U.S. Elections
U.S. Elections 2012 - Newsletter 1
Election 2012
U.S. elections occur in every even-numbered year for Congress and some state and local government offices in the United States. There are two basic types of elections: primary and general. Primary elections are held prior to a general election to determine party candidates for the general election. The winning candidates in the primary go on to represent that party in the general election. Every four years, the general election for U.S. president takes place on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November. Prior to this general election, states hold primary elections or caucuses to choose delegates to the national nominating conventions where the party nominees are selected. These individual state primaries and caucuses typically take place between January and June, followed by the national conventions in the summer preceding the election. American Center Korea (ACK) is providing the most recent information related to U.S. Elections 2012 and will be updating. (souce: U.S. Department of State)
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
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Introduction and Elections in the United States (Source: Department of State,IIP Digital Publication, 92 pages)
Free and fair elections are the keystone of any democracy. They are essential for the peaceful transfer of power. When voters elect representatives, they elect the leaders who will shape the future of their society. This is why elections empower ordinary citizens: They allow them to influence the future policies of their government, and thus, their own future.
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U.S. Election Procedures (Source: Department of State,IIP Digital Publication, 92 pages)
Thousands of administrators are responsible for organizing and conducting U.S. elections, including tabulating and certifying the results. These officials have an important and complex set of tasks — setting the exact dates for elections, certifying the eligibility of candidates, registering eligible voters and preparing voter rolls, selecting voting equipment, designing ballots, organizing a large temporary work force to administer the voting on Election Day, tabulating the votes and certifying the results.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (Source: Department of State,IIP Digital)
- When are general elections held?
They are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November. The 2012 general election will be held on November 6.
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What is a convention?
Conventions are meetings sponsored by political parties for members of the party to discuss issues, candidates and campaign strategies. These meetings can last several days. In presidential elections, after state primaries are concluded, each party holds a national convention to formally select the presidential nominee — usually the candidate who secured the support of the most convention delegates, based on victories in primary elections. Typically, the presidential nominee then chooses a running mate to be the party’s candidate for vice president.
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What is the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is the group of citizens designated by the states to cast votes for the president and vice president on behalf of state citizens. The process for selecting electors varies from state to state, but usually the political parties nominate electors at state party conventions or by a vote of the party’s central committee. The voters in each state, by casting votes for president and vice president, choose the electors on the day of the general election. The Electoral College, not the popular vote, elects the president, but the two votes are tied closely. [Full List]
GLOSSARY OF U.S. ELECTION TERMS (Source:Department of State,IIP Digital)
- Caucus: A caucus is a meeting at the local level in which registered members of a political party in a city, town or county gather to express support for candidates. For statewide or national offices, those recommendations are combined to determine the state party nominee. The term also is used to describe a group of elected officials with a common goal that meets to plan policy in support of a shared political agenda.
- Convention: In presidential election years, after state primaries and caucuses have concluded, the political parties gather to select a presidential nominee — usually the candidate who secured the support of the most convention delegates, based on victories in primary elections. The presidential nominee usually chooses a running mate to be the candidate for vice president, but the presidential nominee can throw open the vice presidential selection process to the convention delegates without making a recommendation.
- Electoral College: The president and vice president are selected through the electoral college system, which gives each state the same number of electoral votes as it has members of Congress. The District of Columbia gets three electoral votes. Of the total 538 votes available, a candidate must receive 270 to win. [Full List]
ADDITIONAL GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
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USA Elections in Brief (Source: Department of State,IIP Digital Publication, 31 pages)
This revised 2012 edition sketches the way primary and general elections work, not only the role of political parties, but also the nuts and bolts of voting machines and poll workers, opinion polls and campaign finance.. Korean »
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More Than Elections: How Democracies Transfer Power (Source: Department of State,IIP Digital Publication, 40 pages)
Democracy requires more than holding elections. Healthy democracies are defined by the expectations of citizens and the common rules, understandings, and trust they build. This eJournal USA explores the contours of civil society and political legitimacy within which peaceful transitions of power can occur.
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The Candidates (Source: Department of State,IIP Digital Publication, 48 pages)
Every presidential campaign is dramatic and historic, but as the fervor surrounding the 2008 election continues to build, U.S. voters and the rest of the world will want to consider the candidates’ personal histories more closely. What sort of people rise to the top in the U.S. political system, what are their attributes, their sensibilities, and their strengths?
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The Electoral College (Source: Department of State,IIP Digital Publication, 35 pages)
More than 100 million voters are likely to cast ballots in nationwide U.S. elections November 4. But only 538 men and women will elect the next president of the United States, and those elections will take place in 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C., December 15. This indirect election system, called the Electoral College and devised in 1787 by the framers of the Constitution, puzzles.
