Everything we need to know about the US election

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: The 2024 US presidential election has officially started with the opening of a branch in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. The election process and counting of votes and electoral procedures in this country have always been complicated for the audiences of other countries.

In today's election (Tuesday), the American people will choose not only the next president but also the majority of the members of the Congress. The election race is between Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, and Donald Trump, the former president and the Republican candidate.

 

Who votes?

About 244 million Americans aged 18 and over are eligible to vote. Many ex-prisoners are removed from the voter rolls in some states.

Citizens, including military personnel working outside of the United States, can cast their ballots in absentia.

 

Who are selected?

The president and 469 members of Congress (all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and slightly more than a third of the 100 members of the Senate) will be elected.

 

Can convicted criminals be nominated?

yes Compared to the right to vote, people with criminal records are able to run for office in the United States. No federal law prohibits this. The most prominent example is Donald Trump, who is still running for office despite 34 criminal convictions.

 

How is the election process?

Voters can vote in early voting or on election day. Eligible individuals can do this in person or by mail.

Virginia began early voting on September 20. California (October 7), Texas (October 21) and Florida (October 26) followed Virginia. During the month of October, 47 states allow early voting. In some states, you can even vote by mail before these dates. North Carolina has been accepting mail-in ballots since September 6.

 

What does voter participation mean?

The rate of participation in America has increased in recent years. While only 59% of eligible voters voted in the 2016 presidential election, four years later, in the 2020 election, more than 66% participated.

According to the Pew Research Institute, this was the highest turnout in a national election since 1900.

 

When are the polling stations closed?

Although Akbar branches are closed between 19:00 and 20:00 local time, some branches, including Kentucky, are closed at 18:00 and others, such as New York, are active until 21:00.

Since there are 6 time zones in the US, by the time the polls are over in Hawaii and Alaska, it will be midnight on the East Coast of the US and early predictions of the election results will be announced.

 

What happens after the branches are closed?

As soon as the polls close on Election Day (today), poll workers in thousands of precincts across America begin counting votes. In case of paper voting, each box is sealed and delivered to a vote counting center.

If voting is by electronic devices, the officials appointed at the polling stations will send the voter data to the counting center. The rules for processing and counting mail-in ballots vary from state to state. In 16 states, as well as Washington, D.C., the processing and counting of absentee ballots is not allowed until Election Day.

In 10 states, absentee ballots can be processed and counted before Election Day, but the results won't be announced until after polls close.

How many votes do candidates need to win the presidential election?

In America, getting the majority of popular votes is not enough to win! Instead, the future president of the country needs a majority of Electoral College votes or 270 votes out of 538 available electoral votes. Only this number is important for determining the next president and his vice president.

Majority voting system is applied in all but two states. Even if a candidate wins a majority of a state's votes by a very small margin, he or she will capture all of that state's electoral votes.

Therefore, it is possible for a candidate to win the majority of the popular vote but ultimately lose to a rival. This has happened four times in the US presidential elections, the most recent of which is the defeat of the Democrats in 2000 and 2016.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, won about three million more votes than Trump, but in the end, the Republican candidate won the majority of the Electoral College and went to the White House.

 

What is the role of spin states?

Swing states play a decisive role in presidential elections and are states in which the majority is neither in the hands of the Democrats nor in the hands of the Republicans.

Major swing states in the current election include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

In 2020, the states of Arizona, Wisconsin, Georgia and Michigan were in the hands of Joe Biden, the current president of the United States, and Trump won the majority of North Carolina.

 

What if no candidate wins a majority of the Electoral College?

In case of equality of candidates in electoral votes (269), the winner will be chosen by the House of Representatives. Each state's representative receives one vote, and a majority (26) is required to win. This has not happened yet.

 

When will the results be officially announced?

According to CNN, in a close competition, the official final announcement of the results will take some time. According to the election law, any discrepancies in the states must be resolved by December 11.

Electoral College delegates will gather in the state capital on December 17 and officially vote for the president and vice president.

According to Mehr, Congress will also convene on January 6, 2025 in Washington to count electoral votes and officially confirm the winner of the election.

The inauguration ceremony of the new president will be held on January 20 in Washington.