Can you explain the US election process in VERY SIMPLE terms?
552061
Well, right off the bat, the US elects everybody by popular vote, right down to the local dogcatcher.\n\nThe confusion many people have is owing to our origins, where each individual colony of Great Britain was used to being separate from the others, and so when we formed the United States, each State had to have its concerns for Sovereignty [running its own local affairs] addressed.  So a system was devised to give the small states equal representation in the congress with the large ones, while also giving the people representation based on how many there are in each state [one representative per so many thousand].  So we have 2 senators from each state in the Senate.  And we have about 456 representatives in the House of Representatives.\n\nSenators and Representatives run for election based on membership in a party.  The people who want to run for office [British "stand" for office] for the Republican party have their names placed on the ballot by petition signed by a sufficient number of people.  Then there is an election to decide which of these Republicans will be the Republican candidate for the office in contest.  The same with the other parties.  This is called a primary election.  When that election decides who shall be the candidate from each party, then the people vote on the various condidates for the office in contest.\n\nWe do in fact have more than the 2 parties.  But the system is so old and our population is so much alike and our domestic issues are so continously the same that most people really are either Republicans or Democrats.\n\nAs far as the Presidential election goes, the Constitution does not provide for the direct election of the president.  It provides for the States [that old States' Right thing] to send Electors equal to the number of Representatives it has in Congress to vote on the candidates put forward, without mentioning how they are to be put forward.\n\nThe theory was that people would vote for Electors whose political views were known, and these Electors would gather together in a College and hash out who would be President among themselves, with the most populous states having the most votes because they have the most representatives in Congress.  \n\nBut rapidly, it fell out that parties would nominate a candidate and the people voted for the Electors who commmitted themselves to him, and then the Electors voted in the College for that person, even though they don't really have to.  \n\nWhat this results in is that candidates spend a lot of time in the most populous states because those states have the most Electors, and there is the rule that the candidate who gets the most votes, even if only 51%, gets ALL the Electors  from his state.\n\nThere is a lot of discussion about ditching this imperfect system in favor of absolute popular election.  Most people would go for it, but politicians like it because they can spout and posture in only a few states and win the election, even though they don't get the majority of the popular votes.
933748
The Electoral College is the thing that actually elects the US President.  Each state gets a number of delegates equal to the sum of their Senators plus Representatives in Congress.\n\nThe actual delegates are selected by mechanisms in each state, but their vote is a foregone conclusion.\n\nWikipedia is your friend....
1018020
Depends how fox news describes it.\nDepends how much money either side can raise from corporations to run for office.\nDepends how many elected officials not only count votes but also are head of a campaign.\nDepends if your brother is Governor, of a battle ground state.\nDepends if the 5 to 4 vote tells you to stop counting.\n\n\nIn the US democracy means the executive legislative and judicial are run by one party, with little accountability and checks an balances. \n\nThis is the best democracy money can buy.
1100281
The political playing field is really open to just about all citizens of the US (except president where you have to be born in the US in addition to being a citizen). However, it would be difficult for you to gather votes if no one knows you neh?\n\nMoney talks, if you don't have the money, you have to start small and slowly work  up to the national scene.
918661
How about this!! The recent mid-term elections were covered quite differently both across the country and around the world. Some European papers down played the election as ho-hum; while other played it as a near overthrowing of the United States. This should give you something to work with.
128579
A few months.\n\nEach state's electors meet in their respective state capitals in December, 41 days following the election, at which time they cast their electoral votes. Thus the Electoral College never meets as one body. The electoral votes are then sealed and sent to the President of the Senate (i.e. the sitting Vice President of the United States), who retains them until the new Congress convenes in January. At that time, the votes are opened and counted in the presence of both houses of Congress. The candidate who receives a majority of electoral votes for President becomes President, and the candidate who receives a majority of electoral votes for Vice President becomes Vice President.
854871
Senators and members of the House of Representatives are chosen by popular vote...senators are elected "at-large" meaing they have no district except for the state from which they are elected\n\nmembers of the House of representatives are apportioned among the states on the basis of population, with representatives being selected from the district in which they live\n\nthe president, however, is chosen by electoral process. while voters mark their ballot for "john kerry" or "george w bush" they are actually selecting electors who will vote for the candidate who receives more votes. the number of electors a state is given is equal to the sum of the state's representatives plus 2 (for the senators)
1064019
We live in a Republic and not a Democracy. That means that we elect  electors, who vote for us. There is no federal ballot process. Only a couple of states like California have ballot propositions, which is why it is legal there. Can't happen federally.
292320
Do you mean registering to vote?   Electoral Votes are established for each state, not based on registration. I believe.
160832
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/candidates/index.shtml to find canidates and http://www.votexas.com is a good place to learn about the voting process
1184192
Many people are concerned with computerized voting. \n\nThat's why many juristictions are looking at machines with VOTER VERIFIABLE PAPER TRAILS. \n\nVoters are given the opportunity to verify - on paper - that their votes have gone the way they want. Once the ballot is finalized, a barcode is printed as well. A recount can be done by machine (scanning the barcodes) and by hand (reading the names). \n\nAnd, if you're so damned sure about the answer to your question, why are you bothering to ask?
694824
EXCELLENT QUESTION.I was wondering about the huge computer  vs paper ballot vote this election.Sounds like another election scam in the making
991564
The truth is there is no "one man one vote," and there hasn't been since the beginning. It's just more obvious now, that our government is really about "one dollar one vote." Such is the way of a republic. So save up your money and become one of the haves.. that's the only way to win. Our government has no power. It's a front.
1151119
Your entire argument is valid and common among most young adults my age all over the country.  I really just do not want to see the Election to be a circus, with the Democratsz thinking they have found the key to their salvation after all this time by putting Hillary Clinton into office.  That would be the largest scale mistake EVER made in Elections History.  It really is choosing the lessor or two equals, and it's so hard to see the difference in the 2 candidates you are choosing from becuase they all sound the same.  Pray, I do, Pray for a smarter Nation to get its head out of the hole in the ground and pay attention to whats going on  out there.  I think the most important thing is to Vote, and clearly educate yourself on the people running before you rush to push a button come November 2008.
619768
sadly not much, and this is only referring to the basic system here and how it should work.  if one extends the idea of knowledge of the system to include government actions and such, its probably even lower.  i would like to think i have a fair understanding of it overall, but i know very little actually except what manages to leak out about what goes on behind the closed doors in dc.  a more process transparent government would be very nice.
926839
The parties (Democrat and Republican) vote for their candidate they want to represent them!  The electoral college has a certain number of people according to the size of their state.  It adds up to 536 and the candidate needs 270 votes to win.  They try to get to get the higher populated states such as Florida, California, Ohio, and Texas so they win.  I believe the voter's votes are factored in also.
1023091
much like canadian mp's, americans have the house of representatives.  each state is assigned a certain number of representatives based on population.  the number of state representatives is equal to the number of electoral votes the state has.  lets say new york has 30 reps and hawaii has 2.  that is because new york has 15 times the population of hawaii.  each state gets the same number of votes that they have representatives.  these are called electoral votes.  whichever candidate receives the most votes in a particular state, the candidate gets the number of electoral votes.  if  bush got 51% of votes in new york, even though nearly half the state didnt like bush, he would get all 30 votes.