Every 4 years there is an election in November. This is the election for the President of the United States of America. There are many people who run in the election. Each member must be in a party. The parties include Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green Party, Constitution Party, and more. Each candidate for president has to have a Vice President so if the President was in a position where he could no longer fulfill the role of President, the Vice President would step up. They also have campaigns leading up to the election, so that they can inform the people of their plans for if they get elected. The current president is Republican, Donald J Trump, with Vice President Mike Pence. President Trump is running again for 2020. This year, however, has introduced a new ‘opponent’ whose goal is to irrevocably alter the process, Covid-19.

What is voting? We are a democracy and that means “1a: government by the people especially : rule of the majority.” So it’s up to the people to make most of the decisions. When everyone turns 18 years old, they get the right to vote. Voting is to “ to express one’s views in response to a poll especially : to exercise a political franchise.” So voting for a political event is means you are voting for the person who, in your opinion will be the best man or woman for the job and part in the election they are running in. When it comes to the presidential election, we vote for, well… the President! We vote for whoever we want to win and fulfill the role of the President of the United States.

Should I vote…and do I have to? Many people believe in voting and that we should vote while others believe that voting doesn’t matter and that it’s just not important. You are granted the right at 18 years old but, you don’t actually have to. You aren’t forced to vote.  It is all up to you!  If you vote, who you vote for, why you would or would not vote, etc. It’s all up to you and you have a right to vote and you have a right not to. A veteran we interviewed said, “I vote because it gives each individual American the right to speak up for what they believe in and who they can trust to run our country because we are a capitalist society and we want to stay that way.” We also asked if he thought voting is important for people to do and he strongly agreed by saying, “Yes! That’s our freedom, that’s how we pick the leaders of our country and our society.” Others said differently and actually disagreed on voting and they in fact don’t vote. We asked a young lady we interviewed if she votes and why or why not and she said, “No. I don’t.  I think it’s just a game for adults to play. It’s just a gamble. And then in reality I feel like the government chooses who they want…I don’t think our votes count, that’s why I don’t vote…”  In the end, everyone has different opinions on this topic but, only the individual can decide what yours is. So, what do you think? Why or why not should Americans vote?

How does the presidential election work? Every four years, there are a number of American Citizens who run for President. They then become presidential candidates. Then, they run in a political party that suits their beliefs on how the government should be and how it should work. They have campaigns to try to win over the American people. Since there are many candidates running in the same party, they have to talk  and debate and decide on one person that is going to represent that party. They do this through many discussions and voters. Then they vote on who they want to represent that party and whoever gets the most votes gets to run and represent that party. After they decide the final person, that person must choose who they want as their vice president. Then they must agree and once the vice president is selected, they go and campaign together and explain their plans and views for the government and the country. People in every state then vote for the President and Vice President that they would like to get elected.
“When you vote, you actually vote for a group of people called electors. (An elector is a member of the electoral college.) In the electoral college, each state gets a certain number of electors based on its representation in congress. Each elector casts one vote following the election. The Presidential Candidate that gets more than half of the electoral votes, wins the election”. They then begin their duty as President and Vice President after the inauguration for the presidency in January of the next year.

How the election works

How can I vote? There are many ways to vote. In fact, there are three ways to vote. Normally there would only be two ways however, due to Covid-19 there are three ways to vote. Absentee, in person, and due to Covid, mail-in ballots. Each individual may only vote once but, you get to choose the way you vote and who you vote for!

Absentee Voting 

“a vote cast by a person who, because of absence from usual voting district, illness, or the like, has been permitted to vote by mail.” 

In-Person

Where you go in person to vote by paper or on a computer. You go out to a place in your town where the voting is being held and you go and vote.

Mail-in Ballots

Where you get sent a ballet regardless if you are absent or in-person voters. 

  There are many suspicions about the election and that the mail-in ballots can lead to fraud. USA Today states, “Some lawmakers jumped in too. Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander told reporters that Pelosi would become President if the election were delayed past Jan. 20….The 20th amendment to the U.S. Constitution says the terms of the President and Vice President end at noon Jan. 20. If an election had not taken place by that date and successors had not been chosen, Trump and Vice President Mike Pence would be out of office, regardless.” So if they hold off the election, Nancy Pelosi will be President. There are many theories that this will be done on purpose. There has been no proof of this though.

CREDITS: 

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/absentee-vote

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy

https://www.usa.gov/election

https://www.lwvtrifl.org/3-ways-to-vote.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/08/18/whats-difference-between-absentee-mail-in-voting/

https://app-usa-modeast-prod-a01239f-ecas.s3.amazonaws.com/pdf6099%20%283%29.pdf