How we elect a president
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Primaries and Caucuses ~ In these special elections, party members get to vote for the person that will represent their party in the General election.
National Conventions ~ When Primaries and Caucuses are over, the Democrats and the Republicans hold a National Convention. At the conventions the parties choose a presidential nominee. While this is happening, each presidential candidate selects a running mate or known as Vice Presidential candidate.
The General Election ~ When each party is represented by a candidate, the process of the general election begins. Candidates campaign throughout the country in an attempt to win the support of voters. When November comes around, the people of America vote for one candidate. When a person sends in a vote, in the general election, they are not voting directly for an individual Presidential candidate. Voters from each state are actually voting for a group of people known as electors. These peoples are part of the Electoral College and are assigned to vote for their state's preferred candidate.
Electoral College ~ In the electoral college system , each state gathers a certain number of electors, based on each state's total number of representation in Congress. In December, (following the general election), the electors cast the votes. On January 6th when the votes were counted, the presidential candidate that gets more than half wins the presidential election!! The president-elect and the vice president-elect take oath of the office on January 20th.
