When Do We Vote for President?

Those of us in the United States live in a democratic country where we are governed by a body of elected officials. The office of President of the United States runs for four years. There have been many changes in voting over the history of our country. To give you a feel for how important the job of voting is, six of the amendments to the U.S. Constitution are concerned with voting rights.

Since the term of the President is limited to a four-year term, every four years our country is deluged with ads for the available candidates. The election campaign trail runs all across the country and invades every form of media available on which to advertise.

There are primary elections and then the final election that takes place in November. The National voting day is set for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. All local, state and Federal issues and positions are voted on during those elections. Every four years include the vote for President, but every two years there is a vote for Congressmen for your local district.

Voting Rights

There have been many voting rights movements within America throughout its history. The days following the Civil War saw a movement to bestow basic rights to liberated slaves that included the right to vote for the Vice President and President of the United States.

Then again, in the 1920s we experienced a movement for women’s suffrage. Prior to that time, only men had the right to vote and women had no say in the selection of the person that would guide our country.

While each of these movements brought guarantees of voting rights through amendments to the Constitution, the passage of an amendment to the Constitution did not always change the practices of the populace.

National Voting Rights Act

In the southern states, many voting districts attempted to put into effect literacy tests, poll taxes and comprehension tests. These tests limited many blacks and even poor white citizens from voting.

These practices clearly violated the spirit of the Constitution and, in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson initiated the National Voting Rights Act of 1965. While aimed specifically at the African-American community, it also encompassed other minorities that were suffering under discriminatory practices.

The National Voting Rights Act of 1965 has since been evoked several times to enforce the non-discriminatory actions on the part of some states or localities. As recently as 2006, the enforcement of the act was required. Part of the act requires states that have been found guilty of discrimination in voting to obtain clearance from the Department of Justice before any changes can be made to the voting process in their region.

Voting Problems

The struggles of the early years of our country to ensue that all its citizens have the chance to exercise their rights to vote haven’t ceased. There are still have challenges to overcome even now.

In fact, in 2004, the nation was embroiled in a voting catastrophe when votes went missing and methods of collecting ballots were questioned. The struggle at that time brought the nation to the point of both candidates being on the edge of winning. The miscounted or lost ballots could have been the winning ballot for either candidate. 

Today, every person in the United States can aspire to hold the office of the President by meeting three simple rules. The President must be:

• A natural born citizen of the United States
• At least 35 years of age
• A resident of the United States for fourteen years

If you meet those requirements, even you could be President someday.