On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, the United States elections and it is important to know how the electoral system works in the United States. Since 1845, Presidential elections always take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November..
If during the day of Tuesday, November 5, Donald Trump And Kamala Harris each obtained 50% of the votesformer US President Donald Trump would be 65% more likely to return to the White House. Additionally, according to estimates, Kamala Harris could lose the election even if she gets four million more votes than Donald Trump, due to the electoral college system. The reason is that in the United States, the president is elected indirectly and not by popular vote.
In recent weeks, both candidates have focused their efforts on swing states (Swing States): Arizona, Snowfall, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin And Michigan. These are the states that have the most electoral weight.
Voters do not vote for candidates
One of the main aspects to understand how the electoral system works in the United States is that citizens do not vote for candidates, as is the case in Spain. Actually elect a representative of the Electoral Collegea body of elected officials who have previously committed to voting for one of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
This is what we call system of indirect universal suffragewhich takes place in the 48 states of the country and in the District of Columbia (involves the city of Washington and depends on the federal government). Meanwhile, Nebraska and Maine use the congressional district method. These states award two electoral votes to the winner of the state’s popular vote, then one electoral vote to the winner of the popular vote in each congressional district (two in Maine, three in Nebraska). This creates multiple competitions for the popular vote in these states, which could lead to a split electoral vote.
United States electoral system: electoral colleges
Each state therefore has an electoral college. The number of voters in the Electoral College is determined based on the number of representatives that the state has in the country’s Congress.
In total there are 538 votersand you need at least 270 to achieve victory. In the vast majority of states (except Maine and Nebraska), the candidate who receives the most votes is awarded all of the state’s delegates.
If there is equality in the electoral collegeit is Congress that elects the president. The House of Representatives elects the president from among the three candidates with the most votes, and the Senate nominates the vice president. This is something that has only happened twice, in 1801 and 1825.
Key dates for the 2024 US elections
The next date on the US election calendar after November 3 is December 17. This is when the electors of each state will come together and vote for president and vice president.
On January 6, 2025, Congress will receive the electoral votes from each state and announce who will occupy the White House for the next four years. Finally, on January 20, 2025, the inauguration ceremony of the President of the United States at the White House.
