WASHINGTON.- Tens of millions of Americans will go to the polls in November to choose the next occupant of the White House. Below are the basic terms for understanding these elections.
Elections in November 2024
Presidential and legislative elections will take place in the United States on November 5, 2024, traditionally taking place on the Tuesday after the first Monday of the month.
The 2020 election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump saw record turnout of more than 157 million voters.
270, the magic number
In the United States, voting by indirect universal suffrage occurs in one round through a special system.
Citizens select 538 major electors who then vote for one candidate or another.
To win the election, a candidate must achieve an absolute majority of major voters, i.e. the magic number 270.
Each state has the same number of key constituents as members of Congress in the House and Senate.
California, the country's most populous state, has the most (54), while Delaware, Wyoming and the capital Washington have only 3.
In all but two states, the candidate who receives a majority of the vote receives all of the key electors corresponding to that area.
Exceptions include Nebraska and Maine, where large electorates are allocated using proportional representation.
The most important states
Some states are historically Democratic, while others are Republican.
This explains why the candidates focus on about a dozen states that usually vary from side to side and influence the election outcome, the famous swing states.
Most important are those with the largest numbers of large voters, such as Pennsylvania (19), Ohio (17) and Georgia (16). Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada are also generating interest.
Hinge states may vary depending on your choice.
Who are the Republican presidential candidates in the USA?
In addition to former president and heavy favorite Donald Trump, six candidates, including governors, businessmen and even a pastor, are seeking the Republican Party's nomination for the November 2024 US presidential election.
They will all face off in the opening of the primary in Iowa on January 15, hoping to be chosen to try to defeat Democrat Joe Biden, who is running for re-election, in the general election.
Donald Trump
Despite his criminal charges and the threat of being removed from the race in several states, the former president (2017-2021) is well ahead of the other Republican candidates in the polls.
The 77-year-old real estate tycoon, who won the 2016 elections, is fully immersed in his new campaign and describes the investigations and trials launched against him as a “witch hunt”.
Nikki Haley
A former South Carolina governor and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, she is the only woman running in the Republican primary. At 51, he is the new standard-bearer of the American right, vying with Ron DeSantis for second place in the polls.
She was criticized for refusing to mention slavery as the cause of the Civil War.
Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 45, for a time represented the next generation of the Republican Party, but the former U.S. Navy officer's popularity ratings have plummeted in the polls since he entered the race in late May.
He stands out for his radical ideas on immigration and education issues related to race and gender, and they accuse him of lacking charisma.
Vivek Ramaswamy
He made his fortune in biotechnology and describes environmental activists as a “religious cult.” The 38-year-old absolute political newcomer hopes that his provocative and incisive speech will catapult him to Washington.
He likes to see himself as “Trump 2.0” and is in fourth place in the polls for the Republican primaries.
Chris Christie and the others
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, 61, who was once a supporter of Donald Trump, is the candidate most critical of the former president. Chris Christie, known for his combative style, also doesn't mince his words when it comes to his other rivals. He particularly criticizes them for their reluctance to condemn the former president's actions.
Your chances of being elected are limited. Neither do former Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Texas pastor and businessman Ryan Blinkley.
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SPRING: AFP