US Elections 2020 Explained: How American electoral system differs from India?

The United States is preparing for elections to choose the next US President between incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden. The United States and India are similar democracies in terms of free and fair elections but still very different in terms of the electoral system. 

Comparing US to other democracies

While the United States follows the presidential system, India follows the parliamentary system. In a presidential system, elections are usually a straight choice between the candidates from the Democratic Party and the Republican Party since a candidate from a third party rarely enters the race. US citizens technically vote for “electors” and not the presidential candidates themselves, who subsequently elect the President. 

However, the electors, who are usually state officials or senior party leaders, are not named on the ballot. Each elector then cast vote for one of the two presidential candidates. The United State has only one executive in the form of the president who heads the state as well as the government and is not responsible to the legislature for its policies and acts.

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In India’s parliamentary system, there are two executives - nominal executive and real executive. The President of India is the nominal executive who heads the state but isn’t responsible for the policies and acts of the government, even though all laws are signed into the act after his approval. The real executive, Prime Minister, derives his or her power from the legislature and is also held accountable to the parliament.

India’s parliamentary system does not allow citizens to directly choose the head of the government using a ballot. Indian voters elect parliamentarians from their respective constituencies during Lok Sabha elections and the party or alliance with majority seats forms the government. The lawmakers of the party or alliance with majority seats choose their leader as the head of the government, who becomes Prime Minister of India. 

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