Electoral College Overview
How the Process Works
Every four years, Americans elect a President and Vice President, thereby choosing both national leaders and a course of public policy. The system that governs the election of the President combines constitutional and statutory requirements, rules of the national and State political parties, political traditions, and contemporary developments and practices. The process of electing the President is essentially divided into four stages: 1. The prenomination phase, in which candidates compete in State primary elections and caucuses for delegates to the national party conventions.2. The national conventions — held in the summer of the election year — in which the two…
