every four years. Each state has a number of electors that is equal to their members in Congress and proportionate to the population of the state. The presidential candidate that receives the most votes in a given state receives all the electoral votes from that state.There are 538 electoral votes; the candidate that receives the most votes wins. There are certain states that are always dominated by either a Republican or a Democratic majority (for example, California almost always votes Democratic whereas Texas almost always vote Republican). The campaigning technique that parties use is to target “swing states” or states that may vote either way (Republican or Democratic) in order to receive the most votes possible. Millions of dollars are spent on these electoral campaigns.Along with presidential elections there are Congressional elections. The House of Representatives is elected every two years, halfway through the presidential term. The seats in the House of Representatives that a state has are proportionate to the population of the state. Candidates for the House are separated through the districts of a state that are divided roughly by population. Most candidates represent a party but some are independent. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives. The candidate that receives the most votes within a district takes up the seat in the House of Representatives. Elections for the Senate happen every two years but only a third of the Senate is re-elected. Senators are voted on from within a state. There are two Senators to each state making 100 members of the Senate. A Senators term is six years long.
The House of Representatives and the Senate together form Congress.
The Role of Congress
Congress makes up the legislative branch of the US government. Their job is to make and revise bills that are intended to become laws. A member of the House of Representatives typically introduces bills, however Senators can also introduce bills. Only members of Congress can introduce bills. The House of Representatives votes on a bill, if it passes, it will be subsequently voted on by the Senate (or vice versa depending on where the bill starts); it would then need to be given the final seal of approval by the President to become law. The President had the power to veto bills which means that the bill does not pass. The only way that a veto can be usurped is if both houses of Congress pass the bill by a super majority: 2/3. In Congress there are several committees that specialize in certain areas of law. There are 23 committees in the House of Representatives and 104 sub-committees, in the Senate there are 17 committees with 70 sub-committees. When a bill first enters Congress committees that are concerned with the content of the bill review it. When a sub committee revises or approves a bill it then moves onto the full committee. If the full committee approves the bill it can then it goes for debate in the House of Representatives (or the Senate depending on where the bill starts). Debate in the House of Representatives is limited. House Members must keep their speeches only a few minutes long and there is a limited amount of amendments that they may speak about. After the period of debate the bill may be passed with a final vote. The bill would then move to the Senate (or if it started in the Senate it would move to the House of Representatives). The Bill would move through committees in the Senate as well. In the Senate debate time is unlimited. Senators may talk about subjects other than the bill in their speeches. Senators may use this power to filibuster a bill. This is the process in which a Senator or a group of Senators holds a series of speeches to "hold the floor" and therefore delay the passing of a bill. A filibuster can be stopped if a super-majority of the Senate (60/100) votes for it to stop. Through out the legislative process there is opportunity for lobbyists to interfere. Lobbyists are people who are hired to promote a specific political stance to sway legislators.
The President
The president represents the executive branch of the American government. The president’s responsibility is to uphold laws made by the legislative branch. There are fifteen departments that are part of the executive branch that carry out the administration of the American government. The heads of these departments are what make up the president’s Cabinet. They are there to advise the president concerning the issues that are associated with their department. The armed forces, the CIA, the Environmental Protection Agency and several other federal commissions are also part of the executive branch.The president of the United States has the power to pass or veto laws, to sign and make treaties, with the approval of two thirds of the Senate, and to grant pardons for the breaking of federal laws with the exception of cases that involve impeachment
The Judicial Branch
The judicial branch of government refers to the court system. The federal court system and it’s structure is controlled by Congress. Congress even has the power to decide how many judges there should be in the Supreme Court. The federal court’s job is to interpret and apply the law to specific situations involving American citizens. The Supreme Court of the United States does not hear trials but rather deals with appeals. Of the 7500+ appeals that the Supreme Court reviews in a year 150 of them are dealt with. To hear an appeal at least four of the nine justices must agree to hear the appeal.