Contest for the Great Power

The U.S. electoral system, based on indirect voting, has been the cornerstone of democracy since the country's founding, but it has also become a point of constant debate.?In this year’s elections, "there's a lot at stake," as the outcome "could really represent something close to the end of full democracy," warned historian Alexander Keyssar, a professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and author of the book The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States.

HOW DOES THE U.S. ELECTORAL SYSTEM WORK?

• The presidential elections in the United States are indirect.
• Voters in each state choose the 538 members of the Electoral College.
• The winner of the popular vote “wins” all the electoral votes in each state.
• This system makes more populous states key to the election.
• Specifically, California puts 54 electoral votes in play, Texas 40, Florida 30, and New York 28.

PRIMARIES AND CAUCUSES (Party Assemblies)

• Voters choose their candidate to represent the party in the election.

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CONVENTIONS

• Parties organize a national meeting to nominate the presidential candidate.

UNIQUE FEATURES

• There are 244 million citizens with the right to vote since 1845.
• The election to determine the President takes place on the first Tuesday of November every four years.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

• The United States will hold its 60th presidential election.

THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION?Strong Contenders

• Republican and former President Donald Trump.
• Democrat and Vice President Kamala Harris.

INDEPENDENTS
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• Cornel West
• Jill Stein
• Chase Oliver

LEGISLATIVE ELECTION

• House of Representatives
• All 435 seats are contested.

Senate
• 35 of the 100 Senate seats are up for election.

OTHER ELECTIONS

• 13 governorships out of a total of 50 states.
• 2 special elections.

CURRENTLY Senate

• 100 Senators
• Democrats hold 48 seats, plus three independents.
• Republicans hold 49 seats.

House of Representatives

• 435 legislators
• Republicans have a slight majority with 220 seats.
• Three seats are pending.
• Democrats have 212 seats.

THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE

• A body constituted by at least two-thirds of Congress members, whose function is to cast their vote for one of the presidential candidates, considering the votes of the population in each state.
• Composed of 538 representatives from the 50 states.
• All states have two senators.
• The number of representatives depends on the state's population size.
• California is the most populous state, and Wyoming is the least populated.
• Each state's representation depends on the number of congress members.

IMPORTANT DATES

• Election Day: November 5, 2024.
• December 17: The Electoral College meets and proclaims the president.
• January 6, 2025: Electoral votes are counted in Congress, and the victory is ratified.
• January 20, 2025: The new president is inaugurated.

TO REACH THE WHITE HOUSE

• The winning candidate needs to secure at least 270 Electoral College votes.

TWO-PARTY SYSTEM

• In the 1796 presidential elections, a rivalry between two groups emerged.
• Since 1852, the United States has had a two-party system.
• The Civil War of 1861-1865 marked the consolidation of this system.
• The deep division between the North and South strengthened the two-party system.
• Other parties, called "third parties," exist but lack popularity.

SWING STATES

• States that can switch preferences and end up deciding the outcome of the presidential race.
• Wisconsin
• Nevada
• Arizona
• Georgia
• Michigan
• Pennsylvania
• North Carolina