There are a lot of people who want to be President and they all have their own ideas about how government should work. Those with similar ideas belong to the same political party. Once a year parties hold Primaries and Caucuses to decide who will represent them at the national conventions. The party’s presidential nominee is selected from there. Candidates then go out on the campaign trail and debate other candidates. They are asked tough questions and have to defend their policies and stances on issues against other candidates.
On election day, Americans vote for a president and vice president. Those with the most votes win. However, each state has a different system for counting its electoral votes. Those that lean heavily one way or the other are called battleground states. Usually, the candidate with the most popular votes in each state wins its electoral votes. However, there are a few exceptions. In some states, voters can cast multiple ballots for the same person, allowing them to split their votes and give a boost to a different contender.
In the event of a tie, the U.S. House of Representatives selects the winner from among the top three contenders for the presidency. The same process is used for the vice presidency, with an absolute majority of the states casting their votes required to elect a candidate. The duly elected President and Vice President are sworn in on January 20 (or 21, if it is a Sunday). The modern nominating process was never written into the Constitution but has evolved over time by the political parties to clear the field of candidates.