American Election Format (from a view of a Canadian)

From the articles below this is what I can gather. The current elections going on are for the election of the number of delegates to the Presidential Candidate election for each party. They are open for all members of each State's electorate, not just party members. However, the voter must ask for a ballot only one party (to vote for one Candidate). The number of delegates each Candidate then gets depends on the popular votes (%) of each State. For example, if a Candidate gets X% of the vote then he/she recieves that same percentage of delegates to their party's national convention: lets say a particular State has 100 delegates allotted to them and a Candidate receives 35% of the vote within the State; this means they will receive 35 delegates. Then at the party's national convention these delegates vote to decide who will be the Presidential Candidate for their party in the next Federal election. These delegates do not have to vote for the Candidate the Candidate they have said they would. The Candidates themselves have a certain amount of say in who will 'actually' be the delegates that will vote for them (in an attempt to assure that the delegate will actually vote for them).

It then seems that their will be another election in which each State will vote to elect a "slate of electors". Each party will have a "slate of electors" up for election. It appears all the slate gets elected or none of the slate does; in other words, the electorate (i.e., the States' voters) must choose between the parties' slates in their entirety. This "slate of electors" (along with Slates from other States) then votes on who will be next President of the United States of America. However, the electors of these slates do not have to vote for the Candidate of their party, but in some circumstances/States can be punished for doing so. Moreover, a legislature of a State is not bind by the popular vote of the election of the "slate of electors" (it is tradition to do so); in other words, a state legislature could intervene and create a "slate of electors" that does not reflect the popular vote.


References/citations:

"Delegates count, but how do you count them?"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23034102/

"Provisional ballots to decide N.M. winner"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23047568/

"FAQ: How does the election system work?"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22544471/


---------



I am hoping that am doing justice (I mean what I am writing is correct) in explaining the American's voting system. I can appreciate the attempt to have the elected Presidential Candidate from each party being n’ sync with the electorate choice (plus it is a good election form that those that invented the system saw--meant to please the voters from the start) as well as like the symmetry/parallel/linkage between the party and the general election process. Although, it seems to me as Canadian a little 'over-the-top' as well as we are so use to Candidate selection being an internal party matter, and then a general election by the electorate (choosing between parties and not just their leaders (whom if the party gets elected their leader becomes the Prime Minister—if he/she gets elected in their riding otherwise it would be up to the party’s elected Members of Parliament’ to decide on a Prime Minister). Technically, if this ever actually occurred, it would be the majority of the Members of Parliament (as usual technically speaking) to elect a Prime Minister; who in return appoints his cabinet ministers (think of them as part of the Administration/government, but elected in their ridings as a Member of Parliament).