Elections

What’s actually at stake when someone casts their vote in a US election? CNN’s “Election 101” podcast series provides ten episodes summarizing some of the basics of democratic elections. The ins and outs of voting are highlighted in 15-minute episodes on voter registration and voting by mail. Additional segments highlight how the electoral system works, how ballots are counted, the Electoral College, why it takes so long to get election results, and more.

Why does America's system for picking the president start in Iowa? Long before Election Day, both major political parties must choose an official nominee through a primary. In 2020, it was conducted across 22 different days, over several months, through 64 different contests. As recently as the 1960s, only a few states held primaries, and party leaders would pick the presidential nominee at the convention. Today, the delegates from each state officially vote on the nominee at the convention according to how the candidates did in their state primaries. Watch this eight-minute video for an explanation of presidential primaries.

US presidents are elected through a system called the Electoral College. To form the Electoral College, each state is given a number of electors based on the size of its congressional delegation. Each state is allotted one elector for each US representative and senator. Electors are nominated, in most states, at party conventions. When Americans vote for their choice of president in each state, they are technically casting their ballot for the slate of electors representing the ticket. The candidate who wins a majority of electors becomes president. Understand how the Electoral College works through this six-step data visualization.