US elective system: criticism, parties, leaders, scheme, features. Electoral System of the US and Russia (briefly)

Presidential elections are always a big event, regardless of the country in which they occur. At these crucial moments, the fate of millions, and sometimes even billions of people, is decided. When presidential elections take place in such a huge and strong state as the US, or, for example, in Russia, this is an event for the whole world, because the big powers set the trend for all other countries and solve geopolitics around the world. Probably, therefore, even people far from politics begin to follow the course of events.

This article is about the upcoming elections in the US. The reader will learn about their similarities and differences with a similar process in our state. In addition, we will describe how the US electoral system works, and indicate its pros and cons.

Basic principles of the device

So how is the US electoral system organized? Power in the United States is divided into three branches:

• Legislative;
• Judicial;
• Executive.

In this their system is similar to ours. Representatives of the legislative and executive branches are elected through voting, and in the judiciary may also be appointed (depending on the laws of the particular state).

The US Congress is the main legislative body, it is divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate. The first includes 435 members, who are elected for 2 years. In the Senate choose 2 people from each state for 6 years.

The US electoral system briefly looks like this: the president, as well as the vice president, elects the electoral college, while taking into account the voices of the population. The size of the board is equal to the number of representatives of the Congress, with the exception of the District of Columbia. She does not have congressmen, but there are three electoral votes. The total number of the board is 538 members. The US electoral system will be described in more detail below.

A bit of history

The first presidential elections in the United States of America were held in 1789. At that time the leader was George Washington and in fact was elected unanimously. He was a very strong political figure and was very popular among the electorate. At that time, only 10 states participated in the elections.

The elective system of the US president is strictly regulated by the first and second articles of the US Constitution. In addition, there are a number of regulatory and legal acts aimed at improving the process. As a result, the US electoral system includes the following laws:

1. From 1965, which allows all ethnic groups to vote without exception.
2. From 1984 on the creation of equipped sites for voters with disabilities.
3. The law, adopted in 1993, related to the registration of voters.

In addition to the above, there are a number of measures aimed at combating fraud and various falsifications.

If you do not go into details, heads and amendments, only two people are elected on the federal principle (when the residents of the whole country vote) - this is the president and the vice-president. Nevertheless, in connection with the national features of the system of government, elections are held not directly, but two-stage, with the help of the electoral college.

The college was established in 1787, its essence is that in every state special representatives are elected, who, in turn, elect the president. The very essence of creating such an association is a little absurd, but at the same time is the norm for its time. The college was created so that voters do not vote for candidacies that are dangerous for the integrity of the US, for example, various radicals and extremists. And although the idea itself is a little bit contrary to democracy, the system has functioned regularly for more than two hundred years.

The rights of voters

In the US, the strictest system of voter registration. Only those who vote are registered in polling stations. Due to the peculiarity of the system, many voters are deprived of the right to vote, for example, because of a change of residence or because of non-appearance. At the same time, an extremely small number of potential voters are able to return the opportunity to elect.

In addition, in some states there is a tendency for a large number of undocumented youth, but exact figures can not be given here, since there is no centralized population accounting system.

Requirements for electors

As a rule, these are famous people who can be trusted to represent the interests of the state. In general, electors and primaries are the features of the US electoral system. Often there are politicians, human rights activists and other trusted people among them.

The number of electors is equal to the number of representatives of the congress of this or that state. The logic is simple: the larger the population, the more officials with which the US electoral system functions. The scheme with the number of officials here is similar to any large state. In some states electors are appointed by the leadership of parties (republican and democratic), and in some, direct elections are used through voting.

Requirements for the presidential candidate

As in most countries, the key criterion is the citizenship of the presidential candidate, in addition, he must be born in the United States. The minimum age of the nominee must be 35 years, and this person is obliged to live in America for more than 14 years.

A candidate can not be president more than twice. A standard set of requirements, the same practice in our country and in many other countries.

Election scheme

Based on the actions described above, it is possible to draw up a kind of algorithm for elections and how the electoral system of the president works in the United States. Here is an approximate sequence of work:

1. The electoral process is being carried out.
2. Winning won the majority of votes.
3. Electors vote for a certain presidential candidate.
4. The results are sent to the US Congress.
5. The meeting of the chambers of the congress counts votes.
6. The winner is the greater number of votes.

Selective system of the USA: party-leaders

Republicans and Democrats are the two strongest and oldest parties in the United States. What is their difference?

Democrats are a socially-oriented party. Their motto is support for the poorer strata of the population, various benefits for the unemployed, free medicine, the prohibition of the death penalty. In general, the policy of this party is more liberal, it is expressed in various progressive laws, indulgences and budgeting.

Republicans are more conservative. They adhere to stricter views on government management, and this is expressed in many factors. For example, a more rational allocation of budget funds, a stake on patriotism and strength, protection of the middle class and business.

There are other parties, but they do not have the money, or support such as the two above. Candidates are very difficult to get into Congress and somehow promote their interests. The same goes for the presidential elections - no one will notice the nominees from such parties.

Primaries

This, in fact, the primary. Each party holds its own vote, which decides who will be the only candidate for the presidency. This determines how the US electoral system works. In short, there are 2 types of primaries - closed and open.

In the first case, only the members of the parties vote in which the candidate is elected, and in the second case, everyone can vote. An interesting feature of the American system is that there are no main branches of parties with a single leadership. Instead, each state has its own Democrats and Republicans.

