How+do+we+elect+the+President?


 * The Presidential Election Process Scavenger Hunt** Name:

Directions: Use the following website (procon.org) to answer the following questions about the presidential election process.

1. List the formal (constitutional) requirements to be President and Vice President.
 * I. ****Meet Eligibility Guidelines Set by the US Constitution**

2. Identify the purposes of a candidate’s **exploratory committee**.
 * II. ****Test the Water: Pre-Candidacy Process**

3. What threshold must a candidate meet in order to register with the FEC?
 * III. ****Declare Candidacy & File Applications with Federal Election Commission (FEC)**

4. Why does raising a large amount of money illustrate a candidate is a “serious contender”?

5. In what ways does the US presidential election system emphasize the importance of popular participation?
 * IV. ****Fundraise and Campaign**

6. What types of actions does a candidate do during the campaign process?

7. What is the main purpose of a **primary election**?
 * V. Party ****Primaries,****Caucuses****, and ****Delegates**

8. How do **closed primaries** differ from **open primaries**?

9. What happens at a **caucus**?

10. How does federalism play a part in each state having different types of primary and caucus rules?

11 Why do Democratic delegates matter?
 * __ Democratic Party __** :

12. How do **pledged delegates** compare with **Superdelegates**? Which political party uses Superdelegates? 13. What type of delegate apportioning system does the Democratic party to use in dividing up candidate delegates?

14. Why do Republican delegates matter?
 * __ Republican Party: __**

15. How do **pledged delegates** differ from **unpledged delegates**?

16. What type of delegate apportioning system does the Republican party tend to use in dividing up candidate delegates?

17. What major decision is formally announced at a party’s national convention?
 * VI. ****Party Conventions**

18. How have the roles of party conventions changed through history?

19. What types of strategic changes does a candidate make during the general election campaign?
 * VII. ****General Election Campaign: The Final Candidates**

20. Why does a candidate usually “shift to the center” during the general election campaign?

21. List the types of campaign activities a candidate (and their staff/supporters) are performing during this stage.

22. What factor determines the amount of electoral votes a state receives?
 * VIII: ****Election Day: Winning the Popular and Electoral Votes**

23. Who/what are voters actually choosing when they select a presidential ticket (president & vice president)?

24. What factor determines how a ticket wins a state’s electoral votes in 48 of the 50 states?

25. How many electoral votes does a presidential ticket need to win? What happens if no ticket wins the minimum amount of electoral votes?