How Do You Run For An Elected Government Position?

To be elected as a government official is not only about exerting efforts courting the voters or being such a charm to the public. The constitution clearly states specifics for one to be qualified for a position in the government. There are also processes being followed up to the time that the candidate is seated to the position.

For one to be qualified and be an Elected President, the basic qualifications are:

1. He/she must be at least 35 years old;

2. A natural born US citizen; and

3. A resident of the United States for at least 14 years.

There are 4 major steps that an interesting individual must undergo before he/she could finally reach the position for Presidency. The primary step is the election within the party. Since not only one party member is vying for presidency, all the party members vote for whom they believe would best represent their party. After this, the chosen party candidate will now step to the next level. The Presidential candidate will then choose a running mate, in the position of the Vice President. After it was all set, the general election process will now take place. The campaign period for candidates for Presidential and Vice Presidential position of each party will now commence. They will try to get the support of the people and by November, the general election is conducted. Additionally, there is the presence of the Electoral College during general elections. By this system, people do not vote directly for the president instead they cast their votes to a certain group, known as Electors. The Electors are, in essence, the ones who choose for the presidential candidate that will represent the whole State. Under the system of Electoral College, the number of electors depends on the State's total number of representatives in the US Congress. After the general election was held, the Electors cast their votes in December. On the 6th day of January, the counting process take place and the candidate for Presidency who gets more than half, specifically 270 Electors, of the vote wins the position.

On the other hand, the qualifications for one to be an Elected Senator are as follows:

1. He/she must be at least 30 years by the time he takes the oath of office;

2. A citizen of the United States for at least 9 years; and

3. A resident of the State from which he/she is elected.

Each state must have two representatives in the House of Senate, regardless of their population. A member of the Senate has to serve for a 6-year term and then up for a reelection. The constitution states that the Senate is to be divided into three groups. Every 2 years, one-third of the Senate members has to undergo in an election. Say Senators who were elected on 2008 will end their term in 2014, those who were elected on 2010 will end their term in 2016, and those who were elected on 2018 will end their term in 2024. There are three types of candidates in the ballot for Senatorial elections- those who belong to the major political party, those who are under a minority, and independent candidates.

To be elected in the House of Representatives, one must possess the following qualifications:

1. He/she must be at least 25 years old;

2. He/she must be a US citizen for the past 7 years; and

3. He/she must be a resident of the state he/she represents.

The number of a state's Representative depends on its population. Based on its people, a certain State is divided into Congressional Districts and one Representative is chosen per district. The House of Representatives has a fix number of 432 representatives in total.

The differences in the election of Senate and Representatives is that Senate candidates must cast their votes from the state while the Representatives, on their respective districts only.

Websites For Learning All About Elections and Voting

  1. Ben's Guide: Election Process
  2. Election of 1796
  3. ElectNet the state election watch
  4. Federal Election Commission
  5. KidsVoting USA
  6. Rock the Vote
  7. Select Your State to Register to Vote
  8. Votelink