US Election 2024: How the Voting Process Works
Today, Americans will vote in the US presidential election, choosing between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
This election, is closely watched worldwide, also includes voting for Congress members, who play a vital role in shaping US laws.
The winner will serve a four year term, starting in January 2025.
The Candidates
In the Republican Party, former President Donald Trump emerged as the candidate, with strong support over his competitors. He chose Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate.
Kamala Harris, the current Vice President, stepped in as the Democratic candidate after President Joe Biden decided not to run again. Her running mate is Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris arrives to board Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on September 20, 2024. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / POOL / AFP)
There are independent candidates too, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., although he withdrew in August and endorsed Trump.
How the Election Works
The US uses an Electoral College system rather than a direct popular vote, as outlined on the official US government website, USA.gov.
This means the candidate with the most national votes isn’t necessarily the winner.
Each US state is allocated a specific number of electoral votes based on its congressional representation.
This allocation consists of two votes for each state’s Senators and additional votes equal to the number of congressional districts within that state.
There are 50 states in the US and 538 votes in the Electoral College, requiring a majority of 270 to win.
States like Alaska, Vermont, and Wyoming have just three electors, while Florida has 30. California, the most populous state, has the highest number of votes with 54.
The winner isn’t the person who gets the most votes across the country. Instead, both candidates compete to win contests held across the 50 states.
Most states operate on a winner-takes-all system: the candidate with the most votes in a state wins all its electoral votes.
Only Maine and Nebraska allow their electoral votes to be split based on results in individual congressional districts.
Their distribution is based on the popular vote within the state and at the congressional district levels.