The US presidential election is a complex process that culminates every four years with the election of the president and vice president. This process, deeply rooted in the US Constitution, involves several important steps, from the primaries to the Electoral College, all of which play a crucial role in determining the head of state.

Who is allowed to vote in the US presidential election?

In the US presidential election, eligible voters must meet the following criteria:

• U.S. Citizenship: Only U.S. citizens, either by birth or naturalization, may vote.
• Age requirement: Voters must be at least 18 years old on or before election day.
• State Residence: Voters must be residents of the state in which they are registered to vote.
• Registration: Voters must be registered to vote in their state. Registration deadlines vary by state.
• Not disqualified: Some people, such as those currently serving a sentence for a felony in certain states, may be disqualified from voting. The rules vary from state to state.

Primaries and party meetings The road to the White House begins with primaries and caucuses held in each state and territory. These events allow members of each political party – primarily the Democratic and Republican parties – to vote for their preferred candidate. In a primary, voters cast secret ballots, while caucuses are where party members meet to discuss and vote on the candidates. The outcome of these votes determines how many delegates each candidate is allowed to send to the convention.

National Conventions After the primaries and caucuses, each party holds a national convention where delegates officially choose their party’s presidential candidate. The conventions are tightly orchestrated events, often marked by speeches, debates, and finally a formal vote. The elected presidential candidate then chooses a running mate. Candidates are usually officially announced at the convention, which signals the start of the general election campaign.

Election campaign The campaign is an elaborate, nationwide process in which major party and third-party candidates compete for voter support through debates, rallies, commercials and other activities. The campaign period is crucial as candidates try to persuade undecided voters and solidify their base. Issues such as the economy, health care and national security often dominate the discourse.

election day Election Day in the United States occurs on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. On this day, citizens across the country cast their votes. However, the president is not elected directly by the popular vote. Instead, the United States has an Electoral College system, where voters technically choose electors who are committed to supporting a particular candidate.

Electoral College The Electoral College is a unique feature of the U.S. electoral system. Each state is allocated a certain number of electors based on its representation in Congress, which includes both the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are 538 electors in total, and a candidate must receive a majority of 270 electoral votes to become president. Most states use a winner-takes-all system, where the candidate who receives the majority of votes in a state receives all of its electoral votes.

Votes count Once the polls close on Election Day, the votes are counted and the electors in each state cast their votes accordingly. These votes are then sent to Congress, where they are officially counted in a joint session in January. The candidate who receives at least 270 electoral votes is declared president-elect.

Inauguration Day The final step in the U.S. presidential election process is Inauguration Day, which occurs on January 20 of the year following the election. The president-elect takes the oath of office, administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and officially becomes President of the United States.

Can a president lose the majority of the vote and still win the election?
Yes, a US president can lose the majority of the popular vote but still win the election due to the Electoral College. This has happened in several notable cases:

2016: Hillary Clinton won the nationwide popular vote with nearly 3 million votes. Donald Trump, on the other hand, secured 57% of the vote, which was enough to win the presidency.

2000: Al Gore won the majority of the votes, but George W. Bush received more electoral votes, leading to his election victory.

In both cases, the distribution of electoral votes among the states played a crucial role. It made it clear that the outcome of the electoral college vote can sometimes lead to different results than the national popular vote.

The U.S. presidential election process, while complicated, is designed to balance the interests of the states and the federal government and ensure that the president represents the entire country. This system, although often debated, has been a fundamental part of American democracy for over two centuries.