Storm
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Post by Storm on Nov 7, 2016 18:05:07 GMT
Hi old Storm here. Figured maybe I could ask this question in safety on this Forum.  Have never been able to figure out the US Federal Election process. In Canada everybody who is eligible to vote gets a piece of paper on which they can put their X against the name of the person whom they wish to be Prime Minister of Canada. Example in the last election I Mavis Hayward fully qualified to vote & just an ordinary joe citizen put my X against Justin Trudeau. If I lived in the US & was eligible to vote would I get a piece of paper showing Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.? Does every single person get this or is it some kind of an indirect vote ? Lets face it what ever you guys do is going to have a very big bearing on the remainder of the world. Thanks Storm.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2016 18:23:22 GMT
Hi Storm, Like you, I live in Canada, but am a Brit, so have no federal voting rights in Canada. Here is a good article from the Telegraph in the UK, explaining the US voting system. |
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Post by Major Major on Nov 7, 2016 18:34:01 GMT
Storm -
In the U.S. (if you have registered to vote) you get a paper ballot (unless you go to one of the fancy polling places that has electronic voting) that is essentially a punchcard. You also get a corresponding guide to show the correlation between candidates and punchcard numbers. There are actually (this year) at least four "major" candidates for President. Also on the ballot are candidates for Senator (two out of every three elections - they're six-year terms), and members of the House of Representatives. As well as various State and local offices and any propositions on the ballot.
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bnk1953
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Post by bnk1953 on Nov 7, 2016 18:36:30 GMT
In this year's election - which is very unusual based on the dislike of each candidate - it might have been easier to have a bunch of out houses (port-a-potties) with each of the candidate's name on individual ones. Whichever one has the most "........." in it at the end of the day - that candidate wins. (sorry - it's been a tough political campaign filled w/ more then the usual lies and inuedos).
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Storm
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Post by Storm on Nov 7, 2016 20:01:30 GMT
Thank you Storkington, Major Major and BNK for trying to make everything clear to me. I have concluded that in US I would not get any form of paper on which there are the names of those people who are running for President e.g Trump, Hillary Clinton and a couple of others. I would get a piece/form of paper with a certain number of Electors but NOT their names on it and a Guide to show me the connection/link between that unknown Elector and those wishing to become President. To me that seems to be a bit of an indirect vote but I could be totally wrong. BNK you have a very simple & perhaps good method .  Thank you. Storm
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Post by Major Major on Nov 7, 2016 22:18:22 GMT
Actually, you would get a cardboard punchcard with only numbers and boxes to mark your preference on it. The candidates and corresponding numbers are usually in a booklet-type thing.
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bnk1953
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Post by bnk1953 on Nov 7, 2016 22:52:28 GMT
In all reality - in the state of Minnesota - we get a paper ballot that we mark a box by the name of the candidate that we are voting for. That ballot will be run thru a scanner that keeps track of all the votes for all the items on the ballots (I will have city council members, school board members, mayor, House of Representatives, etc, etc. It will be a large ballot with many things to vote on. At the end of the day - the scanner is taken to a regional voting center where it will be attached to a tabulator. Those results will be forwarded to our state secretary of state. The secretary will announce the results of the voting. For all the voting outside of the Presidential election - actual vote numbers will decide who will win/lose. For presidential election - the person wins the most votes e.g. Clinton - then the 10 electoral college voters from Minnesota are supposed to vote for her. This doesn't take place until the First Monday after the second Wednesday in December.....don't even ask 'cuz I don't wanna go there. So the "official" end is when the electoral college has cast their votes - which is based on which candidate won the most votes in the particular state. And of course - there are a couple of states that screw this up by giving some votes to one candidate and some to others depending on how the voters of those states voted. Don't you just love how this all works?
~bruce.
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Post by blackmutt on Nov 8, 2016 1:41:09 GMT
Storm you do get some sort of ballot with the folks running for office. It,s too bad, but sometimes the candidate may win the popular vote but not win the election in the case of president. The ind. states have a value and winning certain states can get more votes in the electoral college that in the end determines the winner. When I vote tomorrow it will be with a pencil and paper ballot and until last year it was hand counted.
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Storm
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 105
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Post by Storm on Nov 8, 2016 4:06:48 GMT
Thank you all very much . I have been sharing this with a friend who believe it or not is more clueless than me. Enjoy yourselves tomorrow millions will be tuned in ...its a biggie that's for sure. Storm |
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lucian
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Post by lucian on Nov 8, 2016 4:19:06 GMT
Storm,
My wife voted on Wednesday and used an electronic voting machine. Next to each candidate was a square and she clicked a X in the square next to the candidate of her choice.
I voted on Thursday in Texas. I received a paper ballot. Next to each candidate's name is/was an oval. Using a pen I filled in the oval next to the candidate I voted for. For the local and state candidates (judges, railroad commissioner, etc.) whoever takes the most votes wins that election. That's the simple part.
The president is not elected by popular vote. The president is elected by the electoral college. I'm not an expert on this but I can give you a generalization. Each state has a finite number of "electoral votes" held by "electoral delegates" and each state has a different number of "electoral votes".
Within each state, IDEALLY, the presidential candidate who gets the most votes wins those "electoral delegates/votes". Whoever is able to get the most electoral votes, a minimum of 270, wins the presidential election.
That's why you see so much todo about campaigning by state.
This year there are four candidates (Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green). I don't know what happens if there is a tie or if one candidate is not able to get the required 270 electoral votes. I think it then goes to the House of Representatives and they vote.
I had to register to vote, which I did many years back. I think you have to re-register if you change addresses. You're asked to show a photo ID to prove who you are. Then you sign the rolls and you receive your ballot. ((The photo ID has become a point of contention.))
Election day is tomorrow. No more voting after Tuesday. It's been a rough election year(s). Most folks will be relieved when it's over.
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bnk1953
Junior Forum Member
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Post by bnk1953 on Nov 9, 2016 20:15:52 GMT
And so it ends....or does it continue? - One person won the popular vote (votes of most of the people that voted) but lost the electoral vote (the electoral college). This has happened 4 times - and its always the Republicans that seem to pull this off. Now that suggests something being rigged.
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Post by whippet on Nov 12, 2016 17:41:50 GMT
In this year's election - which is very unusual based on the dislike of each candidate - it might have been easier to have a bunch of out houses (port-a-potties) with each of the candidate's name on individual ones. Whichever one has the most "........." in it at the end of the day - that candidate wins. (sorry - it's been a tough political campaign filled w/ more then the usual lies and inuedos). Judge Judy should have stood. She would have easily won. A force to be reckoned with. |
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Post by cats4jan on Nov 12, 2016 18:49:16 GMT
In Florida, one of the options is early voting. I think it lasts about 10 days prior to the election.
For early voting, you appear at one of the polling sites and provide your ID. A ballot is printed out that corresponds to the area you live in - (because local races vary from area to area, so a single ballot would not work)
You mark the ballot with the pen provided and when you are done, you feed the ballot into a scanner.
If I had voted on election day at my designated polling place, the ballot would've been pre-printed since only those who live in that district can vote at that polling place - so there is no need for the ability to print individual ballots to correspond with various districts.
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Although the electoral college was instituted for some good reasons - which probably still have some basis in today's world - I would like to go straight popular vote.
BTW - just refreshed my memory on this -- The number of electoral votes a state has corresponds to the total of Senators and Congressmen a state has.
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