5.1.1.2 Is the presidential election process effective?

Question 1

yes

lengthy process

Answer 1

ensures candidates are resilient to withstand the demands of being a president

Question 2

yes

electoral college

Answer 2

produces a clear winner despite the split nature of US politics

Question 3

yes

primaries

Answer 3

ensure the voice of smaller states is upheld
- genuine choice

Question 4

yes

ability to attract money?

Answer 4

• speaks to the character and breadth of appeal of a candidate, making them more suited to the job

Question 5

yes

public speaking

Answer 5

expectation of a speech at the National Party Conventions and a good performance in televised debates highlights commanding and persuasive public speaking that a president should be able to do.

Question 6

yes

it works? controversies being overcome

Answer 6

• controversies have quickly been overcome
• President George W. Bush and President Trump both won the electoral college but not the popular vote (1st term for trump)
• they have still been able to lead while being kept in check by opinion polls and congress.

Question 7

yes

third parties

Answer 7

• can have a role
• in the share of the national vote (Ross Perot in 1992)
• or in trying to shape the debates of an election (Jill Stein and Gary Johnson in 2016)

Question 8

no

electoral college

Answer 8

• has proven to be out of line wiht popular soveriengty

Question 9

no

primaries calendar

Answer 9

• (effectively) disenfranchises some states while over-representing others
• creating uneven federalism

Question 10

no

TV dbeates

Answer 10

have limited impact on the outcome of the election

Question 11

no

National Party Convention

Answer 11

serves little democratic purpose for the voters

Question 12

no

funding?

Answer 12

• amount of money required makes the process elitist.
• volume of money also gives undue influence to interest groups and corporations over the voice of the general population (Eg. MAGA spent $456.8m in the 2024 election cycle)

Question 13

no

length of the process

Answer 13

creates political apathy which can lower turnout and undermine legitimacy

Question 14

no

variety of voting methods

Answer 14

has been criticised and casued controversy over election results

Question 15

no

third parties

Answer 15

in terms of ACTUAL power, they are effectively excluded.
- creates a 2 party syste,

Question 16

no

role of the media

Answer 16

increasingly influential and moreso than money spent yet it is relatively unregulated.