In the United States, today is election day. No, we won’t be voting for a new leader to run out country, however, we will be voting for new governors, new members for the Senate and for the House of Representatives who are up for re-election or their terms have run out. At this time we also vote to retain local judges or to release them from their duties. School board initiative are also on the ballot as well as local health care bills. Various political parties support these initiatives and each have their own agenda. Whether you agree with a political party or not, vote your conscious and make the effort to participate in your own destiny.

George Washington was a member of what political party? Republican, Tory, Whig? None, really, because political parties were just developing during his
administration. The original political parties developed out of the need for organized groups of like-minded men (at the time). Alexander Hamilton, then the
Secretary of the Treasury, organized the Federalists. Thomas Jefferson, who did not agree with many of the policies of Hamilton, formed the Democratic
Republicans. This is the predecessor to the current Democratic Party. Other early parties included the Populist Party, also known as the “People’s Party”; the
Socialist Party; the Anti-Masonic Party; and the Whig Party. Abraham Lincoln was a Whig until the party fell apart in 1856. The pro-slavery Whigs became
Democrats, while the anti-slavery Whigs went with the newly formed Republican Party. Since 1860, the current format of Republican and Democratic parties
has been the norm.

Having the two party system has its advantages. For example, they are active in the electorate , seeking to organize elections, simplify voting choices, and strengthen parties, identification parties are vital in the operation of government, they are organized around elected offices at the state and local levels,. Congress is also organized around parties, judicial and many executive branch appointments are based in large part on partisanship. Political parties perform various functions. They organize the competition; every candidate runs under the label of a party. They unify the electorate by gathering voters around common issues. The government is organized along party lines; the Speaker of the House is from the party with a majority of seats. The political party that wins an election can translate their preferences into policies and laws, although votes do not always fall within party lines. Political parties provide a loyal
opposition to the party in power; if there was only one political party, who would keep an eye on the party in power?

In the United States we regulate the elections rather well.. We hold them at fixed and staggered, but regular times. For example, Congress is reelected every two years during the November election. Many offices also have term limits — a specific number of times that one person can hold that office.

The general election is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Then, on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, the members of the Electoral College meet in their respective states. They each cast one ballot for president and one for vice president. The House counts the ballots; the candidates need 270 electoral votes to win. If a presidential and vice presidential candidate get 270 votes each, they are sworn in on January 20.

However, if neither gets 270 votes, then the House of Representatives votes for President, with one vote per state from among the top three electoral vote getters. For the Vice President, the Senate votes with two votes per state from among the top three electoral vote getters.