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The Electoral College decides who will be elected president and vice president of the U.S. Learn who is involved and how it works. Find out how a candidate becomes president of the United States. Learn about caucuses and primaries, political conventions, the Electoral College, and more.
- Voting and Election Laws
Learn how campaign contribution limits, accessibility rules,...
- Requirements for Presidential Candidates
Learn the requirements to run for U.S. president. These...
- Inauguration of The President
Learn about Inauguration Day in the U.S., when the...
- Voting and Election Laws
The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces . [3]
No. [a]PortraitName (birth–death)Term [14]January 20, 2021 – IncumbentDonald Trump (b. 1946) [74]January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021Barack Obama (b. 1961) [73]January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017George W. Bush (b. 1946) [72]January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009Oct 23, 2020 · The president is elected by a college of 538 electors and it takes 270 votes to win. The number of electors apportioned to states is based on population -- mirroring each state's congressional ...
- Kendall Karson
- 7 min
- Step 1: Meeting The Eligibility Requirements
- Step. 2: Declaring Your Candidacy and Forming A Political Action Committee
- Step 3: Getting on The Primary Ballot in as Many States as Possible
- Step 4: Winning Delegates to The Convention
- Step 5: Picking A Running Mate
- Step 6: Participating in Debates
- Step 7: Understanding Election Day
- Step 8: Picking Up Electors and Electoral Votes
- Step 9: Understanding The Role of The Electoral College
- Step 10: Getting Through Inauguration Day
Presidential candidates must be able to prove they are a “natural born citizen” of the U.S., have lived in the country for at least 14 years, and are at least 35 years old. Being “natural born” doesn’t mean you have to have been born on American soil, either. If one of your parents is an American citizen, that’s good enough. Children whose parents ...
It’s time to get with the Federal Election Commission, which regulates elections in the United States. Presidential candidates must complete a “statement of candidacy” by listing their party affiliation, the office they’re seeking, and some personal information such as where they live. Dozens of candidates complete these forms in every presidential...
This is one of the most little-known details of how the president is elected: To become a major party’s presidential nominee, candidates must go through the primary process in every state. Primaries are elections held by political parties in most states to narrow the field of candidates seeking the nomination to one. A few states hold more informal...
Delegates are the people who attend their parties’ presidential nomination conventionsto cast votes on behalf of the candidates who won the primaries in their states. Thousands of delegates attend both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions to perform this arcane task. Delegates are often political insiders, elected officials, or grassr...
Before the nominating convention takes place, most presidential candidates have chosen a vice presidential candidate, the person who will appear on the November ballot with them. Only twice in modern history have the presidential nominees waited until the conventions to break the news to the public and their parties. The party’s presidential nomine...
The Commission on Presidential Debates holds three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate after the primaries and before the November election. While the debates typically don’t influence the outcome of elections or cause major shifts in voter preferences, they are critical to understanding where candidates stand on important issues ...
What happens on that Tuesday after the first Monday of November in a presidential election year is one of the most misunderstood facets of how the president is elected. The bottom line is this: voters do not directly elect the president of the United States. They instead chose electors, who meet later to votefor a president. Electors are people cho...
When a presidential candidate wins the popular vote in a state, they win electoral votes from that state. In 48 out of 50 states, the successful candidates collect all electoral votes from that state. This method of awarding electoral votes is commonly known as "winner-take-all." In two states, Nebraska and Maine, the electoral votes are distribu...
Presidential candidates who win 270 or more electoral votes are called the president-elect. They don’t actually take office that day, and they can’t take office until the 538 members of the Electoral College get together to cast votes. The meeting of the Electoral College takes place in December, after the election, and after state governors rece...
January 20 is the day every aspiring president looks forward to. It is the day prescribed in the U.S. Constitution for the peaceful transition of powerfrom one administration to another. It is a tradition for the outgoing president and his family to attend the swearing-in of the incoming president, even if they are from different parties. There are...
The president of the United States ( POTUS) [B] is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces . The power of the presidency has grown substantially [12] since the first president ...
Learn more about the Presidents of the United States from WhiteHouse.gov.
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Nov 3, 2020 · Mr. Biden defeated President Trump after winning Pennsylvania, which put his total of Electoral College votes above the 270 he needed to clinch the presidency. 306. 306. Joseph R. Biden Jr.Biden ...
