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United States presidential election

2:22

The American Presidential election process explained

2:50

How the US election works - BBC News

2:51

US Presidential Election 2020: What is the Electoral College?

3:59

A Short History of US Presidential Elections

3:23

The History of US Presidential Elections 1789 - 2020

The election of the president and the vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the fifty U.S. states or in Washington, D.C., cast ballots not directly for those offices, but instead for members of the Electoral College. These electors then cast direct votes, known as electoral votes, for president, and for vice president. The candidate who receives an absolute majority of electoral votes is then elected to that office. If no candidate receives an absolute majority of the votes for president, the House of Representatives elects the president; likewise if no one receives an absolute majority of the votes for vice president, then the Senate elects the vice president.
  • Electoral College 

  • State legislatures 

  • Vice presidents 

  • Tie votes 

  • Popular vote 

  • Election dates 

  • Electoral Count Act of 1887 

  • Inauguration day 

  • Campaign spending 

  • Political parties 

  • Eligibility requirements 

  • Decentralized election system and voter eligibility 

  • Nominating process 

  • The popular vote on Election Day 

  • Electoral college 

  • Election calendar 

  • Previous experience 

  • Technology and media 

  • Criticism 

  • Proposed changes to the election process 

  • Popular vote results 

  • Voter turnout 

  • Financial disclosures 

  • Presidential coattails 

  • Comparing elected candidate to popular vote or margins 

  • Statistical forecasts