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Government at the Dawn of the 21st Century
Government at the Dawn of the 21st Century Author:Kevin J. Coleman, Joseph E. Cantor, Thomas H. Neale, Harold C. Relyea This book explains the presidential election process in the United States. It provides general information about Presidential candidates and their campaigns and it reviews the laws, activities, and customs that govern each of the four stages of the process - the primary campaign, the national nominating conventions, the general election, and the... more » electoral college. Chapter One discusses the candidates themselves - their qualifications for office, the procedure for gaining ballot access, the stages of their campaigns, and the protection accorded them by the federal government. Chapter Two focuses on the nomination process, describing the evolution of the current system of primaries and caucuses, the basic structure, methods and rules governing selection of delegates to the nominating conventions, and the major characteristics of the contemporary process. Chapter Three examines the national party conventions, including both their evolution and traditions, and contemporary structure and procedures. Chapter Four focuses on the general election campaign, from the Labor Day "kickoff" to November election day. It offers general comments on widely used campaign methods during this period, examines the important role played by television - through advertising, news coverage, and debates - and provides information on election day itself (how it was selected, polling hours in the states, etc.). Chapter Five provides information on the electoral college, the process by which the President and Vice President are officially elected. It follows the steps in the process of convening the electors and counting their votes, and offers information on past discrepancies between electoral and popular vote leaders. It also discusses possible scenarios for contingent election, in which no candidate receives an electoral majority or when a candidate dies at some stage of the process.« less