Describe four ways in which American elections are different from those in most other democracies

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

An ideal response will:
1, Discuss how American elections are more common and are held more frequently than in other countries.
2, Discuss how elections in the United States are separate and independent from one another. In America, the branches are separated so that executive elections are not dependent on legislative elections. In contrast, the British parliamentary system does not have this separation. The British prime minister is selected among the members of Parliament. In the American federal system, there is also independence between federal and state elections.
3, Discuss how the federal system in the United States allows for a much lesser role for the federal government and a greater role for the states. In other countries, the federal government plays a much greater role.
4, Discuss how in the United States, elections are held on fixed dates, usually on a Tuesday. This means that politicians cannot time elections to benefit themselves in the United States as is sometimes done in other countries; however, it also means that participation is usually lower in America.
5, Discuss how elections in the United States are "first-past-the-post" systemsin which the winner does not need a majority, as is the case in many other countries.