You think you know everything about American politics after the election? Think again.
Barack Obama has been re-elected for a second term, this time, however, with a smaller difference to his political opponent.
You already know this, of course, but you might be wondering about how the American political and electoral system works. Let’s find answers to some of your questions here and unveil some “secrets” from the White House!
Capitol is the name of the building where the Congress, the main legislative institution of the country, meets. The Congress is composed by the House of Representatives, with 435 voting members, and the Senate, with two members per each State, totalizing 100. The House of Representatives is known as the lower house and the Senate as the upper house. Their functions are different and so are their elections. The dominance of a party in one chamber does not mean the dominance in the other.
In a system where only two parties matter, the election results in most States are highly predictable. For example, when it comes to presidential elections, California and Massachusetts are traditionally Democratic, while Texas and Alaska are Republican. However, there are a couple of swing states, those that are traditionally very unpredictable and therefore decide who will be the President. Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio are some important swing states. The presidential candidates focus their campaign efforts on those states and do not even visit many of the “safe” ones.
Here, the Republican candidate Mitt Romney salutes his supporters during a rally in Virginia Beach.
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court of justice in the country. There are nine judges nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Of the nine judges, one is the Chief Justice: currently John Roberts, nominated by President George W. Bush. The appointment of the judges to the office enjoys a life tenure status. This means that once a judge takes their office, they will only leave it if they resign, die or are impeached. The President has the power to influence the appointment of a judge that is seen as more liberal or conservative in their jurisprudence.
Unlike it might be thought, the atmosphere during a hearing at the Supreme Court can be relatively informal. The argumentation goes on almost like a normal conversation and some jokes were even made by judges, especially by Antonin Scalia, one of the most conservative justices of the court. Other judges, however, did not look that excited with the topic of the discussion while rocking back and forth on their chairs…
Students at the American University in Washington DC celebrate the re-election of Barack Obama as they watch the breaking news.
It is maybe not clear from the picture, but while in Europe we may tend to think that young people in the United States mostly support the Democratic Party, many Republican supporters could be seen among the students of this university during the election night event.
Getting inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – perhaps the most famous address in the world – is not easy. But once there you can see rooms that are used for official receptions, dinners and important public announcements. As expected, security measures before entering the White House are very strict. However, the secret services’ agents in each room are also proficient tour guides. They are kind and happy to answer your questions. The third floor is though never open to visitors, as it is the President’s private residence.
The President of the United States is elected through electoral circles from each of the 50 States, in a winner-takes-it-all rule. This means that by winning a State, all the electoral votes are given to the winner, regardless the percentage of votes. This system preserves the importance of the role of the States but may also make a President elected with less votes in global terms than his/her opponent (popular vote).
