Presidential Elections 2008/Chapter 1 - How the Americans vote their president
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Candidate announces plan to run for office (by Pascal)
The candidate announces his campaign. From now on, the hard trip to become president starts with all things to do like debates and speeches.
Candidate campaigns to win delegate support (by Pascal)
First, the candidate has to be nominated by his own party. Because at the beginning he is in competition with other candidates of his party, so he has to win delegates.
Delegates are representatives who pledge to support the candidate's nomination at the national party convention. He also has to win voters in general at this time.
Caucuses and primary elections take place in the states (by Marvin)
Caucuses and primaries are ways for the general public to take part in nominating presidential candidates. Only the party leaders in a state could nominate presidential candidates, before the 20th century.
At a caucus just the local party members nominate a candidate.
A primary is more like a general election. The voters have the chance to vote for her own favourite presidential candidate, they go to polls for voting.
Nominee for president is announced at national party conventions (by Marvin)
The aim of a national party convention is to unify party members and the party's platform.
Thousand of the delegates gather support for the platform and nominates the candidates for president and vice-president.
From 1820 until 1930, the party conventions were loud events in which determining a nominee could spark hot debate. In the 20th century the 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 (by Stefan)
Presidential elections are held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November. The reason for it is that the voters had a long journey to the polling place and at November the crops were in. Also Sunday was a day of rest so the voters would begin the trip on Monday.
When they go to the polling place, they are voting for their chosen candidates while selecting groups of electors in the electoral college.
The president is inaugurated (by Stefan)
On January 20, the president enters office in a formal ceremony where he takes the presidential oath: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) 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
The electoral college (by Christoph)
The electoral college votes each 4years the us-president and consists of 580 people. United citizens don't vote their presidents directly they vote electors wich represent the president and vice president. Each state has a number of electors even to the number of its Senators and Representatives in the United States Congress.Each elector casts one vote for President and one vote for Vice President. The electors meat 41 days after the polling day in the capitals of the the different states and vote.So the electoral college never appear at one place or together.
The winner of the election is the candidate who has the absolute majority .If one person haven't got the majority the senat vote the president.For the victory he needs at least 270 of 580 votes.
Vocabulary
to pledge - zusagen, versprechen
polling place - Wahllokal
crops - Gesamternte
electoral college - Wahlmänner-Gremium
Primary election - Vorwahl
Caucuses - Fraktionssitzungen
party member - Parteimitglied
polls - Wahlen
party convention - Parteitag
party's platform - Parteiprogramm
inaugurated - einführen
oath - Eid, Schwur
solemnly - feierlich
faithfully - ehrlich, treu
electoral college - Wahlausschuss
consists - besteht (aus)
electors - Wahlmänner
