The process of electing a President was set up in the United
States Constitution. The Constitution requires a candidate for
the presidency to be:
• At least 35 years old
• A natural born citizen of the United States
• A resident of the United States for 14 years
So how does one become President of the United States? The
following steps outline the general process for presidential elections.
Step 1: Primaries and Caucuses
There are many people who would like to become President. All
of these people have their own ideas about how our government
should work. Some of these people can belong to the same
political party. That's where primaries and caucuses come in.
In these elections, party members get to vote for the candidate
that will represent their party in the upcoming general election.
Step 2: National Conventions
At the end of the primaries and caucuses, each party holds a
national convention to finalize the selection of one Presidential
nominee. During this time, each Presidential candidate chooses
a running mate (or Vice-Presidential candidate).
Step 3: The General (or Popular) Election
Now that each party is represented by one candidate, the
general election process begins. Candidates campaign
throughout the country in an attempt to win the support of
voters. Finally in November, the people vote for one candidate.
When people cast a vote in the general election, they are not
voting directly for an individual Presidential candidate. Instead,
voters in each state actually cast their vote for a group of
people known as electors. These electors are part of the
Electoral College and are supposed to vote for their state’s
preferred candidate.
Step 4: The Electoral College
In the Electoral College system, each state gets a certain
number of electors, based on each state's total number of
representatives in Congress. Each elector gets one electoral
vote. For example, a large state like California gets 54 electoral
votes, while Rhode Island gets only four. All together, there are
538 Electoral votes.
In December (following the general election), the electors cast
their votes. When the votes are counted on January 6th, the
Presidential candidate that gets more than half (270) wins the
election. The President-elect and Vice President-elect take the
oath of office and are inaugurated two weeks later, on January
20th.
Which statement adds appropriate supporting detail to the
information in the first paragraph? (The first paragraph is the one that has large font).
Options:
A. For over two centuries the Constitution has remained in place
to protect the rights of people.
B. Since the Constitution was written in 1787, it has changed to
meet the needs of modern Presidents.
C. An amendment to the Constitution in 1804 guides the election
of the President to the present day.
D.The Constitution is a statement of national principles rather
than a plan for how the government works.