The American political system is confusing to say the least, and somehow it’s 2016. November 8, Election Day, is approaching, and for many of us college students, this will be our first time voting for president! I registered to vote the moment I turned eighteen, almost three years ago, but I’m guessing not everyone reading can say the same, so first things first, register to vote! And then vote. Not only is it your duty as an American citizen, but the number one rule is that you cannot complain about the way this country is run unless you voted in the last election (and no country is perfect so no matter what I’m sure you’ll have something to complain about). Now that we’ve taken care of that, let’s get down to business.
Right now candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties are vying for that party’s nomination. Basically what this means is that the three Democratic contenders and twelve Republicans are competing amongst themselves to be endorsed by the national party and appear on the ballots in November with their party. How does one go about winning the nomination?
Let’s start with the primaries and caucuses. For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to lump together primaries and caucuses, because while they are technically different, they both achieve similar ends (briefly, the difference is the manner in which the vote occurs… primaries are more like your typical voting experience, while caucuses are community conversations that culminate in an open vote). These elections occur in every state, starting with Iowa and New Hampshire. This makes Iowa and New Hampshire especially important states as they are typically used as the weathervanes for the rest of the primaries/caucuses. This should explain why you’ve been hearing about various candidates campaigning there. In closed primaries/caucuses, you must be registered with a specific party to vote or contribute to that party’s electoral decision; in open primaries/caucuses, you can vote for whomever and stump for whichever party. Then both parties take a look at who has won what to decide which candidate will be granted the official endorsement/nomination– these are then officially announced at the various National Conventions. If, however, a candidate does not win the party nomination but wants to continue, he/she (sadly this would realistically a “he”) can run as an independent.
This brings us to the election itself. You, assuming that you’re an American citizen, get to vote! On the ballot, you get the two candidates backed by the Republican and Democratic parties, along with a lot of other people, from other parties. Then, you’ll cast your vote, and get to complain as much or as little as you want for the next four years! If you don’t live in the same state in which you’re registered to vote, be sure to figure out how to cast an absentee ballot.
Your vote counts!
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