Everything you need to know
AN OVERVIEW
An election for president of the United States is conducted every 4 years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
U.S. Citizens will be voting to elect its 46th President on November 3, 2020
This year, President Donald Trump is seeking a re-election for a 2nd term contesting against Joe Biden
US CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
* FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Be at least 35 years old Be a natural-born citizen of the United States
Have been a resident of the United States for 14 years
PRIMARIES AND CAUCUSES
The election process begins with primary elections and caucuses. Primaries and Caucuses are two methods states use to select a potential presidential nominee
Primaries use secret ballots for voting
Caucuses are local gatherings of voters who vote at the end of the meeting
NATIONAL CONVENTIONS
Each party then holds a national convention to finalize the selection of presidential nominee.
At each convention, the presidential candidate also chooses a running-mate (Vice Presidential candidate)
GENERAL ELECTION
The candidates then campaign across the country to explain their views and plans to voters in an attempt to win the support of the general population
In the U.S., people vote to choose their 'electors, who on behalf of the state elect the President and Vice President through a process called the 'Electoral College
ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Every state is assigned as many electors as it has members of Congress - 3 to 55, depending on the population
This makes certain states very important, as more populous states have a bigger number of electoral votes
435 members of the US House of Representatives
100 senators
3 votes assigned to Washington DC
ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Each presidential vote goes for a statewide tally with the exception of Maine and Nebraska, which use a different system to award their votes
In all others, the winner by even one vote gets all the electoral votes for that state.
A candidate needs at least 270 votes to win the presidential election
Due to the winner-take-all system, fewer than 80,000 popular votes decided the 2016 U.S. election
INAUGURATION
After a winner is officially declared, the new President takes an oath on a fixed date, this is called the Inauguration Day, which is January 20 (or January 21 if January 20 falls on a Sunday) at the US Capitol building in Washington, DC
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