Electing a president
Presidential elections run for well over a year and end not with a national popular vote but with the Electoral College.
Primaries and caucuses
Parties choose nominees through state primaries, where voters cast ballots, and caucuses, where party members meet and discuss. Candidates win delegates who attend the national convention, which formally nominates the presidential and vice-presidential candidates and adopts a party platform.
The Electoral College
Each state gets electors equal to its House members plus its two senators, and Washington, DC, gets three, for a total of 538. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win. Almost all states give all their electors to the candidate who wins the state's popular vote; Maine and Nebraska divide theirs partly by congressional district.
Popular vote and Electoral College
Because electoral votes are won state by state, a candidate can win the presidency while losing the national popular vote, as happened in 2000 and 2016. Campaigns focus heavily on competitive 'swing states'. If no candidate wins 270 electoral votes, the House of Representatives chooses the president, with each state delegation casting one vote.
Flashcard
The system of state electors that formally chooses the president
Check your understanding
How many electoral votes does a candidate need to win the presidency?