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A candidate needs the vote of at least 270 electors—more than half of all electors—to win the presidential election.
For California, this means we get 55 votes (2 senators and 53 members of the House of Representatives) — the most of any state.
To win the election, a candidate must receive a majority of electoral votes. If no candidate receives the majority (a Contested convention), the House of Representatives chooses the President and the Senate chooses the Vice President.
Electoral votes are allocated among the States based on the Census. Every State is allocated a number of votes equal to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation—two votes for its senators in the U.S. Senate plus a number of votes equal to the number of its Congressional districts.
The Constitution explicitly assigns the president the power to sign or veto legislation, command the armed forces, ask for the written opinion of their Cabinet, convene or adjourn Congress, grant reprieves and pardons, and receive ambassadors.
New York has 29 electoral votes in the Electoral College.
Since 1824, aside from the occasional “faithless elector”, the popular vote indirectly determines the winner of a presidential election by determining the electoral vote, as each state or district’s popular vote determines its electoral college vote.
Under the District Method, a State’s electoral votes can be split among two or more candidates, just as a state’s congressional delegation can be split among multiple political parties. As of 2008, Nebraska and Maine are the only states using the District Method of distributing electoral votes.
A PRESIDENT CANNOT . . .
declare war. decide how federal money will be spent. interpret laws. choose Cabinet members or Supreme Court Justices without Senate approval.
Federal laws apply to people living in the United States and its territories. Congress creates and passes bills. The president then may sign those bills into law. Federal courts may review the laws to see if they agree with the Constitution.
Pennsylvania has 20 electoral votes in the Electoral College.
When citizens cast their ballots for president in the popular vote, they elect a slate of electors. Electors then cast the votes that decide who becomes president of the United States. Usually, electoral votes align with the popular vote in an election.
Electors. Most states require that all electoral votes go to the candidate who receives the most votes in that state. After state election officials certify the popular vote of each state, the winning slate of electors meet in the state capital and cast two ballots—one for Vice President and one for President.
Currently, there are 538 electors, based on 435 representatives, 100 senators from the fifty states and three electors from Washington, D.C. The six states with the most electors are California (55), Texas (38), New York (29), Florida (29), Illinois (20), and Pennsylvania (20).
According to a pre-election 2016 analysis, the thirteen most competitive states were Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Arizona, Georgia, Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Colorado, North Carolina, and Maine. Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district is also considered competitive.
If no candidate for president receives an absolute majority of the electoral votes, pursuant to the 12th Amendment, the House of Representatives is required to go into session immediately to choose a president from among the three candidates who received the most electoral votes.
A pocket veto occurs when Congress adjourns during the ten-day period. The president cannot return the bill to Congress. The president’s decision not to sign the legislation is a pocket veto and Congress does not have the opportunity to override.
Removal. The term of governor’s office is normally 5 years but it can be terminated earlier by: Dismissal by the president at whose pleasure the governor holds office. Dismissal of Governors without valid reason is not permitted.
A 2016 survey found that only twenty-six percent of Americans can name all three branches of government.
A bill becomes law if signed by the President or if not signed within 10 days and Congress is in session. If Congress adjourns before the 10 days and the President has not signed the bill then it does not become law (“Pocket Veto.”) … If the veto of the bill is overridden in both chambers then it becomes law.
Requirements to Hold Office
According to Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the president must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.
Commander-in-Chief was the highest rank in a military. The title was usually reserved for the Head of State of a government. During the Clone Wars, the Supreme Chancellor held the position. The position was originally held by the Minister of Defense.
Article III of the Constitution establishes and empowers the judicial branch of the national government.
Constitution of the United States
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the Presidential election leaves the Electoral College process and moves to Congress. The House of Representatives elects the President from the 3 Presidential candidates who received the most electoral votes.
Pennsylvania has swung from being a Republican-leaning state during much of the 20th century to being a notable battleground state in presidential elections. Pennsylvania backed the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1992 up until 2016, when it was won by Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Each State is allocated a number of Electors equal to the number of its U.S. Senators (always 2) plus the number of its U.S. Representatives – which may change each decade according to the size of each State’s population as determined in the Census.
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