Elections in the US

Suffrage: The right to vote.
Who can vote?
- US citizens at least 18 years of age who are not convicted felons or deemed mentally incompetent.
Voting registration:
- Handled by individual states, therefore varies.
- Election law, in general, is handled by the states as the Constitution does not make reference.
Residency:
- You must prove that you are a resident of a state to vote in an election, local or national.
Photo Identification:
- Typically used but varies state to state - controversial!

Motor Voter Legislation (1993):
- Made it easier to register to vote and maintain eligibility.
- Requires states to provide individuals with the opportunity to register to vote when they apply for/renew a driver's license.
- Requires the State to forward the completed application to the appropriate state or local election official.
Online Registration:
- Delaware and many other states have online registration which has made it much easier for people to participate.
- Some states do not offer online registration.

Ways to nominate in the US
- Convention – not used by any states; major parties still hold summer conventions to formally nominate
- Caucus – traditional method still used by some states; more open way of voting for candidates
- Direct Primary – most common method used in the states; more private way of voting for candidates
- Petition – used by minor party and independent candidates to get on ballots; petition process varies state to state

An election that narrows the field of candidates before a general election.
- If there are 5 democratic candidates for president, a primary will be held to narrow the field to one.
Closed vs. Open Primaries
- DE uses the closed primary system so only registered Republicans can vote in Rep primaries and only registered Democrats can vote in Democratic primaries. You may not vote in a primary in DE if you are registered Independent.
Primaries Matter:
- 2010 US Senate Republican Primary: Tea Party candidate, Christine O’Donnell defeats incumbent Republican Senator Mike Castle to win the Republican nomination. Republicans only have each other to blame since DE is a closed primary state. Low voter turnout and ideological differences divide the party. O’Donnell will go on to lose the US Senate race in Delaware to Democrat Chris Coons

The executive in the US is not directly selected by the electorate, but by electors chosen by state parties
States hold a popular vote that is important for determining the electoral vote.
The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November those registered to vote in the US participate in the general election.
The outcome of the popular vote indicates which way each state’s Electors will vote in the Electoral College.
On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December the Electoral College votes. The outcome of this is what determines who wins the presidency.
The magic number to win the Electoral College is 270 ( $\frac{538}{2} = 269$ ; 538 is the total number of Electoral votes)
Determining Electoral Votes
- 48 of the states use the “winner take all” method
  - the candidate who wins the popular vote for the state would receive all of the state’s electoral votes
- 2 states, Maine & Nebraska, use the “district method”
  - With the district method, a state divides itself into a number of districts, allocating one of its electoral votes to each district. The winner of each district is awarded that district’s electoral vote, and the winner of the statewide vote is then awarded the state’s remaining two electoral votes.
  - Maine has two districts and two statewide votes = total 4
  - Nebraska has three districts and two statewide votes = total 5

Maine usually votes Democrat, but… in 2016 & 2020, Donald Trump won Maine's 2nd Congressional District, which covers most of the more rural part of the state
Nebraska usually votes Republican, but… in 2008, Barack Obama won Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District (Omaha and its suburbs), gaining a Democratic electoral vote in that state for the first time since ‘64. Biden won the 2nd in 2020