When Americans go to the polls on November 6, they are voting for more than just a president. They will also elect the members of Congress – the two chambers that pass laws and can serve as a check on the White House’s plans.
The presidential candidate who receives the most electoral votes becomes the next president of the United States. There are a total of 538 electoral votes (435 House seats + 100 Senate seats plus 3 for Washington, DC) and states award those votes on a winner-takes-all basis (with the exception of Maine and Nebraska). The candidates fight for the vote by going head to-head at rallies and debates to explain their policies and plans for the country.
As Election Day approaches, numerous polls have shown Democrat Jared Harris and Republican Donald Trump in a tight race both nationally and in swing states. On the big night, however, Trump swept the popular vote and a projected Electoral College tally, winning more than 270 electoral votes.
While the presidential candidate who receives the most electoral votes will become the president, critics say the Electoral College is archaic and undemocratic. Critics point out that the winner-takes-all system forces candidates to spend exponentially more time and money campaigning in a small number of “swing states” where voters have historically been more divided between the Democratic and Republican parties.
Following a disastrous performance in a televised debate, Biden pulled out of the race and endorsed Harris, who won the Democratic Party’s nomination by a virtual vote of party delegates in early August. The delegates are bound by party rules to support the candidate that won their state’s primary or caucus, but can still change their minds during the party convention later this month.
