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On November 5, the 60th U.S. presidential election will be held between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, deciding the 47th president and the 50th vice president.
Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race for the Democrats in July 2024 after current President Joe Biden withdrew.
Former President Donald Trump, running for the third time, is seeking a second term for the Republicans after his 2016–2020 presidency.
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No, 4 additional candidates are running:
R.F. Kennedy’s name also remains on the ballot in some states, even though he has withdrawn from the race.
These candidates are not expected to win, but they could draw votes from Kamala Harris (mainly Stein) and Trump in swing states.
In 2016, Stein received 31,072 votes in Wisconsin, exceeding the 22,748-vote margin by which Clinton lost to Trump, with many Democrats blaming her for the loss.
How Candidates Are Chosen
Each party’s presidential candidates are selected through a series of electoral processes (primaries and caucuses) typically held 6-9 months before the presidential election.
They officially receive their nomination at their party’s convention.
For K. Harris, this took place at the Democratic convention in August, and for D. Trump, at the Republican convention in July.
The vice-presidential candidates were also announced at these conventions: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (Democrat) and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance (Republican).
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Nationally, almost all polls since early August show Harris leading Trump by 1 to 3 points (49%-48%).
However, what matters more is the polling in the 7 swing states, as these will determine the outcome. In these states, there’s no clear frontrunner.
In Wisconsin and Michigan, Harris leads by 1 point; in Pennsylvania and Georgia, Trump is ahead by 1 point; in North Carolina and Arizona, Trump leads by 2 points; and in Nevada, they are tied at 48%-48%.
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In this year’s election, around 244 million Americans aged 18 and older are eligible to vote, including 4.4 million living abroad who can vote by mail.
In 2020, voter turnout hit a record 66.6%. If turnout is similarly high this year, over 162 million people are expected to vote.
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Residents in about 45 states can vote early if they wish.
The early voting period varies by state, from 1.5 months before the election until the day before.
In the 2020 election, held during the pandemic, over 100 million voters—a record two-thirds of the total—chose to vote early.
More than 57 million people have already cast their votes, with some states, like Georgia, reporting record turnout.
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In addition to the presidential election, elections are held for the Senate and the House of Representatives (Congress).
House of Representatives: Americans vote to elect all 435 representatives who serve 2-year terms.
Senate: Americans vote to elect 34 out of the 100 senators who serve 6-year terms.
These elections are important because the president’s decisions often require approval from Congress, so it is critical to determine which party holds the majority.
Additionally, various elections and referendums take place at the state and local levels.
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Typically, the results are announced on the same night, though in 2020, it took several days to count all the votes.
The official announcement of the winner is made in December by the Electoral College, although this is mostly a formality.
The new president will take office on January 20, 2025.
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The dominant social media platforms in the last two elections (2016 and 2020) were Facebook and Twitter, respectively.
This year, TikTok has taken center stage. Despite the ongoing conflict between its parent company (ByteDance) and the U.S. government, over 170 million Americans use the platform daily.
K. Harris created her TikTok account on July 25 and has since gained 6.5 million followers, while D. Trump, despite his promise to ban the app in 2020, created an account in June and currently has 12.6 million followers.
