The Electoral Process

We've laid it out for you in 5 simple steps

So who can become president, and how does the whole electoral process work, anyways? You’ve read about it, maybe even participated in it… but don’t really get how the whole thing plays out from start to finish. We’ve laid it out for you visually, in 5 simple steps.

• Meet the Requirements
  A potential presidential candidate must be at least 35 years old, a natural born American, and has lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years before running. In addition, a president can only hold their position for two terms which is 8 years.
• Primaries and Caucuses
  There are tons of people who want to become president and have ideas of how our country should be run. In order to narrow it down, party members vote for the person they see best fit to represent their party in the general election. Without this step, choosing the best person for the job would be chaos!
• National Conventions
  Once the primaries and caucuses are finished, the parties have finalized their decision and chosen a Presidential nominee to run on behalf of their party. This is also when the nominee selects their presidential candidate.
• The General Election
  Now that each party is represented by one candidate, the general election process begins. Campaigning continues on until November, when people choose a candidate and cast their vote.
• The Electoral College
  When you cast your vote, it doesn’t count directly towards an individual candidate. Instead, your vote goes towards a group of people called “electors.” Each state gets a certain number of electors based on their population (California gets 54 votes, while Rhode Island only gets 4). These electors then vote as a group for their state’s preferred candidate in December, and they are counted in January. In total, there are 538 electors. A presidential candidate must receive an absolute majority in order to win, which is half of 538 plus one – which is 270.