TUESDAY IN NOVEMBER

it is early morning of the first tuesday in november this is an American city city that is not very large not very rich not very old it is situated in the western part of the United States in California its name is riveted the woman in the car is mrs. Dawson when the riverton's 15,000 residents she is principal of public school number two but today there will be no classes held here for this is election day this classroom is one of the hundred and thirty thousand places the country over in which American citizens are going to cast their votes today this is the table where the voters names will be checked block ballot box and the polling booth here it is in the privacy of this curtain space at the American voters every four years on the first tuesday after the first monday in november choose their national government did come mrs. Dawson's colleagues on the Election Board of Riverton 7th precinct each representing one of the major political parties mr. Schwartz is a Republican who works for the streetcar company mrs. R banoffee is a housewife in the Democrat mr. dorsen is chairman they've all known one another for years first they remove the last traces of their campaign activities their party buttons then they take the oath attend the constitutional United States of America form your duties members the Election Board best of your ability some health become I do thank you this makes them responsible for seeing that the voting here today takes place according to the laws of the land and now the polls are open here comes the first moto no wonder his first he's been up since four o'clock delivering milk wanna get the buddy cop line your very first one right on the dock always liked the food earlier the Republicans a temporary lead developer that's as far as we can go remember this is a secret vote no one ever sees another person Marcus ballot however if we did have miraculous powers and if we were able just as once to follow Bill Johnson this is what we see he votes first for the chief executives the president and vice president of the United States next he votes for a senator from his state then a representative from his district this man is casting his vote for a government of his own choosing under the Constitution of the United States this is the way it's set up there are three branches of the United States government the executive branch or president the legislative branch or Congress and the judicial branch Supreme Court the duties of each branch are established in the Constitution let's see how they work the president is the executive head of the nation he initiate small important policies such as treaties with other governments and the conduct of national affairs he is the commander-in-chief of the army and the navy an important consideration in a wartime election the Vice President is the president's legal successor the president keeps him informed on matters of state and policy the vice president by custom sits as a member of the president's cabinet the cabinet members are the heads of the executive departments of the government such as the State Department War Department Treasury Department Department of the Interior of Labor Commerce you saw the cabinet advises the president on matters of policy the powers of the president and his helpers are limited for this is a government not of men but of laws based upon the Constitution Congress makes the laws it is a parliament which unlike many Democratic parliaments has no direct connection with the executive branch this branch of the government is made up of two houses the Senate and the House of Representatives alone may originate and he the house but must be approved by both of them when a bill is passed by both houses in his sent to the president if the president also approves the bill he signs it then becomes law President may veto a bill passed by the Congress but Congress may still by a two-third majority make the bill law although the chief responsibility of Congress is that of making laws certain other responsibilities are delegated to the two houses in the Senate or upper house as it is trawled each of the 48 states in the nation is represented by two elected members making a total membership of 96 small states and large have equal representation in the Senate the Senate has two important functions aside from its lawmaking due dates to pass on important presidential appointments and to approve or reject all treaties with other nations initiated by the president when a treaty is under consideration the members of the Senate expressed their opinions either of approval or of disapproval and then a vote is taken if two-thirds of the Senate approves of the treaty it is in effect in the house of representatives or lower house each of the 48 states is represented in proportion to its population the more populous of the states have the greater number of members representatives all measures dealing with the appropriation of money for the nation's use originated are controlled in the lower handle the money appropriated is turned over to the president for expenditure and the president with the aid of the cabinet spends the money in the manner decided upon by the Congress whether it be for purposes of peace or of war although the Congress of the United States makes the laws of the land its powers are also limited by the Constitution as a check on both executive and legislative branches of the government there is a third crash the judicial the Supreme Court whose members are appointed for life by the president the Supreme Court protects the Constitution from violation by congressional laws for executive orders the three branches executive legislative and judicial each with some power none with all the power check and balance each other in the manner intended by the framers of the Constitution so that the ultimate power rests always in the hands of the voter Bill Johnson having voted for a federal government he must also choose a governor for his state members of the State Assembly healthy judges all the minor offices and various legislative amendments when Bill Johnson is finished he has elected an entire government from top to bottom that is if a majority of the voters think the way he does about it it's not only here in Riverton that the voting is heavy today all over the country people are conscious of the momentous issues facing their nation in the world this is their way of expressing their conviction of how and by whom these issues should be met the two major presidential candidates vote like all the other citizens in New York City describes himself as a lawyer the other up in the country where his home is gives his occupation as farmer for those who cannot come to the polls an absentee ballot is provided and the voting is supervised by the local no furry this is the same kind of ballot that in this wartime election is sent to members of the Armed Forces at home and abroad these ballots are returned to be counted in their respective states here in Riverton the line grows longer the citizens are following the constitutional provision and elections are held on schedule rain or shine panic or prosperity peace or war that chalk on his sleeve is part of yesterday's history lesson when mrs. Dawson reminded her pupils of two other memorable elections in 1864 with the nation in the throes of a Civil War Abraham Lincoln one of America's greatest presidents was opposed in a bitter campaign by one of his own generals the people chose to reelect mr. Lincoln in 1916 during the First World War an election was held now again in 1944 early in the summer nominating conventions are held at these traditionally noisy political jamborees the chosen delegates of each major party meet to select a candidate for the presidency and the vice presidency of the United States now the candidates have been chosen and the campaign is arm from president to local sheriff the three months all through the late summer and fall wherever people come together issues and men are discussed and argued about some feel that this isn't altogether a good thing but a lot of time and energy are wasted this way it may be but that's the way Americans like to do it they like to feel everybody has a right to speak and is interested enough to do it even a small fry every attempt is made by all parties to influence the people's thinking all over the country week after week 140 million citizens take part in the great debate business professional and civic groups endorsed one candidate or the other for the first time in American history organized labor takes an active part in the campaign radio plays a greater role than ever time on the air is paid for by all parties and distributed evenly among giving the party in office no advantage over its opponents it is estimated that in the last days of the 1944 campaign 70 million Americans heard the speeches of the various candidates now all that is over the heat and excitement the votes are cast and Americans have agreed to accept the will of the majority whenever it may be apparently even the younger generation has declared peace now the Election Board begins its last duty the counting of the votes the figures are checked and double-checked then they are telephone to headquarters hello mrs. Dawson 7th precinct ready to report from coast to coast precinct by precinct city by city state by state the results are recorded all over America tonight the people are waiting to learn whom they have chosen to government for the next four years towards midnight the final results are announced a nation of 140 million has elected a government