Aspetti problematici del processo di elezione del Presidente degli Stati Uniti

Citizens of the United Statesdo not directly elect theirPresident. Instead, they choose “Electors”, individuals who generally pledge to vote for a particularcandidate. However, the U.S. Constitution contains very few provisions concerning the qualifications ofthe Electors. Political partycommittees or political party local caucuses select eligible Electors before the general election. Generally, electors are chosen because of their loyalty to theparty. In this sense, Electorstend–or, in certain cases, are obligedby parties or state laws–to vote for their respectiveparty nominees. In fact, several States requireElectors to vote in accordance with their pledge, even if the U.S. Constitution doesnot require Electors to vote in compliance withthe popular vote, norit bindsElectors to their party pledge. The Supreme Court ruled that aStatehasthe right to require Electorsto pledge to vote for the candidateto whom their party supports,but such pledges are legally unenforceable under theConstitution. Thus, Electors are free to act within the Electoral College, even if,until today,faithless Electorsdo not have affected the outcome of any presidential election.In this article, we will analyze the most relevant mattersconcerning the process of electing the President and vice-President of the U.S.and we will especially focus onthe Electoral College system and the various methods of selection of the Electors.

L'Autore affronta alcune problematiche di carattere costituzionale e politico relative al processo di elezione del Presidente degli Stati Uniti, analizzando il sistema delle primarie, il criterio di selezione dei cosiddetti Grandi Elettori e il modello del Collegio Elettorale.