How the President Is Selected
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- Category: History: American
- Date Submitted: 04/14/2015 12:49 PM
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How the President is Elected
Steven Turlington, Pamela Lemon
POL/115
3/31/2015
How The President Is Selected
In school, we’re often taught that anyone can grow up to become the President of the United States. This is true, but with certain exceptions. For instance, a qualified Presidential candidate must be at least 35 years old. He or she must have been born in the United States. Finally, he or she must have lived in the United States for 14 years or more. Candidates over the past 20 years have demonstrated that success in American politics is determined by the message of an individual—not race, religion, or gender!
A political party goes through a long process to decide which candidate they would like to run for President. “Focus groups” are held by pollsters and political scientists to determine whether or not a candidate has broad enough appeal to consider running for office. These focus groups also help to decide whether or not a candidate is marketable—that is, if he or she has enough finances to consider a run, or if he or she can make enough money by appealing to potential voters for donations. Small elections called primaries are held to determine which candidate from a pool of candidates will run against the opposing parties for president.
Each candidate decided by voters attends a national convention—a celebration of the party’s accomplishments, a restating of its goals and mission, and an introduction of the new nominee as candidate for the Presidency. Usually, the candidate will make a speech outlining his goals and policies and explaining, sometimes for the first time, how he or she plans to improve the position of the Presidency. If a candidate is running in the same party as the current President, sometimes President will make a speech endorsing his or her candidacy.
The candidate for the Presidency now has a lot of work cut out for him or her. Town hall meetings, policy speeches, and news interviews are conducted across the country...
Steven Turlington, Pamela Lemon
POL/115
3/31/2015
How The President Is Selected
In school, we’re often taught that anyone can grow up to become the President of the United States. This is true, but with certain exceptions. For instance, a qualified Presidential candidate must be at least 35 years old. He or she must have been born in the United States. Finally, he or she must have lived in the United States for 14 years or more. Candidates over the past 20 years have demonstrated that success in American politics is determined by the message of an individual—not race, religion, or gender!
A political party goes through a long process to decide which candidate they would like to run for President. “Focus groups” are held by pollsters and political scientists to determine whether or not a candidate has broad enough appeal to consider running for office. These focus groups also help to decide whether or not a candidate is marketable—that is, if he or she has enough finances to consider a run, or if he or she can make enough money by appealing to potential voters for donations. Small elections called primaries are held to determine which candidate from a pool of candidates will run against the opposing parties for president.
Each candidate decided by voters attends a national convention—a celebration of the party’s accomplishments, a restating of its goals and mission, and an introduction of the new nominee as candidate for the Presidency. Usually, the candidate will make a speech outlining his goals and policies and explaining, sometimes for the first time, how he or she plans to improve the position of the Presidency. If a candidate is running in the same party as the current President, sometimes President will make a speech endorsing his or her candidacy.
The candidate for the Presidency now has a lot of work cut out for him or her. Town hall meetings, policy speeches, and news interviews are conducted across the country...