The Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service held their weekly Pizza and Politics on Wednesday, March 14. This discussion was centered around the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
Presenters Brett Hedges and Lexi Andrist opened by giving a brief history of the United States’ presidential election system. Originally, the electoral college chose both the president and the vice president, but in 1804, the 12th Amendment was ratified so the presidential candidates can choose their running mates. In 951, the electoral system was once again changed by the 22nd Amendment, which limits the presidency to only two terms.
Hedges and Andrist then posed the question, “If you could change the election process, what would you change?” One student answered, “The only thing I would change about the election process, especially at the federal level, is making it easier for third parties to get on the ballot.”
Following the open floor, the presenters jumped into what the current presidential election landscape is, discussing first the primary elections for each party. For Republicans it was a three-way race between former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley; Trump came away with the nomination. For the Democrats, incumbent President Joe Biden faced little opposition in the Democratic primary, becoming the presumptive nominee.
The meeting was closed by Andrist and Hedges explaining the difference between popular votes and electoral votes. The popular vote does not determine officials in the general election and instead plays a much bigger role in the primary election, while general elections are decided by the Electoral College, a panel consisting of 538 electors. Each state gets an electoral vote proportional to the amount of congressional members representing that state. The presidential election is determined by which candidate can reach 270 electoral votes first.
Next week’s Pizza and Politics will cover Roe v. Wade and abortion rights in America. It is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, at noon in the Leavitt Center.
Author: Aidan Mortensen
Photographer: Aidan Mortensen
Editor: Anna Mower
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