HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES THE ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE

WHAT ARE FIVE THINGS YOU WOULD LOOK FOR IN A PRESIDENT? Education? Military experience? Age? Gender? Religion? Character? Previous government experience? Personality? Marital Status? Criminal history? What else would be important to you?

WHAT DOES THE CONSTITUTION SAY ABOUT WHO CAN BE PRESIDENT? The President must be: Do you agree with the Constitutional qualifications?

STEP 1: PRIMARIES AND CAUCUSES

HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES STEP 1 Primaries and Caucuses What are the two main political parties in the United States today? There are many people who have their own ideas about how government should work. People with similar ideas group together and form political parties…

STEP 1 Primaries and Caucuses HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Candidates from each party campaign to gain leadership within their own party. Multiple people from each party may decide they want to be the candidate. This is where primaries and caucuses come in.

STEP 1 Primaries and Caucuses HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Most states hold a primary, in which voters cast secret ballots for the best candidate that will represent the party in the general election. This is where voters can cast their vote to determine who will represent each party.

Types of Primary Open: allows anyone-regardless of party affiliation to vote in the primary for any candidate they want. Closed: Voters registered for their party are only allowed to vote in their party's primary and for a candidate in their party. Semi-Closed: allows anyone to vote- regardless of party affiliation- however can only vote once. Runoff: allows anyone to vote- however it is one large primary and the top two candidates move on regardless of party affiliation.

The Utah Legislature chose not to fund a Presidential Primary in Utah this year.

STEP 1 Primaries and Caucuses HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES In some states, a caucus is held to select the best candidate from each party through discussions and open votes. Which states hold caucuses? Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, Wyoming and Iowa

IN UTAH... THE CAUCUSES WILL BE HELD ON MARCH 22, 2016

STEP 2: NATIONAL CONVENTIONS Now it’s time to officially decide who will be the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate for each party.

STEP 2 National Conventions HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Each party holds a national convention to select a final presidential nominee. Photo from: 480x360.jpg 480x360.jpg Photo from: 480x360.jpg 480x360.jpg

STEP 2 National Conventions HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES At the convention, the Presidential candidate announces a running mate (Vice Presidential Candidate). Photo from: klein/files/2012/08/wonk0831.jpg klein/files/2012/08/wonk0831.jpg Photo from: fdc1cd7ef8ae88d3fffb9cae1f3fb6c1e s3.jpg fdc1cd7ef8ae88d3fffb9cae1f3fb6c1e s3.jpg What do you think a Presidential candidate is looking for in a Vice President?

HOW DO YOU BECOME A UTAH DELEGATE? What is a delegate? A delegate is a person elected from each local precinct to represent that precinct’s views and values at the county and state conventions. Delegates cast votes to decide who will appear on the primary ballot. You live in one of about 2,100 Precincts across the state. Each Precinct has about 1,000 registered voters.

STEP 3: CAMPAIGNS

HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES STEP 3 Campaigning The Presidential candidates campaign throughout the country to win the support of the general population. What do you think about the campaign ads you have seen?

STEP 4: GENERAL ELECTION

STEP 4 General Election HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES People in every state across the country vote for a President and Vice President. When people cast their vote, they are actually voting for a group of people known as electors who are part of the process called the Electoral College. What is the Electoral College? Who are electors?

STEP 5: ELECTORAL COLLEGE

Often considered the most difficult decision of the Framers No Congressional Selection No Direct Vote Elector’s would be “free agents” as enlightened and respectable citizens.

STEP 5 Electoral College HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES In the Electoral College system, each state gets a certain number of electors based on its representation in Congress.

Amount of Electors Per State The amount of electors each state has is determined by the number of Senators and Congressman that state has. So……. How many electors does Utah Have?

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE The Electoral College is a system where 538 electors cast votes to decide who will be the President and Vice President. Why 29? Why 538? This is the total of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and three votes for the District of Columbia. In Florida, electors are nominated by their political party and approved by the Governor. Because Florida has 29 electoral votes, each party (Democrat and Republican) is allowed to appoint 29 electors. 435* = 538 Florida has 27 Congressional Districts (FL gained two districts due to a population increase) and 2 Senators….for a total of 29. Public Law 62-5 Public Law 62-5 says that 435 will be the number in the House of Representatives. This number does not change, rather other states lose seats as states gain seats in the House.

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE Whichever candidate receives the popular (majority) vote in a state (>50%), wins the electoral votes. Candidate ACandidate B For example, in Florida: 29 Electors If candidate B wins more than 50% of the popular vote, their 29 electors get to cast their votes for that Candidate. Candidate A loses the race for that state.

STEP 5 Electoral College HOW TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Each elector casts one vote following the general election, and the candidate who gets more than half (270 of 538) wins. Florida has 29 electoral votes.

Election of 1960

AND THE WINNER IS… The newly elected President and Vice President are inaugurated (sworn into office) in January. Note: Inauguration Day by law is January 20 th. However, since the 20 th is a Sunday, a private ceremony will be held on January 20 th, with a public inauguration taking place on January 21 st,

Barrack Obama (2009- Present) George W. Bush ( ) Bill Clinton ( ) George H. W. Bush ( ) Ronald Reagan ( ) Jimmy Carter ( ) Gerald R. Ford ( ) Richard Nixon ( ) Lyndon B. Johnson ( ) John F. Kennedy ( ) Last 10 Presidents

Flaws in the Electoral Model 1. The winner of the popular vote will not necessarily win the presidency 2. Nothing in the Constitution requires the electors to vote for the candidate who won the popular vote 3. The House of Representatives may end up choosing the President

Another Flaw- Lack of Representation Democratic Candidate Republican Candidate Colorado (9 votes)900,000895,000 New Mexico (5 votes) 300,000680,000 Total Popular Vote1,200,0001,575,000 Total Electoral Vote95

President 1 Vice President 2 Speaker of the House 3 President pro tempore of the Senate 4 Secretary of State 5 Secretary of the Treasury 6 Secretary of Defense 7 Attorney General 8 Secretary of the Interior 9 Secretary of Agriculture Presidential succession 10 Secretary of Commerce 11 Secretary of Labor 12 Secretary of Health and Human Services 13 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 14 Secretary of Transportation 15 Secretary of Energy 16 Secretary of Education 17 Secretary of Veteran Affairs 18 Secretary of Homeland Security

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Comparing Electoral College models: Which is better?

WHICH MODEL IS BETTER? WINNER TAKE ALL More than 50% of the popular vote wins ALL of the elector votes 48 of the states use this system THE DISTRICT SYSTEM One electoral vote is awarded to each candidate winning the popular vote in each congressional district * The two remaining votes are awarded to the candidates with the most votes statewide Maine and Nebraska use this system *Remember, the number of electors are based on the number of members in the United States House of Representatives (who represent congressional districts within a state)… … and two U.S. Senators.

If you could change how we elect the President, would you? If yes, why and how would you change the process? If no, why not? Free Write

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