U.S. ELECTION RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT THE ACK
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![Books: Elections A to Z: CQ’s American Government A to Z Series
[Congressional Quarterly Inc. 2004]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130218052204im_/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/korea/115197/kimnamhee/TT_EK%2010.jpg "Books: Elections A to Z: CQ’s American Government A to Z Series
[Congressional Quarterly Inc. 2004]")
Book: Elections A to Z: CQ’s American Government A to Z Series [Congressional Quarterly Inc. 2004]
Explains how campaigns and elections, the hallmark of any democracy, are conducted in the United States. Includes entries ranging from short definitions of terms such as "front-runner" to in- depth essays exploring vital issues affecting House, Senate, presidential, and some state-level elections.
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Book: Campaign Talk: Why Elections are Good for Us [Princeton University Press. 2000]
Roderick Hart may be among the few Americans who believe that what politicians say in a campaign actually matters. He also believes that campaigns work. Even as television coverage, political ads, and opinion polls turn elections into field days for marketing professionals, Hart argues convincingly that campaigns do play their role in sustaining democracy, mainly because they bring about a dialogue among candidates, the press, and the people. Here he takes a close look at the exchange of ideas through language used in campaign speeches, political advertising, public debates, print and broadcast news, and a wide variety of letters to the editor.
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Book: Handbook of United States Election Laws and Practices : Political Rights [Greenwood Press. 1990]
This handbook is the only book in the field of law to present current legal thought on basic political rights of Americans and to treat primarily statutory law and judicial cases. The political rights examined include the right to vote, the right to be a political candidate and gain ballot access, the right to fair and effective representation, rights under the Federal Voting Rights Act, the right of people to participate directly in the governing process through the initiative, referendum, and recall, the right of political expression, the right of political association, the right to know, and the political rights of public officials and employees.
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![DVD: By The People: The Election of Barack Obama [2009]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130218052204im_/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/korea/115197/kimnamhee/TT_EK%2013.jpg "DVD: By The People: The Election of Barack Obama [2009]")
DVD: By The People: The Election of Barack Obama [2009]
By the People: the Election of Barack Obama, released in 2009 shortly before the presidential election, falls somewhere in between political propaganda and an amateur film diary. Directed by Amy Rice and Alicia Sams, produced by actor Edward Norton, this HBO documentary presents a one-dimensional view of the 2008 presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain.
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![West Wing [1999]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130218052204im_/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/korea/115197/kimnamhee/TT_EK%2014.jpg "West Wing [1999]")
DVD: The West Wing [1999]
The West Wing ventured where on other TV weries had gone before: an extraordinarily intimate look at an American President and the inner workings of the White House. Experience all the crises, triumphs, lofty idealism and hard realities of the acclaimed series in this complete seven-season DVD set.
ADDITIONAL ARTICLES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE
U.S. Elections: Media and Campaigns (May 23, 2012)
Iowa Has Spoken. Does It Matter? (January 04, 2012)
How Raucous Is the Caucus? (November 09, 2011)
Road to the White House Is Paved with Delegates (November 01, 2011)
U.S. ELECTIONS: 2012 PRIMARY SCHEDULE (Source: Department of State,IIP Digital)
23 May 2012
The 2012 Republican primary/caucus schedule below is based on the most current information available from state election boards. (President Obama’s nomination by the Democratic Party is not contested.)
For those states holding primaries, voters go to polling places and cast their ballots. In caucus states, voters gather in meeting places throughout the state to discuss candidates and reach a consensus on which candidate they will support.
