Election Day in the United States is less than a week away, so here’s what you need to know about how the 2024 presidential election works.
Who can vote?
In the United States, citizens must meet some very basic eligibility criteria in order to vote. They must be:
- An American citizen
- A resident of the state where he or she registered to vote
- 18 years or older
Voter eligibility can vary from state to state, especially regarding criminal convictions. For example, people with criminal records may face restrictions in some states, including permanent loss of the right to vote.
It is estimated that more than 230 million people are eligible to vote in the United States. But only about 160 million of them are registered voters, and not all of them will actually vote. In the 2020 election, turnout was approximately 66% of eligible voters, the highest turnout in over a century.
How are the American elections going?
American politics is dominated by two parties, the center-left and the liberal. Democrats and the right and the conservatives Republicans; potential candidates emerge from either party to compete for the presidential nomination. To select their candidate, Democrats and Republicans hold primary elections or caucuses in each state, which result in the winner accepting the nomination at the Republican or Democratic national conventions. This cycle now pits the Democrats against each other Vice President Kamala Harris against the old Republican President Donald Trump.
US President Joe Biden had initially sought re-election to a second term, but dropped out in July after a disastrous debate raised questions about his ability to govern for another four years.
There are also third-party or independent candidates, such as Jill Stein of the Green Party, Chase Oliver of the Libertarian Party, and anti-war academic Cornel West.
During the electoral phase, presidential candidates nominate their own running mates — in this case, Democrat and Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota and Republican senator from Ohio J.D. Vance — who will become vice-president if the candidate’s candidacy is successful. Electors then vote for a president and a vice president, and the result of this vote is then transmitted via the Electoral College.
Since 1845, American elections have been held the first Tuesday in November. However, voters also have the option to vote early in most states, and more than 52 million votes have already been cast.
How does the Electoral College work?
To understand how American elections are conducted and how voters choose their next leader, you need to understand the US Electoral College.
Unlike members of the United States Congress, who are chosen directly by voters, the American president is not elected by direct national vote. Instead, when Americans vote, they select a list of “electors” in their state who pledge to vote for specific presidential and vice presidential candidates, based on the votes cast in the state for each candidate. Once the votes are counted and certified, these voters officially cast their ballots. The infographic below describes this process.
Want to learn more about the Electoral College? Watch the short explanatory video below or read this brief overview.
How many electoral votes do you need to win the election?
It takes 270 electoral votes to win a US presidential election, with a majority of the 538 electoral votes available.
This system can give rise to surprising results: a candidate can win the popular vote nationwide but lose the electoral collegewhich has happened five times in the history of the United States. The most recent example was in 2016, when Trump won the presidency. Hillary Clinton despite trailing by nearly three million votes nationally.
What do the polls say?
As Election Day approaches, Harris and Trump are tiedin fierce competition for control of key states. We’re closely monitoring undecided voters in these states, who could actually swing the race one way or the other.
Harris holds a narrow 1.5 point lead nationally, according to the FiveThirtyEight poll, although Trump has almost closed the gap. A Reuters/Ipsos poll puts Harris ahead by just one point, within the margin of error.
Trump leads the way economic And immigration issueswhile Harris has a diminishing advantage over political extremism.
Swing States like Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona, the margins are razor thin. Although national polls favor Harris, the Electoral College outcome remains uncertain, echoing the unpredictability of past elections.
When will we know who won? When will the results be announced?
It’s pending. It is very unlikely that a winner will be determined on election night. However, this is not out of the question. Historically, the winner was announced the night or morning following the election.
As polls close nationwide on Election Day, media outlets will report results in real time, with results coming from the Eastern Time Zone first. Final tallies may not be available immediately, particularly due to the increased volume of mail-in and mail-in ballots. In some cases, states have laws allowing postmarked ballots to be counted on Election Day, even if they arrive later. This process may cause delays in some states, particularly those with narrow margins.
Trump could take advantage of these delays to spread the narrative that the election was stolen, as he falsely attempted to do in 2020. In that election, most of the votes that arrived or were counted late were for Democrats, generally because that the vote was in favor of the Democrats. The party has more support in cities where vote counting takes longer, and because Trump has discouraged his supporters from using absentee ballots.
If no candidate wins 270 electoral votes, a conditional election occurs. The House elects the president, with each state having one vote, and the Senate elects the vice president. A House candidate needs a majority (26 states) to win. This rare process last occurred in 1824, when John Quincy Adams was elected by the House of Representatives after Andrew Jackson won the popular and electoral votes but fell short of a majority.
What are the key dates to watch?
- Election Day: November 5 – Most Americans vote in person or by mail.
- Certification deadlines: November 6 – December 11 – States certify election results within this time frame.
- Electoral college vote: December 17 – Voters meet to officially vote.
- Congress counts electoral votes: January 6, 2025 – Congress meets to count and confirm the electoral votes.
- Inauguration day: January 20, 2025 – The president-elect takes the oath of office, marking the transition of power.
