The Electoral System英国与美国选举制度.ppt

Congress of US House of Representatives elections The House of Representatives has 435 members, elected for a two year term in single-seat constituencies House elections are usually, but not always, correlated with presidential elections. As the redistricting commissions of states are often partisan, districts are often drawn which benefit incumbents. State elections State law and state constitutions, controlled by state legislatures regulate elections at a state level and local level. Various officials at state level are elected. Since the separation of powers applies to states as well as the federal government, state legislatures and the executive (the governor) are elected separately. Proposals to amend the state constitution are also placed on the ballot in some states. Local elections At the local level, county and city government positions are usually filled by election, especially within the legislative branch. The extent to which offices in the executive or judicial branches are elected vary from county to county. Some examples of local elected positions include sheriffs at the county level and mayors and school board members at the city level. Supreme Court of US Features of the election system Party systems Ballot access Campaign finance Primaries and caucuses Party systems The United States has a very strong two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political parties. It is extremely difficult for anyone to achieve electoral success under a third party. As a general rule, the Democratic and Republican parties are too well established to be seriously challenged in federal and state electoral politics. Ballot access Ballot access refers to the laws which regulate under what conditions access is granted for a candidate or political party to appear on voters ballots. Each State has its own ballot access laws to determine who may appear on ballots and who may not. Campaign finance The funding of electoral campaigns has always