How do US elections differ from the Russian ones - Term Paper Example

How do US Elections Differ from the Russian Ones? Outline Introduction Elections in the United s Government System Levels of Election in the US 1. Federal Elections a) Presidential elections b) Congressional Elections 2. State Elections 3. Local Elections Requirements for Voters and Aspirants in US Elections Features/characteristics of the election system in the US Elections in Russia Features/characteristics of the election system in Russia Requirements for Voters and Aspirants in Russian Elections Main Differences between Russian and US Elections Conclusion Works Cited Abstract Elections may be described as official decision-making procedures and processes through which populations choose individuals who will hold public offices. Most contemporary representative democracies have used elections to select leaders and holders of public offices since the beginning of the 17th century. The history of elections dates back to the times of ancient Rome and ancient Greece. Today, many jurisdictions have their own unique election processes and procedures. For example, elections in the United States of America are very different from elections in Russia. Elections in the United States and Russia have their own unique features and characteristics that distinguish them from each other. However, electoral processes of many jurisdictions share some characteristics and features. This paper will examine and discuss how elections in the United States differ from the ones in Russia. The paper will highlight the unique features and characteristics of elections in the US and Russia, their processes and procedures, and laws governing them in each jurisdiction, so as to clearly establish how they differ. Introduction Elections can be defined as processes whereby citizens select candidates; both male and female, to manage their government and other public affairs. The elected individuals are responsible for running the government at various levels. Modern elections that entail public selection of government officials emerged in the beginning of the 17th century. This was when the concept of representative government took center stage in Europe and North America. The history of elections has always been marred with issues such as suffrage, usually for the minority groups in society. However, today, in most modern democracies, the situation is very different as such issues are very minimal. Even though electoral processes share some similarities and characteristics, most contemporary democracies and jurisdictions have their own unique electoral systems that are protected by their constitutions. Most constitutions have detailed voting systems and arrangements that convert people’s votes into meaningful political decisions. The US has its own unique ways of dealing with election related issues, and, so does Russia. For example, in the United States, when the first round of elections does not produce a winner by absolute majority, the senate is given the power to elect the president. In Russia, when such a case occurs, a second round of elections between the candidates who had the most votes is held so as to determine the ultimate winner of the elections. These differences between elections in the US and Russia shall be the main focus of this paper. In the United States, the system of government is the representative democracy, where representatives are elected by citizens to make government decisions on their behalf at different levels (Gierzynski 2). In Russia, the constitution enshrines electoral laws that govern all election processes. These differences between the elections in the US and Russia will be discussed in this paper. Elections in the United States Government System The United States Constitution enshrines the electoral process of the country. Representative democracy is used as the main system of the government. There is a federal government that is made up of officials that are elected at local, state and federal/national levels. On the national/federal level, the people indirectly elect the President of the US, who is the head of state, through an electoral college (Gierzynski 4). Electors vote virtually with the popular vote of their respective states. When it comes to the Congress and federal legislature, all members are elected directly by the citizens. At the state level, there are numerous elected offices. Each of these elective offices has at least a legislature and an elective governor. When it comes to the local level, such as in counties and cities, there are also elected offices. Across the United States, it is estimated that every electoral cycle fills more than one million offices (Gierzynski 6). The US electoral process is governed by both state and federal laws. During elections, corrupt practices and manipulation are strictly against the law and are totally forbidden. Most electoral matters are regulated by the state law. These include running of local and state elections, running of Electoral Colleges for each state, eligibility of voters and primaries among other aspects (Gierzynski 9). Federal elections and how they are held is defined in Article One and Two of the Constitution of the United States. Various constitutional amendments have also defined how the federal elections are conducted. Levels of Election in the US In USA, there exist three essential levels of elections. These include federal elections, state elections and local elections (EnchantedLearning.com 1). Federal elections consist of presidential elections and congressional elections. Congressional elections are made up of house of representative elections and senate elections (Gierzynski 18). 1. Federal Elections In the US, there is a presidential system of government. This insinuates that the legislature and the executive are separately elected. This means that federal elections consist of presidential and congressional elections. According to the constitution of the US, any presidential elections must take place on just a single day throughout the entire country. Congressional elections, on the other hand, can take place at different times. Presidential elections and congressional elections in the United States of America take place at the same time. This is usually after every four years, as enshrined in the US constitution. However, congressional elections always intervene and take place after a period of two years. These elections are usually referred to as midterm elections (Gierzynski 20). c) Presidential elections When it comes to presidential elections in the United States, the President and his or her vice president are elected together in one election. This presidential election is usually indirect. Electors in an Electoral College cast votes that will be used to decide the victor of the presidential elections. In the presidential elections, the winner is usually the candidate who gets at least 270 votes of the Electoral College (EnchantedLearning.com 1). Groups of electors from individual states cast Electoral