The voting system in USA It is indirect, this implies that the candidates do not win by the popular vote. Voters actually elect members of the Electoral collegewhich is the organ ultimately defines who will be the next president.
How the United States indirect voting system works
In each of the 50 statesthe party that receives the greatest number of votes takes all of the electors’ votes, regardless of the percentage by which it prevails. The only states in which this standard is not met are Maine and Nebraskawhere the winner of all the State receives two electoral votes, and then the winner of each district receives one elector.
In the vast majority of states, the trend in favor of Democrats or Republicans is repeated over time. However, there are others who oscillate between one party and the opposite from election to election. The latter are known as “pendulum states“and they are the ones who will define the course of the elections so fought between Trump and Harris.
In total, there are 538 voters. Each state has as many voters as there are members in Congress and is closely linked to the size of its population. The states with the largest number of voters are Texas and California, with 40 and 54 voters respectively.
What are the “pendulum states”
The so-called “pendulum states” either “swing states“in English they are those who change their tendency in each election. It cannot be anticipated if they have a preference for the Democrats or Republicans because over the years, the position changed.
This is why the presidential campaign usually focus on these key pointswhere every vote can make a difference.
The “swing states” are Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Although all of them are fundamental, the Focus in this election will be mostly on Pennsylvaniawith 19 voters and one of the keys to the presidential aspirations of Harris and Trump.
Forms of voting: by advance mail or in person
Another characteristic of the electoral system in USA is that, unlike what happens in Argentina, voting is optional. And this is not the only variant. In addition to being optional, Americans can decide whether to vote by mail early or whether to vote in person on election day.
The first method is the most used in the United States, especially among Democrats, and consists of sending a ballot by mail some time before the elections. The period allowed to do so depends on each state. This Sunday’s figures indicated that already 77 million people had voted.
In-person voting is similar to the way implemented in Argentina. Each voter is assigned a center close to their home where they decide the day of the election in a dark room.
Source: Ambito
