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League of Women Voters

Presidential Voters' Guide


About this Voters’ Guide

This Voters’ Guide is published by the League of Women Voters. The League has a long tradition of publishing the verbatim responses of candidates to questions important to voters. The League offers this Voters’ Guide to assist citizens in their decision making process as they prepare for participation in the general election. The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any candidate or political party.



Ground Rules

  • All qualified presidential candidates were invited to provide biographical information and responses to five specific questions. Candidates qualified if they met the following criteria:
    1. The candidate must have made a public announcement of her/his intention to run for her/his Party’s nomination for President;
    2. The candidate must meet the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act’s minimum contribution threshold requirements for qualifying for matching funds, based on the most recent data publicly available on the FEC website
    3. The candidate must qualify for the ballot in enough states to win a majority of electoral votes.
  • Responses were limited to 400 characters and were truncated thereafter.
  • If a candidate did not respond by the date of publication, “Candidate has not responded.” is printed.

The League of Women Voters is where hands on work to safeguard democracy leads to civic improvement. Learn more at www.lwv.org and www.VOTE411.org.

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About the Office of President

Salary: $400,000 per year
Term: Four years. Limit of two terms.

How Elected: Every four years, political parties nominate candidates to run for President of the United States in a general election that is held on the first Tuesday, after the first Monday in November. Although all parties use conventions to nominate their candidates, in most states the Democratic and Republican parties also run state-wide primary elections or caucuses. The results of the primary influence how the delegates to their respective party’s convention will cast ballots for candidates for President. The degree to which the result of the primary influences the votes of delegates at conventions varies from state to state.

Duties: The President is the head of state of the United States of America and is the Chief Executive Officer and the Commander in Chief of all military forces. The powers of the President are described in the Constitution and federal law. Subject to Senate approval, the President appoints the members of the Cabinet, ambassadors to other nations and the United Nations, Supreme Court Justices and federal judges. The President, along with the Cabinet and its agencies, is responsible for carrying out and enforcing the laws of the United States. The President may also recommend legislation to the United States Congress.

© 2016 League of Women Voters Education Fund.

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