College votes. Each elector is given an opportunity to cast one Electoral College vote. The casting of Electoral College votes in each state is regulated by state laws. Candidates who win most of the votes in each state, except Nebraska and Maine, receive all the electoral votes of each particular state (Gierzynski 22). d) Congressional Elections The United States Congress is made up of two chambers. These chambers are the House of Representatives and the Senate. Therefore, congressional elections consist of senate elections and house of representative elections. They take place after every two years. The Senate is made up of 100 members. These members are elected for six year terms. These terms are usually in dual-seat constituencies, meaning that two members are elected from each state. One third of these members are renewed in the elections that take place after every two years. When it comes to the house of representative, there are 435 members (Gierzynski 25). This is because the United States is made up of 435 House districts. A representative is therefore elected from each of the 435 house districts, thus making 435 members. As opposed to the senate, these members are elected for two year terms, but in single-seat constituencies. Elections for members of house representatives in the United States take place after every two years. This is usually done on the first Tuesday, in even years, after 1st of November (EnchantedLearning.com 1). 2. State Elections Elections are local and state levels are regulated by state constitutions and state laws which are controlled by state legislatures. At the state level, there are various officials that are normally elected. Separation of powers is applicable both at the federal level. It is also acceptable in the states. Therefore, this means that in the states, the executive (governor) and the state legislature are separately elected (EnchantedLearning.com 1). In all the states of the US, lieutenant governors and governors are elected. This is either done separately or on a joint ticket, depending on a particular state. The Secretary of State, Attorney General and other executive position in some states are also elected positions. Assembly members/state representatives, state senators, territorial jurisdiction legislatures and state legislatures are elected into office. State Supreme Court members and some members of state judiciaries are also elected in some states (Gierzynski 32). Many states hold their elections for local and state offices simultaneously as their midterm or federal presidential elections. This is done so as to save on costs and create convenience. 3. Local Elections When it comes to the local level, city and county government positions are usually occupied by elected individuals. This especially happens within the legislative branch. Offices within the judicial and executive branches are filled at different extents, depending on the particular counties of cities (EnchantedLearning.com 1). At the local level, examples of positions that are locally elected include members of school boards are local levels, mayors and county level sheriffs among others. Some local office elections may also be held simultaneously to the midterm or federal presidential elections for conveniences purposes or to save on costs (Gierzynski 40). Requirements for Voters and Aspirants in US Elections In the US, all candidates aspiring to be president and vice president must be natural natives who were born in the United States. They must also be native US citizens aged at least 35 years old. These candidates must also be residents who have lived in the country for a period of at least 14 years (EnchantedLearning.com 1). Members seeking positions as house representatives in the United States must be at least 25 years of age. They should have legally inhabited the states that they seek to be elected to represent. They must also be legally recognized citizens of the US for a period of not less than 7 years. Those candidates seeking to be elected as senators must be at least 30 years of age. They must also have legally inhabited the states that they seek to be elected to represent and be citizens of the United States of America for a period of not less than 9 years (Gierzynski 45). All voters are required to be legal citizens of the United States. They are supposed to be at least 18 years of age. Citizens are never forced to vote for their representatives. They are only advised on the benefits of voting and are left to make their own decisions concerning whether to vote or not, and which candidate to vote for (EnchantedLearning.com 1). Features/characteristics of the election system in the US American voters cast their votes for particular candidates, not directly for political parties. There are ballot access laws for each state that stipulate the conditions that a political party or candidate should meet so as to be included in a ballot. Campaigns are mostly financed by private means or by organizations that support particular candidates (Gierzynski 49). Political parties are responsible for nominating their own representatives. This is done either through primary elections or conventions. Political parties are also responsible for setting their own nomination rules. Elections are conducted on 50 states, including the District of Columbia, making a total of 51 states (EnchantedLearning.com 1). The president can only serve the country for a period not exceeding two terms. Each term is made up of four years. DRE voting machines or optical scan voting machines are commonly used by voters to cast their ballots and record their votes. There are local election jurisdictions that responsible for the selection of voting machines. They select these machines for townships, cities and counties. These machines have been changed and improved periodically across the states (Gierzynski 56). Early voting is also allowed in America. Voters are allowed to cast their votes before the official elections. This is a formal process that takes place before the official date of the elections. It allows voters to cast their votes at different times from an early date, therefore, giving every voter the opportunity to vote (EnchantedLearning.com 1) Elections in Russia Features/characteristics of the election system in Russia The constitution of Russia enshrines all the electoral laws of the country. The Russian federation is made up of 83 regions. The federal council is responsible for calling for elections. In Russia, a president is elected as the head of state. Russians also elect a legislature, which makes up one of the two chambers of Russia’s federal assembly. The president can only hold office for a period of not more than two consecutive terms (Gil-Robles 2). Each term is six years long. The Russian federal assembly consists of two chambers. These are the State Duma and the Federal Council. The state duma is made up of 450 members. These members are directly elected for terms that are 5 years long (russiavotes.org 1). The federal council is made