Election season is here! The United States holds a presidential election once every four years. On November 5, voters across the U.S. will help choose the next leader of our country. Getting to Election Day is an exciting—but long—process.
There are many stops for candidates on road to the White House. Scroll down to find out more!
Candidates usually begin their campaign more than a year before Election Day. They travel across the country giving speeches and interviews. They also interact with voters on social media. Each candidate’s goal is to become their political party’s nominee for president. They try to convince as many people as possible that they’re the right person for the job.
Running a presidential campaign costs a lot of money. It also requires a big staff, with offices, and volunteers in many major cities and towns. Candidates spend a lot of time raising money to pay for their campaigns. Individual voters, businesses, and organizations donate funds to their favorite candidates.
After a few months on the campaign trail, candidates face off in debates that are streamed and televised. Debates allow viewers across the country to compare the candidates’ views on important issues. At this point, the debates are held between candidates from the same political party. Doing poorly in a debate often ends a candidate’s campaign.
Democrats and Republicans choose their final candidates during special state elections held from January to June. Most states hold primaries, which work like the national election. Voters go to the polls to cast secret ballots. In caucuses, people meet in small groups in churches, schools, and other locations to discuss candidates. Then they vote as a group.
The results of the primaries or caucuses in each state determine the number of delegates a candidate wins. The candidate who wins the most delegates usually wins their party’s nomination for president. If a candidate drops out of the race, their delegates can pledge their support to someone else.
Democrats and Republicans each hold a national convention during the summer. Tens of thousands of people attend the conventions. At these big meetings, each party’s delegates officially choose one candidate for president and one candidate for vice president.
Then the final candidates campaign almost around the clock until Election Day.
On Election Day, millions of people vote for president and vice president. They also vote for members of Congress and for state and local officials. Because the U.S. has different time zones, the polls in the East close several hours before those in the West. The winner is often not known until the next morning—and, if the race is close, sometimes even longer.
The votes that Americans cast for president technically aren’t for the candidates themselves. They’re for people known as electors. They form a group called the Electoral College, which really elects the U.S. president.
On January 6, Congress counts each state’s electoral votes. The current U.S. vice president officially announces the results and declares which candidates have been elected.
The new president’s term officially starts on January 20 at the inauguration. During this ceremony, the new commander-in-chief takes the oath of office on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The president promises to preserve, protect, and defend the U.S. Constitution.
Then it’s off to the White House, where the president will live and work for the next four years.
Illustrations by Dave Perillo (main illustration, flag backgrounds); Brendan Broderick (U.S. map); Shutterstock.com (all other images)