An easy-to-understand guide to the U.S. elections

Struggling to follow the steps required to elect a US President?! Have you forgotten how the primaries and caucuses, national conventions and the Electoral College work?! Me too! Fear not, here's your easy-to-follow overview.

1. The Basics

The U.S. Presidential election happens every four years. The process involves several steps, starting with the primaries and caucuses and ending with the Electoral College.

2. Primary Elections and Caucuses

Primaries

• What are they?: Primaries are state-level elections where party members vote for their preferred candidate. During the primaries, party members are voting for the candidate they want to represent their party in the general election, not for the candidate to be President directly.

  
  
  
  

• Types of Primaries:

  • Open Primary: Any registered voter can participate.

  • Closed Primary: Only registered party members can vote.

Caucuses

• What are they?: Caucuses are local gatherings where party members discuss and vote for their preferred candidate. The results of the caucus determine how many delegates each candidate will receive. These delegates then go on to support their candidate at the party’s national convention.

• Where are they held?: Only a few states use caucuses, with Iowa being the most notable. Caucuses are less common mainly because they are complicated to arrange, have lower participation rates, and are logistically challenging with accessibility being a big issue. There has been a trend toward adopting primaries due to their simplicity and higher voter engagement.

• What about Iowa?: Iowa is famous for its caucuses, which are the first major electoral event of the nominating process for President. This tradition gives Iowa significant influence and attention during presidential elections.

3. National Conventions

• Purpose: Each major political party holds a national convention to officially nominate their candidate for President.

• Delegates: Delegates from each state vote for a candidate based on the results of the primaries and caucuses.

• Outcome: The candidate who secures the majority of delegate votes becomes the party's nominee.

• What about Kamala Harris?: At the convention, delegates will still cast their votes to officially nominate Kamala Harris as the Democratic party’s presidential candidate if she secures the majority of delegate votes.

• Vice Presidential Nominee: Assuming all goes to plan and Harris becomes the presidential nominee, she would select a vice-presidential running mate. This choice would be confirmed and celebrated at the convention. The selection would be strategic, aiming to balance the ticket and appeal to a broad spectrum of voters.

4. When are the National Conventions?

Democratic National Convention

• Dates: August 19-22, 2024

• Location: Chicago, Illinois

• Purpose: To officially nominate the Democratic candidate for President and Vice President. With President Joe Biden not running, this convention will be particularly important for formally endorsing Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee if she secures the majority of delegate votes.

Republican National Convention

• Dates: July 15-18, 2024

• Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

• Outcome: The convention concluded with the official nomination of former President Donald Trump as the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election. His running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, was also nominated for Vice President.

5. General Election

Election Day

• When: The general election is held on the first Tuesday in November. This year it falls on November 5, 2024.

• Voters: Voters across the country cast their votes for President and Vice President.

6. Electoral College

How it works

• Electors: Each state has a certain number of electors based on its population, totalling 538 electors nationwide.

• State Results: Most states use a "winner-takes-all" system. The candidate who wins the most votes in a state usually receives all of that state's electoral votes.

• Majority Needed: A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to win the Presidency.

What if there’s no majority?

• Contingency: If no candidate receives 270 electoral votes, the House of Representatives elects the President from the top three candidates, with each state delegation having one vote.

The Electoral College vote typically takes place on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, which for the 2024 election will be December 16, 2024. Although the Electoral College officially votes in mid-December, we generally know the projected winner of the presidential election on Election Day or shortly after, once the popular votes are counted and reported by the states.

7. Inauguration

• Date: The newly elected President is inaugurated on January 20, 2025.

• Ceremony: The President takes the Oath of Office and officially begins their term.