up of 166 members. As opposed to the state duma, these members are not directly elected. Two delegates are sent from each of the 83 regions that make up the Russian federation. In presidential elections, there is a second round of elections held between the two presidential candidates who got most votes if no particular candidate won the election by an absolute majority (Migranyan 1). Russia has incorporated a lot of election technologies. For example, Russia incorporated scanners in 2001 to process election ballots. Ballot processing units were later introduced in 2003 (Migranyan 1). Paperless voting came into the picture in 2005 with the introduction of electronic voting units. Remote electronic voting has also been used in several Russian elections, with a lot of success (Gil-Robles 4). Requirements for Voters and Aspirants in Russian Elections All candidates seeking to be elected as president in Russia must be citizens of Russia. They must be aged at least 35 years old (russiavotes.org 1). They must have lived in Russia for a time of not less than 10 years. Citizens from other countries are not allowed to vie for presidential seats in Russian elections. The voters in Russia are under no obligation whatsoever to vote or not vote (Gil-Robles 9). All political parties in Russia seeking to participate in elections must be registered. Only when a political party is registered can it nominate a candidate for any electoral post (russiavotes.org 1). However, this does not mean that independent candidates cannot vie for electoral posts. All they have to do is register their supporters’ group (Gil-Robles 14). Once this is done, they are eligible for vying for political electoral positions. In the state duma, there are parties that do not have any representation. Such parties are required to pay a bail of 2.5 million dollars so that they can be allowed to participate in elections (Migranyan 1). The citizens of the country vote for their president directly. This is not the case with the federal council as its members are not directly voted for by the Russian citizens. For any candidate to win an election as a president, he or she must win the absolute majority of all the total votes that were casted. When there is not absolute majority win, a rerun is done to determine the actual winner (Gil-Robles 19). The prime minister in Russia is appointed by the elected president. It is the responsibility of the appointed prime minister to present the names of all suitable persons who will be nominated to fill the various federal posts in the country (Migranyan 1). In Russia, there have been five presidential elections and five parliamentary elections since the USSR fell. Only once has there been a need for a second round in the presidential elections. This was in 1996. So far, Russia has been served by three presidents. These are Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev. The first was elected in 1991 and 1996, the second in 2000 and 2004 and the third in 2008 (russiavotes.org 1). Main Differences between Russian and US Elections In American voting, both the president and the vice president are elected by Electoral College (Gierzynski 2). This is not the case in Russia since electoral colleges do not exist. In Russia, the citizens vote directly for their president (Migranyan 1). In America, there are only 51 electoral regions whereas Russia has a total of 83 electoral regions. In case there is no absolute majority win in American presidential elections by Electoral College, the senate is mandated to vote for the president. The case is very different in Russia. In case there is no absolute majority win in Russian presidential elections, there is a re-run between the candidates who got the majority of the votes that were casted (Migranyan 1). The winner of the re-run is declared the president. The re-run should be conducted after three weeks from the first round (russiavotes.org 1). In America, the president is allowed to hold office for only two consecutive terms of four years each (Gierzynski 2). This is different from Russian where the president can hold office for a maximum of two successive terms. These terms are six years each. In America, all presidential candidates are required by law to have lived in America for a period of at least fourteen years, whereas in Russia, the presidential candidates are required to be Russian citizens who have lived in the country for not less than ten years (russiavotes.org 1). In America, there is early voting whereby voters are allowed to cast their votes before the official date of the elections (EnchantedLearning.com 1). In Russia, general elections are held on just one official day and early voting is not part of the system (russiavotes.org 1). The USA also allows absentee voting. Here, voters who are unwilling or unable to vote on the official Election Day use this system of absentee voting to cast their votes (Gierzynski 27). In Russia, there is no absentee voting. Voters cast their votes just on a single day and those who cannot vote on that day are left out (russiavotes.org 1). Conclusion In summary, elections in different jurisdictions have their own unique characteristics and features. As seen in this paper, America has its own unique features that distinguish its elections from those of Russia. The case is the same with Russia. However, it is also significant to make a note of the fact that there are various similarities between the elections held in different jurisdictions, Russian and USA included. For example, in USA and Russia, presidential candidates must be not less than 35 years of age. They also must be legal citizens and recognized residents of their respective countries. Both are allowed to run for office for two consecutive terms. Also, in both countries, voters are under no obligation to vote. Despite these similarities, each country has its own unique features when it comes to elections, which distinguish it from the elections of other countries. The constitutions of both America and Russia enshrine the processes of elections in each respective state. Works Cited Anthony Gierzynski. Saving American Elections: A Diagnosis and Prescription for a Healthier Democracy. Michigan: Cambria Press, 2011. Print. EnchantedLearning.com. How the President of the United States is Elected Web. 2012 Gil-Robles, Alvaro. “Report by Mr Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner for Human Rights, on his visits to the Russian Federation.” Council of Europe. 2007. Print. Migranyan, Migranik (9 December 2011). “What the Recent Russian Elections Really Mean.” National Interest. 2011. Print. Migranyan, Migranik. "What the Recent Russian Elections Really Mean". National Interest. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. russiavotes.org. How the Presidential Electoral System Works. Web. 2012 Thompson, Dennis F. Just Elections: Creating a Fair Electoral Process in the U.S. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. Print. Utah Education Network. United States Electoral Process. Web. 2012 Read More