The last two weeks of the presidential race are intensely competitive, and as a result campaigning by both candidates and their aligned groups is likely to intensify even more. Kamala Harris’s performance in this debate put wind in her sails, but it remains to be seen whether that will translate into new voters, and if she can overcome Trump’s advantages in foreign and economic policy.
The election process begins with state primaries and caucuses in January and February, where people vote for their preferred candidates using secret ballots. Afterwards organizers count the votes to determine which candidate gets how many so-called electoral votes. Each state has 538 electoral votes, and in most states the candidate who receives the most statewide votes will win. However, the big exceptions are Maine and Nebraska where electoral votes are awarded according to a state’s congressional district, and not by the statewide popular vote.
Following the primaries and caucuses each party holds a national convention where state delegates who were assigned to a particular presidential candidate at the primaries and caucuses “endorse” that candidate. At the end of this process, the final presidential nominee for each party is officially announced. This is also when the VP candidate is selected.
Once the nominations are set, the remaining candidates campaign across the country in order to attract as many electoral votes as possible. In the end, a candidate needs to win 270 electoral votes in order to become President of the United States.