How do elections work?

With Election Day upon us, many Americans should know how the election process works. How does someone run for President? How does someone get elected? For a refresher on how the American government works, this guide should work as a catchall for any questions!

Candidate Requirements

Before someone can run for President, they must fulfill some requirements first. 

All potential U.S. Presidential candidates must be at least 35 years old. The youngest person to ever be President was Theodore Roosevet who stepped into the Presidency after the assassination of William McKinley at only 42 years old. 

Candidates must also be natural-born citizens of the United States and have been a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years. 

If candidates meet these three requirements, they then must raise $5,000 for their campaign and register with the Federal Election Commission. 

Timeline

The election process is much more than going to the polls on the first Tuesday in November and casting a vote. Rather the timeline can begin up to a year in advance. 

First the candidates must register for the campaign in the spring before election year. Then from the summer before election year to the spring of election year, candidates in each party hold debates and caucuses within themselves before a primary vote to determine the sole candidate representing each party. 

Then from July to September of election year, each party will hold a convention where they announce their candidates for President and Vice President. During these conventions, the chosen candidates will speak and several big names tend to give endorsements of those candidates. This year the Republican National Convention was held in Milwaukee in July and the Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago in August.

After the candidates are chosen at the conventions, the months leading up to the election are filled with debates between the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates as well as several rallies in support of each party across the country. 

Eventually, Election Day occurs on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. 

After the general election, the Electoral College cast their votes based on the percentage of votes for each candidate in their state. With 538 available votes, a candidate needs 270 to win the election. Most of the time, a projected winner is announced directly after the November vote, but the members of the Electoral College do not officially cast their votes until December. 

After the winner of the election is determined, the newly elected President of the United States is inaugurated into office on January 20 of the next year. 

Voting

While casting a vote is how American citizens participate in the democratic process, they must take a few steps before they can vote. 

First, in order to vote in the United States, the potential voter must be at least 18 years old on Election Day and a natural-born U.S. citizen. 

Each state has voter registration deadlines around a month before the election where any potential voters must first register themselves in the voter database for their state, county and city. 

Once registered, one has several options for voting. 

On Election Day, voters can go to one of several polling locations set up around the county. Different states and counties have different ID requirements for voting, so voters should be aware of their requirements before going to vote. 

Voters can register for either the Republican or Democrat party and vote in that party’s primary or caucus, but no party declaration is necessary for the general election in November.

Election Day is the first Tuesday in November and always in-person, but other options are available for people unable to vote in-person on Election Day.  

Other Voting Options

Absentee/mail-in voting works for college students or those in the military to vote despite living out of state/country. Absentee ballots must be requested ahead of time by the voter and sent back the ballot before the state’s deadline for non in-person voting. 

Some states have specific deadlines while others need the ballot back by the date of the election. 

Most states also offer early voting as an option for those unable to vote on Election Day. Some people live too far away from their hometowns (like college students) or have to work all day long on Election Day and need another option for voting. 

Some states require an absentee ballot for early voting, but that’s not very common. 

Absentee and early voting have spiked in popularity over the past few decades, especially since the COVID pandemic in 2020. 

Other Elections

While the Presidential Election is held every four years, local and state officials have other term limits and election cycles.
Voters should know when/if their state’s election cycle is different from the national level. For example, Indiana votes for governor in the same year as President, but in Michigan, the governor election is two years off from the President. 

The governor’s term is four years, senators terms are six years and representatives to Congress’s terms are two years. 

Elections are not just an every four years event, but happen almost every year depending on the state. 

Knowing the timeline, being registered to vote, having different voting options and being aware of all the local and state elections should make for a successful voting experience.