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Presidential Election Facts & Worksheets

An election is the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting.

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An election is the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting.

See the fact file below for more information on the Presidential Elections or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Presidential Elections worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

CHOOSING A LEADER

  • The most common form of government from ancient times to the early part of the 20th century was monarchy, or rule by a hereditary king or queen.
  • Today, most governments derive their legitimacy from national constitutions that provide a legal framework for their rule and specify how power is to be exercised and controlled.
  • It requires that citizens be free to organize competing political parties, engage in political campaigns, and hold elections according to agreed-upon rules.
  • In the presidential form of government, the voters elect a powerful chief executive who is independent of the legislature, but whose actions are delimited by constitutional and other legal restraints.
  • This was first practiced by the Americans, voting for George Washington, the first U.S. president, who was elected in 1789.

THE FIRST COUNTRY

  • The first presidential election, the day set for the electors to meet was January 7, 1789. Although it was not democratic, it was a first in human history.
  • From President George Washington, 57 more US presidents were voted into power, including most recently Donald Trump.
  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the longest serving president in American history. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage three months into his fourth term.
  • William Henry Harrison went on to serve as the ninth US president for a brief 32 days in 1841, the shortest term ever served.

PRESIDENTS AROUND THE WORLD

  • Presidential power granted politicians the ability to serve their respective countries. Here are some of the longest reigning presidents in history:
    • Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson is an Icelandic politician who was President of Iceland from 1996 to 2016.
    • Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. was the tenth President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986.
    • Sukarno was the first President of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. He was the leader of his country’s struggle for independence from the Netherlands.
    • Joaquín Antonio Balaguer Ricardo was the President of the Dominican Republic who served three non-consecutive terms for that office from 1960 to 1996.
    • Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko is a Belarusian politician serving as President of Belarus since the office was created on 20 July 1994.
    • Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov was the leader of Uzbekistan and its predecessor state, the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, from 1989 until his death in 2016.
    • William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman was the 19th President of Liberia, serving from his election in 1944 until his death in 1971.
    • José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican politician who served seven terms as President, a total of three and a half decades, from 1876 to 1880 and from 1884 to 1911.

PROCESS AND ROLES

  • During the presidential elections, Americans go to their polling place to cast their vote for president. A candidate must receive a majority of electoral votes through an Electoral College.
  • In some presidential elections, a candidate needs majority vote to win the seat. This often takes place on a certain date and are directly voted for by the people.
  • Some presidential elections also depend on the power or recommendation of its parliamentary counterpart. Hence there are two leaders, the President and the Prime Minister.
  • As head of state, the president acts as the chief public representative of the country and often performs many ceremonial duties, such as welcoming foreign dignitaries to the country when they visit.

ADVANTAGE and DISADVANTAGES

  • ADVANTAGES
    • Determining presidents by Presidential election is a result of popular vote, meaning that the majority of the people voted for the candidate.
    • After presidential elections, the elected is guaranteed co-equal powers with the legislature and the judiciary – maintaining check and balance within the government.
    • A president with strong powers can usually enact changes quickly. Depending on the current crisis, the president can decide immediately.
    • A president, by virtue of a fixed term, may provide more stability than a prime minister, who can be dismissed at any time.
  • DISADVANTAGES
    • Presidential systems make it difficult to remove a president from office early due to political complications.
    • Conflict with the other branches of the government that might not be reconcilable can occur.
    • There might be a tendency towards authoritarianism.
    • A president might be able to marginalize the influence of other parties and exclude rival factions in his own party.
    • Presidential systems are said not to offer voters the kind of accountability as that of the parliamentary system.

Presidential Elections Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Presidential Elections across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Presidential Elections worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about an election which is the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Presidential Powers
  • Presidential Qualities
  • People’s Choice
  • Electoral College
  • E.C. Voters
  • Two Leaders
  • Prez and Prime
  • Popularity Poll
  • Rising Controversies
  • My Leader

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Link will appear as Presidential Election Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 18, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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