Crucial Changes in Regards to the Election of the President

University Degree Mathematical and Computer Sciences

Daniel Schofield-Bodt

The American Presidency

TF: Jeff Sullivan

Crucial Changes in Regards to the Election of the President

The most esteemed political position in United States government, the Presidency, possesses a storied, honored, and turbulent history. The road to the Presidency is just as sacred a path, but with even more twists and turns. While the power of the office has held relatively stable, the procedure in attaining and retaining that office has varied greatly over America’s lifespan. There have been many changes in the way the President has been elected over the past 215 years and three of these alterations have revolutionized the means by which the Oval Office is secured. These three changes are George Washington’s influence over the President’s tenure, the 20th century shift from party convention nominee selection to party primary and caucus nominee selection, and finally the shift in the importance of money in recent elections. All three of these changes, be they conceptual, official, or purely political have had great influence over who can run for President, who actually runs for President, who can be elected President, and how he or she is actually elected President. Each innovation has distinct associated advantages and disadvantages and not all can be deemed beneficial to the democratic ideal. However, all three are critical changes, and crucial in the understanding of how the United States selects its President.

George Washington served as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, was instrumental in assembling the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787, and was elected unanimously by the Electoral College as the country’s first President. His presence at the convention, and the understanding among the delegates that Washington would be the first to serve in an executive position, helped calm those fearful of anointing a President. Ironically, the respected Washington gave more power to the executive branch than initially thought, for delegates did not fear power in his hands. Further, he had no children, quelling the fear of a familial monarchy. Throughout his two terms as the nation’s leader, Washington set a great deal of precedent. The most critical way through which Washington effected how the President is elected was by stepping down after two terms. “His refusal to accept a proffered crown, and his willingness to relinquish the presidency after his terms were up, established the precedents for limits on the power of national leaders.” Until the riegn of Franklin D. Roosevlet, no President ever served more than two terms without passage of a single bill. This greatly influenced how the country’s leader is elected, for Washington’s example assured that there would be a shift of power at least every eight years. Washington would have surely been elected to a third term, and the same can be said for popular Presidents who followed him. By stepping down, Washignton assured the public that there would be a frequent shift in power. The fact that incumbants step down after their second term is directly attibutable to Washington. The only disadvantage to this precedent is the fact that it was a precedent and not instantly law. After Roosevelt was elected to four terms, Congress passed an ammendment delcaring that, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” Washington’s foresight paved the way for not only how, but who is elected President.

The Second most important change in how the President is elected is the shift from the Convention system to the Primary system. In 1828, Andrew Jackson implemented the convention system to elect the party nominee. This process was soon overrun by corruption, and primaries slowly worked their way into the nomination process, but it was in 1968 when everything changed. Hubert Humphrey was able to secure the Democratic nomination for President without running in a single primary, and the Democrats decided it was time for change by voting for candidates in the convention based on the primary results. For the ...