There are just a few hours left until the presidential elections in the United States. In the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, countries and institutions have also chosen their sides. Now, on Tuesday, voters will also confirm their choice. Elections in the United States are a very long process, taking months to complete. But how do the people there, whose job it is to deposit them in a safe place and count them, cast their votes, and who watches over this whole process?
The United States also has an Election Commission that looks after all this, but like the Election Commission of India, it does not have unlimited powers and responsibilities.
The electoral process in the United States is largely directed by the Federal Election Commission. The FEC is a government agency that was created in 1974 to regulate election spending and maintain transparency. Initially its objective was only to control money in federal elections so that no candidate could change the opinion of voters by investing more money and the elections remained transparent. Additionally, it is also your job to ensure that candidates are not excluded due to limited financial capacity.
Over time his responsibilities also increased.
– While monitoring funding, the FEC ensures that all parties’ funding records are also available to the public to know whose support the candidate has.
It is also the commission’s responsibility to ensure that the rules established for funding are followed. If someone breaks the rules, they can receive a heavy fine.
– If any party or its associated candidate is accused of violating electoral rules, the commission investigates it.
who leads
The FEC is led by a team of six commissioners. One of these commissioners is elected as president and the other as vice president. This publication keeps changing each year on a rotating basis so everyone has a chance. They are appointed by the President of the United States but this cannot be confirmed without the approval of the Senate.
Since the United States is a large country and is divided into 50 states, all election-related responsibilities were not assigned to a single body. Rather, each state has its own processes and rules. However, there are some federal institutions that monitor it globally. FEC is one of them. Apart from that, many other institutions also perform different responsibilities.
– The job of the Electoral Assistance Commission is to provide technical assistance and training to states for elections. Handles tasks such as voting technology and voting equipment.
In addition, each federal state has its own electoral commission, whose task is to hold the elections on the set date and declare the results.
its power is limited
Compared to the Election Commission of India, the powers of the FEC are quite limited. It only deals with financing. It cannot even directly punish information about irregularities in political funds, because these decisions are often challenged in court. Because of this, the commission’s decisions are often left pending or modified. Apart from this, since the members of the commission are appointed by the President and the Senate, there may be political pressure on them.
State Commission has more responsibilities
State election commissions are more powerful than the federal commission. In fact, the electoral structure in the United States is such that each state has the right to establish its own rules. This is what registers voters. It handles all the work, from the voting process to counting votes and declaring the results. The State Commission can make rules according to its needs, the Center does not interfere in it. Yes, it is true that the State Commission also has to follow federal regulations.
