Today, millions of Americans will have their chance to vote in the 2024 Presidential Election.
Voters are choosing between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Here’s what you need to know about how their voting system actually works.
Electoral college
The President isn’t chosen by the person who wins the most votes across the country.
Instead, each U.S. state gets a specific number of ‘electoral’ votes, depending on its population size (roughly). For example, California has the most electoral votes, with 54, while less populated states like Alaska only have three.
Whoever gets the most votes from a state’s population wins all of its electoral votes, which are cast in the “electoral college”.
There are 538 votes available in the electoral college.
To be elected president, the candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes.
The maths looks like this:
538 ÷ 2 = 269
You need at least one more than half to reach a majority.
269 + 1 = 270.
Swing states
In reality, there’s only a handful of states that will determine who wins the election.
This is because most states lean so strongly Republican or Democrat that it’s hardly a contest. For example, the state of Wyoming hasn’t voted for a Democratic president since 1964.
There are seven swing states this election.
Swing states are those that have switched between voting Republican and Democrat at recent elections.
Swing states this year include Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada.
Below is the most recent polling data from the swing states — taken from The New York Times/Siena College polls.
Pennsylvania
Won in 2020 by: Joe Biden
Electoral college votes: 19
Polls predict: Kamala Harris, by less than 1%
North Carolina
Won in 2020 by: Donald Trump
Electoral college votes: 16
Polls predict: Donald Trump, by less than 1%
Michigan
Won in 2020 by: Joe Biden
Electoral college votes: 15
Polls predict: Kamala Harris, by less than 1%
Wisconsin
Won in 2020 by: Joe Biden
Electoral college votes: 10
Polls predict: Kamala Harris, by 1%
Arizona
Won in 2020 by: Joe Biden
Electoral college votes: 11
Polls predict: Donald Trump, by 3%
Nevada
Won in 2020 by: Joe Biden
Electoral college votes: 6
Polls predict: Donald Trump, by less than 1%
Georgia
Won in 2020 by: Joe Biden
Electoral college votes: 16
Polls predict: Donald Trump, by 1%