The voting process is not regulated by any single law of the country, and in each state this happens in its own way. Wherever the parties choose the main candidates, and sometimes they vote for regional leaders.

Current state of affairs

Now 2016, which means that the 58th presidential election is in the nose. The specific date for the elections is November 8. From the Democrats at the moment there are two presidential candidates - Hillary Clinton, who held the post of Secretary of State, as well as Bernard Sanders, who is a senator of one of the states. Their opponent is the Republican Donald Trump, a billionaire, leading a very aggressive advertising campaign.

Hillary Clinton is a strong candidate for the Democratic Party. She has extensive experience in political and administrative activities. She is known not only for being married to the 42nd President of the United States of America, but also for her career as a senator (New York State), and as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013.

The election campaign of Hillary Clinton is a fairly strong promise for the US economy. This will be expressed in increasing wages for the middle class, in addition, it is an increase in the minimum wage, and also the budgeting of the social sphere.

Bernard Sanders is the second strong candidate from the Democratic Party. He was born in 1941, and began his political career in 1972, in an attempt to take the place of Governor of Vermont (he lost this election). Then, until 1981, he was followed by a series of failures, but Sanders did take the post of Mayor of Burlington. He was elected to this post three times and later tried to get into Congress as an independent candidate. In 1990, he does it. Then he became a congressman for a long time, and then took up the post of senator from the state of Vermont.

The pre-election program of this candidate is very interesting. Sanders is a favorite of the US youth. He is considered one of the most honest candidates for the presidency. The essence of his program is to increase social equity in the United States by creating a more accessible health insurance system, strengthening financial supervision, helping those in need, and access to higher education.

Donald Trump is the strongest Republican. He was a widely public person and before the start of the election race. Known as a successful businessman-billionaire, and also as a media person. He often speaks to the media, owns a large construction company, a network of hotels and a casino, in addition, Trump wrote several books on business.

The powerful electoral program of Donald Trump is designed for the conservative part of the US population. He is a fierce opponent of migrants and promises to fight illegal citizens from Mexico and other countries. As well as other candidates, has ideas related to health care reform. In his case, the essence of the reform is to reduce the cost of insurance for both the state and the citizens themselves. In addition, he stands for business support, economic stimulation and his views on foreign policy.

Disadvantages of the US electoral system

No matter how deserving the US electoral system, criticism notes some disadvantages in it. The most obvious is that the parties of democrats and Republicans are financed from the budget. At the same time, other political associations do not have such an opportunity, since they must win at least 5% of the votes in previous elections. It turns out a vicious circle. Classical falsification schemes can also be used, for example, similarity of throw-in. That is, when the voting processes are serviced by private companies, they can easily be bribed by opponents.

Also in the country there is a very bad scheme, which determines how the entire US electoral system works. In the 19th century, for the first time, technology such as jerrimenderering was used. This is a re-drawing of electoral districts, which allows you to identify potential voters on a territorial or ethnic basis, for example, so that residents of certain provinces will vote for a particular candidate because of personal preferences (ethnic, political, due to certain promises).

pros

Nevertheless, the US electoral system, the scheme of which is presented in the article, has its own merits. All the same, the geography of electoral districts can be a plus. The electoral law and the US electoral system are designed in such a way that if most of the participants in the electoral mechanism comply with all the rules, this will make it possible to select the favorite of voters most accurately, taking into account the wishes of both small rural areas and residents of the largest cities of the United States, On cardinal differences in the interests of these categories of citizens.

Our system

The electoral system of the USA and Russia Has a similarity, first, that in both cases the decision is made by the majority. A democratic approach is a key similarity between the two states.

Secondly, in both the US and our electoral system is built on the constitution. However, this principle works in all developed countries, but it is especially appreciated in these two superpowers. In our state any citizen who has reached the age of 18 has the right to vote.

Election system in our country means election of deputies of the State Duma, the President, some other bodies of the federal level, in addition, the methods of election used in the above-mentioned bodies are also applied at the time of voting for posts in regional and municipal entities.

One presidential term in our state is six years. The president's minimum age is 35 years, in addition, he must live in the country for at least 10 years. They nominate a candidate of the association of at least 100 people, besides, their duties include a meeting of 1 million signatures.

The appointment of elections takes place by the Federation Council. The process is carried out on time (not earlier than 100 days and not later than 90 days before the meeting). Legislatively appointed the voting day for the second Sunday of the month in which the previous elections were held. Potential presidents are nominated either from parties or independently. Later, the Central Election Commission registers candidates who meet the necessary requirements, including supporting the necessary number of voters.

Voting is conducted in specially equipped areas, under strict control of the public (for this purpose, many different regulatory and legal acts have been adopted, the legislation is being improved to this day). People who come to the polls must mark the candidate in the ballot and place the latter in a special sealed ballot box.

Counting of votes is carried out in several stages, starting from the place of voting and through territorial and regional bodies reaches the CEC. The Central Election Commission is obliged to announce the results 10 days after the voting.

Key differences from America

The most important thing is the lack of a collegium of electors or similar bodies that can somehow influence the voting process. Therefore, our elections are much more democratic than in the United States of America. Despite the tight control of power and law in both countries, it is not accepted in Russia to trust the fate of voting to a small number of people, as in the US.

Yes, elections are a strong bureaucracy, potential violations and various levers against voters, but both states do their best to prevent any violations and improve their laws. In addition, various public associations that control the course of elections are created there and there.