Yesterday, I watched the 2024 US presidential debate live on TV. It was a dramatic face-off between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
It was a 2 hour show and both candidates were asked to present their point of views and opinions on various important subjects like state of economy, inflation, abortion rights, immigration, geopolitics (Ukraine-Russia war, Israel-Palestine war), etc.
While both candidates made their points in their distinct styles, the one thing that I will remember this debate for is how Kamala was constantly making direct eye contact with Trump and trying to engage him while Trump held a poker face and never once made eye contact with her.
US president election process
We often hear terms like delegates, nominees, candidates, electoral college, and swing states on TV and social media, but all of this can be a bit confusing. In this article, I’ll break down the election process in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
Step 1: Primaries and Caucuses
Main purpose: To assign delegates to presidential candidates.
Primaries
- A primary is like a regular election. People go to a voting booth and cast their vote (secret ballots) for who they want to be their party’s candidate.
- People need not be registered to a specific party to cast votes in a primary. That means democrats can vote in republican primaries and vice versa.
- For example, imagine you live in California and you go to a republican primary. There you get to cast vote for the candidates like Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, etc.
Caucuses
- A caucus is a local meeting, where people gather to discuss and vote for their preferred candidate. It’s more like a town hall meeting than a regular election.
- Instead of voting in a booth, people physically stand in separate groups to indicate their support for a specific candidate.
- Unlike primaries, voters need to be registered to a specific party to participate in a caucus.
Delegate Allocation
Before we understand the delegate allocation process, we need to first understand who these delegates are. They are basically party representatives from each state. Each party has it’s own rules to appoint delegates and they can be party members, local leaders, activists, etc.
After the result for primaries and caucuses are out, delegates are assigned to each candidate depending on their win percentage.
For example, let’s say Trump got 73% votes and DeSantis got 17% while the other candidates got 10% votes in the primaries. Now if California state has 400 republican delegates, the Trump will be assigned 292 delegates (73%), DeSantis will be assigned 68 delegates (17%) and so on. In some states, a winner-take-all system is followed. That means the candidate who gets the most votes in primaries will get assigned all the delegates from that state.
Now these delegates are basically obliged to vote for the candidate they’re assigned to during the party’s national convention.
There are “pledged” delegates who mandatorily have to vote for the candidate they’re assigned to and then there are also “unpledged” delegates who are free to vote any candidate at the national convention.
Each party has around 1500-2000 delegates from all over the country.
Step 2: National Conventions
Main purpose: To nominate the official presidential candidate of each party.
After the primaries and caucuses are concluded, each party holds a national convention. Delegates of that party from all states attend the convention.
The main purpose of the convention is for the delegates to vote and officially choose the party’s candidate for president. By the time of the convention, most people already know who the candidate will be, because that candidate has won enough delegates through the primaries.
The presidential candidate usually announces their choice for vice president at the convention, and the delegates vote to confirm that person too.
Once the appointments are done, party leaders then discuss on the election campaign agenda. They decide on their standing on various important subjects and policies of national interests.
The national convention takes place over several days and is filled with speeches from important party leaders, former presidents and the presidential candidate. These speeches are designed to get the party excited and united for the upcoming general election.
Step 3: The General Election
Main purpose: To vote for electors representing the presidential candidate.
The general election takes place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November. I know, that’s a weirdly specific rule but it has its roots in the 19th century when people where mainly farmers, so in November they were available to vote and not busy in harvesting and Tuesday because many worshipped on Sundays.
On the day of general election, people don’t vote directly for the president. Instead, they vote for electors who then finally vote for the presidential candidate.
The Electors
- Each state has a set number of electors depending on the number of representatives and senators of that state in the US Congress.
- For example, California has 55 electors (2 Senators + 53 Representatives), while Wyoming has 3 (2 Senators + 1 Representative).
- There are also exceptions like Washington DC which has 3 electors, despite not having voting representation in Congress.
- Each party has their own electors. These electors are mainly party loyalists, local leaders, influential members of the party.
- Electors are basically similar to members of parliament (MP) in a country like India where people vote to elect MP’s during general elections and then the MP’s finally vote to elect the Prime Minister.
Step 4: The Electoral College
Main purpose: To appoint the president.
There are 538 electors in total across all states. These electors form the electoral college.
A candidate needs a majority vote (270 out of 538) from the electoral college to win the presidency.
After the general election is done, vote counting beings and the final results are declared. The winning 538 electors then meet on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December. Weird specifics hit again!
These electors then cast their vote for their respective presidential candidates. Their votes are then counted in the Congressional Count which takes place on 6th January.
During the count, again a winner-take-all system is followed. For example, in California there are 55 electors. If 33 electors (60%) vote for for Trump and 22 electors (40%) vote for Harris then Trump wins and he essentially gets all the electoral votes from the state of California. This is how an entire state becomes a “red” state or a “blue” state. There are exceptions in this winner-take-all system in some states but most states follow this system.
Basically, people don’t elect the president, states elect the president. People only vote for the “electors” who will represent their state at the electoral college which elects the president.
The presidential candidates are more dependent on the swing states and so they visit these states more during their campaigning.
The electoral college has a lot of flaws that often lead to misrepresentation of who the people actually want to be their president. You can watch a detailed analysis to understand these flaws. One such weird flaw is that the electors are not obliged (just expected to) to vote for the candidate that they said they would during the general election.
Step 5: Inauguration of the President
Main purpose: Swearing ceremony of the newly elected president.
On 20th January, the newly elected president is inaugurated at the Capitol in Washington DC. The president then takes office for a four-year term.
The president has to work closely with the US congress (435 representatives and 100 senators) and gain their confidence to pass laws and govern the country according to his policies.
During his term, there are mid-term elections held (usually after 2 years) where the house of representatives and senators are elected. These mid-term election can affect the president if there is a significant change in the US congress as it represents that people are voting for change as they don’t seem to like the president’s policies and administration.
TL;DR Summary
To summarize the US presidential election proces:
- Step 1: In the primaries and caucuses, party delegates are assigned to the presidential candidate.
- Step 2: Official presidential candidates of each party are nominated at the national conventions.
- Step 3: On the general election day, people indirectly vote for the president by voting for the electors.
- Step 4: The electoral college votes for the president candidate.
- Step 5: The newly elected president is appointed.