Tuesday, November 5 The American presidential elections are taking place, with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris as the main candidates for the occupation of the White House. It’s an unprecedented race: the Republican candidate, the former president of the United States, Donald Trumpwas the victim of two attacks. Meanwhile, Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris replaced United States President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee after her cognitive issues became evident in the debate on June 27 in Atlanta (Georgia).
From the approval of the Constitution in 1787the electoral system of the North American country has been consolidated over time. It is particularly interesting to know How Electoral Colleges Work in the United States. The system presents a series of characteristics very different from those that prevail in Spain.
How the electoral colleges work in the United States: the keys
Officially, US Election Day 2024 is November 5. Elections are still taking place the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. However, early voting is permitted at polling stations before this date, as well as postal voting.
Unlike what happens in Spain, in the United States, citizens do not vote directly for the candidate they want to be president, but for the members of the Electoral College.
From August 2024, 47 states, the capital of Washington, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands offer in-person early voting to all voters (this includes states holding elections exclusively by mail). three states (Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire) do not offer in-person early voting, although there are options for voters who are not in those states on Election Day.
Electoral colleges
The Electoral College is a body available to each of the country’s 50 states. In contrast, in Nebraska and Maine, votes are calculated in a mixed manner. These two states They use the congressional district method. Two electoral votes are awarded to the winner of the state’s popular vote. Then an electoral vote for the popular vote winner in each congressional district (two in Maine, three in Nebraska).
The number of electors available to each state’s electoral college is equal to the number of members it has in the House of Representatives and the Senateplus three from the United States capital, Washington DC. To date, there are a total of 538 voters.
After the elections, the ballots are counted. In 48 states and Washington DC, The candidate who receives the most votes wins all electors in the stateeven though he only won by one round.
In 2016, Hillary Clinton received three million more votes than Donald Trump, but the latter managed to win in 30 states, with 304 votes in the Electoral College, making him the winner.
Final election winner
Finally, the winner of the 2024 US elections will be the candidate who obtains at least 270 electoral votes out of the 538 at stake. Once the popular vote is counted, the winner is not declared until December 17, when the Electoral College electors meet and vote for president and vice president.
On January 6, 2025, Congress will receive the electoral votes from each state and the president will be announced. He January 20, 2025 The inauguration ceremony will take place at the White House.
