The US political system is not complex and can be easily understood by immigrants worldwide. Like any other country, it is divided into different sectors, each taking care of different duties. Although it might be a bit intimidating in the beginning, it is important to understand thoroughly to have a better knowledge of the country you’re moving into!
The constitution depicts the entire structure of the US political system. It is divided into the following:
- The US Political System
- The Three Branches of Government
- The Federalist System
- US Elections
The US government and the congress are like a Francophone transplant which the 18th-century philosopher inspires. The advocation of power is divided into three different branches:
- Executive
- Legislative
- Judicial
This division of power is done to divide responsibilities among groups to maintain checks and balances. Each of these branches is discussed in detail in the following article.
The Executive branch
This branch is run entirely by the President, elected by the electoral college. The President is considered the first citizen and the head of the state who resides and governs from the White House. The present is also the commander in chief of the US armed forces, which primarily passes all the laws by the legislative branch. To help in the further division of power, they are divided into 15 cabinet ministers appointed to advise the President on different matters. It is passed over to the Vice President if the President is unavailable to exercise their duties.
Legislative Branch
The legislative branch has two primary functions:
- To curate the laws governing the country
- To collect funds for running the government
To consider a bill as a law, each branch member has to vote in favor of the decision. After that, it can either be vetoed or divided to be passed as a bill, depending on the number of votes. It is further divided into two branches to execute the tasks effectively, known as the bicameral legislature. Finally, the people vote for the members to exercise their duties effectively. The House of Representatives also has six non-voting members – Puerto Rican, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, The US Virgin Islands, The District of Columbia, and Guam.
The Senate is also a part of the legislative branch, comprising 100 senators in the upper chamber. Every senator holds the office for six years to exercise their duties.
Judicial branch
This branch comprises the supreme court with 13 circuit courts and 94 district courts. The two primary powers of the branch include:
- Interpreting the law to specific cases
- Determining whether a particular law abides by the US Constitution
Whatever the judicial branch takes decisions, the entire country should abide by the decision.