Americans are heading to the polls today to vote in the highly anticipated 2024 US presidential election, with Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump facing off in a battle for the White House.
The election, closely monitored around the world, not only determines the next president but also elects members of Congress, who will play a key role in shaping US law for the next several years.
The Candidates
In the Republican Party, former President Donald Trump emerged as the candidate after winning the nomination in a hard-fought contest against his party rivals.
His running mate is Ohio Senator JD Vance. Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, seeks to return to office after losing to Joe Biden in 2020.
Kamala Harris, the current Vice President, is now leading the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden chose not to run for a second term. Harris, who made history as the first woman, first Black woman, and first South Asian woman to serve as vice president, has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate.
While the major parties dominate the field, there are also independent candidates, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., though he withdrew from the race in August 2024 and endorsed Trump.
How the Election Works
The US presidential election follows an Electoral College system, meaning that a candidate does not need to win the national popular vote to become president. Instead, the election is determined by winning electoral votes, allocated to each state based on its representation in Congress.
Each state has two electoral votes for its Senators, plus additional votes equal to the number of its congressional districts.
There are 538 total electoral votes, and a candidate needs at least 270 to win the presidency.
For example:
– California, the most populous state, has 54 electoral votes.
– Florida has 30 electoral votes.
– Smaller states like Alaska, Vermont, and Wyoming have only three electoral votes each.
The system is largely a winner-takes-all approach, where the candidate with the most votes in a state wins all of its electoral votes except in Maine and Nebraska, which allocate their electoral votes based on individual congressional districts.
Battleground States
While many states consistently vote for either the Republican or Democratic candidate, some states known as swing or battleground states are more evenly divided and can swing either way.
These states are often crucial in determining the overall outcome of the election.
In the 2024 race, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are considered key battlegrounds by CBS News. Candidates focus much of their campaigning on these states, seeking to win over undecided voters and secure critical electoral votes.
The Electoral College and the Popular Vote
It’s possible for a candidate to win the Electoral College but lose the national popular vote. This happened in 2016, when Donald Trump won the presidency despite Hillary Clinton receiving more votes nationwide. Since 1824, only five presidents have been elected without winning the popular vote.
Rare Scenarios: Faithless Electors and Contingent Elections
In rare instances, an elector a member of the Electoral College might choose to vote for someone other than the candidate who won the popular vote in their state. These individuals are called faithless electors, and while their votes rarely alter the outcome of an election, they represent an unpredictable element in the process.
In the event of a 269-269 tie in the Electoral College, the decision on who becomes president is handed over to the House of Representatives.
In this contingent election, each state delegation in the House casts one vote to choose the president, and the candidate who receives a majority of state votes becomes the winner.
The Senate would then vote to choose the vice president, with each senator casting one vote.
This scenario, while unlikely, could result in a situation where the president and vice president come from opposing parties.
For instance, if the House chose Donald Trump as president, the Senate could still elect Tim Walz as vice president, or vice versa.
The last time this type of election occurred was in 1800, when Thomas Jefferson won the presidency after a tied Electoral College vote.
The Road Ahead
If the election requires a contingent election, the process would take place on January 6, 2025. This process has not been triggered in over two centuries, but it remains a possibility in a highly contested race.
As voters head to the polls today, the outcome of the 2024 election will depend on more than just popular sentiment it will hinge on the complex workings of the Electoral College system, with battleground states playing a pivotal role in determining the next president and vice president of the United States.
