A presidential election in the United States occurs every four years. Election Day is always the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The candidates are put up by the political party they represent. The US is dominated by two political parties, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, but there are other parties, too, including the Constitution Party, the Libertarians and the Greens. The choice of a new president is, however, usually a "two-horse race" between the Democrat and Republican candidate. The 2024 election was contested by Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democrats and former President Donald Trump for the Republicans. Trump emerged as the victor.

​​​​​​​Updated 22nd November 2024

Nomination

The president must be at least 35 years old, a natural-born citizen of the United States and a resident of the US for 14 years. Before the general election, candidates usually through a series of state primaries (elections) and caucuses (meetings). These events are to allow voters across the country to choose the parties’ nominees for president. Primaries and caucuses take place between January and June of election year.

In 2024, because of President Joe Biden's late decision, made in July, to withdraw from the race in favour of Vice President Kamala Harris, no Democrat primaries were held.

Over the the course of September and October, the candidates campaign across the country to present their ideas and plans to voters. They also take part in debates with candidates from other parties. Three televised debates between the main candidates are often crucial in helping the undecided voters make up their minds about who to vote for. Rallies and advertising are an important part of election campaigning.

Election Day

On Election Day, Americans cast their vote for the president. But these votes—what is known as the popular vote—do not determine the winner directly. Instead, people vote for electors chosen by the candidates’ parties in each state.

​​​​​​​Most states (Maine and Nebraska have a different method) have a “winner-takes-all” system, where the candidate who wins the most votes in the state, wins all of that state's electoral votes. The electors then cast their votes for that candidate in what is called the Electoral College.

The electors for each state cast their votes for the candidate who won the most votes in that state in the Electoral College. Although electors can, in theory, vote for anyone, many states have laws to punish “faithless electors”—those who do not cast their electoral votes for the candidate who won the most votes in the state. It is rare for electors not to vote according to the popular vote.

Winning the election

There are 538 electors in all, so a candidate needs the vote of at least 270 electors in the Electoral College—just more than half—to win the presidential election. In the event no candidate receives a majority in the Electoral College, the House of Representatives chooses the president and the Senate chooses the vice president. The last time this happened was during the 1824 election.

The president-elect takes the oath of office and is sworn in as president of the United States on 20th January in the year following the presidential election, Inauguration Day.
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Swing states

In the race to get to the majority of electoral votes, 270, it is the “swing states” that usually matter most. Certain states (such as Texas) most often vote Republican, while others (such as California) are likely to vote Democrat. States shown in red on the map are "solid" Republican; those in blue Democrat. It is often not worth the candidates spending time campaigning in these states.
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