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DATE |
STATE |
OUTCOME (top three finishers by %) |
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January 3 |
Iowa (caucus) |
Rick Santorum, 25/ Mitt Romney, 25/ Ron Paul, 21 |
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January 10 |
New Hampshire (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 39/ Ron Paul, 23/ |
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January 21 |
South Carolina (primary) |
Newt Gingrich, 40/ Mitt Romney, 28/ Rick Santorum, 17 |
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January 31 |
Florida (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 46/ Newt Gingrich, 32/ Rick Santorum, 13 |
|
February 4 |
Nevada (caucus) |
Mitt Romney, 59/Newt Gingrich, 21/ |
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February 4-11 |
Maine (caucus) |
Mitt Romney, 39/ Ron Paul, 36/ |
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February 7 |
Colorado (caucus) |
Rick Santorum, 40/ Mitt Romney, 35/ |
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February 7 |
Minnesota (caucus) |
Rick Santorum, 45/ Ron Paul, 27/ Mitt Romney, 17 |
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February 7 |
Missouri* (primary) |
Rick Santorum, 55/ Mitt Romney, 25/ |
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February 28 |
Arizona (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 47/ Rick Santorum, 27/ |
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February 28 |
Michigan (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 41/ Rick Santorum, 38 |
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March 3 |
Washington (caucus) |
Mitt Romney, 38/ Ron Paul, 25/ |
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March 6 |
Alaska (caucus) |
Mitt Romney, 33/ Rick Santorum, 29/ |
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March 6 |
Georgia (primary) |
Newt Gingrich, 47/ Mitt Romney, 26/ |
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March 6 |
Idaho (caucus) |
Mitt Romney, 62/ Rick Santorum, 18/ |
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March 6 |
Massachusetts (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 72/ Rick Santorum, 12/ |
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March 6 |
North Dakota (caucus) |
Rick Santorum, 40/ Ron Paul, 28/ |
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March 6 |
Ohio (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 38/ Rick Santorum, 37/ |
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March 6 |
Oklahoma (primary) |
Rick Santorum, 34/ Mitt Romney, 28/ |
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March 6 |
Tennessee (primary) |
Rick Santorum, 37/ Mitt Romney, 28/ |
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March 6 |
Vermont (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 40/ Ron Paul, 26/ |
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March 6 |
Virginia (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 59/ Ron Paul, 41 |
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March 6–10 |
Wyoming (caucus) |
Mitt Romney, 44/ Rick Santorum, 28/ |
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March 10 |
Guam (caucus) |
Mitt Romney, 100 |
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March 10 |
Kansas (caucus) |
Rick Santorum, 51/ Mitt Romney, 21/ |
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March 10 |
Northern Mariana Islands (caucus) |
Mitt Romney, 87/ Rick Santorum, 6/ |
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March 10 |
U.S. Virgin Islands (caucus) |
Ron Paul, 29/ Mitt Romney, 26/ Rick Santorum, 6 |
|
March 13 |
Alabama (primary) |
Rick Santorum, 35/ Newt Gingrich, 29/ Mitt Romney, 29 |
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March 13 |
Hawaii (caucus) |
Mitt Romney, 45/ Rick Santorum, 25/ |
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March 13 |
Mississippi (primary) |
Rick Santorum, 33/ Newt Gingrich, 31/ Mitt Romney, 30 |
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March 20 |
Illinois (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 47/ Rick Santorum, 35/ |
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March 24 |
Louisiana (primary) |
Rick Santorum, 49/ Mitt Romney, 27/ |
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April 3 |
District of Columbia (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 70/ Ron Paul, 12/ Newt Gingrich, 11 |
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April 3 |
Maryland (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 49/ Rick Santorum, 29/ |
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April 3 |
Wisconsin (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 43/ Rick Santorum, 38/ |
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April 24 |
Connecticut (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 67/ Ron Paul, 13/ Newt Gingrich, 10 |
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April 24 |
Delaware (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 56/ Newt Gingrich, 27/ |
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April 24 |
New York (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 63/ Ron Paul, 15/ Newt Gingrich, 13 |
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April 24 |
Pennsylvania (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 58/ Rick Santorum, 18/ |
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April 24 |
Rhode Island (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 63/ Ron Paul, 24/ Newt Gingrich, 6 |
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May 8 |
Indiana (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 65/ Ron Paul, 16/ |
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May 8 |
North Carolina (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 66/ Ron Paul, 11/ |
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May 8 |
West Virginia (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 70/ Rick Santorum, 12/ |
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May 15 |
Nebraska (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 71/ Rick Santorum, 14/ |
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May 15 |
Oregon (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 72/ Ron Paul, 13/ Rick Santorum, 9 |
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May 22 |
Arkansas (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 68/ Ron Paul, 13/ |
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May 22 |
Kentucky (primary) |
Mitt Romney, 67/ Ron Paul, 12/ |
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May 29 |
Texas (primary) |
|
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June 5 |
California (primary) |
|
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June 26 |
Utah (primary) |
2012 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES (Source: U.S. Department of State)
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Barack Obama
Profile
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Mitt Romney
Profile
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Michele Bachmann (Rep. Minnesota) - withdrew
Profile -
Newt Gingrich - withdrew
Profile -
Jon Huntsman - withdrew
Profile -
Gary Johnson - running as a Libertarian
Profile -
Ron Paul (Rep. Texas)
Profile -
Rick Perry (Gov. Texas) - withdrew
Profile -
Rick Santorum - withdrew
Profile
ADDITIONAL USEFUL LINKS
FPC: Foreign Press Centers
- Foreign Press Centers Elections 2012 web site
Election-related announcements, transcripts of FPC events, and information about the U.S. electoral process and the 2012 race. - Foreign Press Centers Recent Briefings on the 2012 Elections
Transcripts and video of the latest election-related FPC briefings. - New Hampshire Primary Media Resource Guide
Candidate information and guidance on covering the January 10 New Hampshire Primary. - Elections 2012 Foreign Press Center Email Service
Sign up here for the FPC’s election newsletter, which will keep you abreast of the latest developments in covering the 2012 elections.