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Chan-Seung Lee
Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 1032
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 Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:58 pm Post subject: I wonder |
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Next comes the General Election where each candidate begins campaigning throughout the country in an attempt to earn the support of voters. In November, citizens head to the voting booths and cast their final vote. They choose the Presidential candidate that they would like to see lead the country, and also a group of people called "electors," who belong to the Electoral College.
The Electoral College is composed of a group of electors from each state who vote for their state's preferred candidate.
It is not until December that the electors cast their votes. All the votes are tallied on January 6th of the following year, and the candidate with more than 50 percent of the votes becomes the next President. |
To American helpers, I cannot exactly understand the process of the Presidential election in the U.S. I think that once in November citizens choose the Presidential candidate, then he must be the President. Why is the Electoral College who vote for their state's preferred candidate needed?
I think that because the President is already chosen in November by citizens, there is no need for the Electoral College who vote for their state's preferred candidate. To me, the quote sounds like in November citizens choose a Presidential candidate and the Electoral College and then another presidential candidate is chosen by electors who would like to choose their state's preferred candidate and finally in December one candidate is chosen between two candidates who earns more than 50 percent of the votes.
Please, let me know the exact process of election in the U.S.
Thanks. |
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Bob S.
Joined: 29 Apr 2004
Posts: 1767
Location: So. Cal
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:56 am Post subject: Re: I wonder |
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| Chan-Seung Lee wrote: |
I think that once in November citizens choose the Presidential candidate, then he must be the President. Why is the Electoral College who vote for their state's preferred candidate needed?
I think that because the President is already chosen in November by citizens, there is no need for the Electoral College who vote for their state's preferred candidate. To me, the quote sounds like in November citizens choose a Presidential candidate and the Electoral College and then another presidential candidate is chosen by electors who would like to choose their state's preferred candidate and finally in December one candidate is chosen between two candidates who earns more than 50 percent of the votes. |
Ah, that is a common mistake. We have a little complicated system. Even many natural born Americans don't understand the system.
In November when we vote, we don't vote directly for the President. In a way, we are voting our preference. Each state then sends electors to the Electoral College who will then vote according to the wishes of the state's citizens and that state's laws (most states give all of their votes to the winner of the local election, some give votes based on percentage of the popular vote). Based on these rules, we can generally know the outcome of the future Electoral College election based on each state's popular vote election. |
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