Election 2024 Preview

Every four years, Americans decide who will be the next president of the United States. This year, Election Day is Tuesday, November 5. The time leading up to the presidential election will be busy and exciting. We’ve explained some of the key words and phrases you’ll need to know as the adults around you get ready to cast their vote.

CANDIDATE noun: a person who is running for office

The winner of the presidential election will lead the United States for the next four years. There are two main candidates for the job: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Trump represents the Republican Party. He won the 2016 presidential election, and served as president of the U.S. for one term, from 2017 to 2021. U.S. presidents can serve two terms. If Trump is reelected, he’ll serve in the White House for four more years.

Harris represents the Democratic Party. She’s the U.S. vice president, and serves alongside President Joe Biden. Harris became a candidate later than usual. Biden was the Democratic nominee until he dropped out of the race on July 21. Harris became the party’s choice soon after.

Both Trump and Harris are traveling around the country, visiting big cities and small towns. They’re making appearances, giving speeches, and talking about their ideas as they try to win votes.

BALLOT noun: a list of choices in an election

Picking the next president isn’t the only important choice American voters are making in this year’s election. U.S. elections operate using a ballot system. A ballot is a list of choices for voters to make.

The ballot for this year’s election lists the candidates who are running for president. It lists the candidates running for other offices, too, such as judges and senators. Ballots also include issues that affect a person’s town or state, such as raising taxes. People can vote yes or no on these community issues.

Many voters fill in their ballot on Election Day. Volunteers distribute them at polling places, such as schools and libraries, where people line up to cast their votes. But there are other ways to vote. Some people are voting early. They are visiting polling places early, or submitting their ballots by mail. These votes count just the same as in-person votes on Election Day.

EARLY VOTING On October 19, a sign welcomes early voters in Nevada.

ELECTORAL COLLEGE noun: the group that elects the president

In most elections, the person with the most votes wins. But when it comes to picking a U.S. president, things aren’t so simple. Even after a winner is declared, it will be weeks before a group of 538 people called the electoral college actually elects the president.

Here’s how it works. A state gets electoral votes equal to the number of its members of Congress, which includes the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state gets one vote apiece for its two senators. This never changes. It also gets one vote for each of its members of the House of Representatives. That number is based on the state’s population. Though not a state, Washington, D.C., gets electoral votes too.

A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to win. In 48 states (and D.C.), the winner of the popular vote gets all of that state’s electoral votes. In Maine and Nebraska, electoral votes can be split.

Many people think it would be more fair if the popular vote decided elections. Others think the electoral college keeps highly populated states from having too much power. What do you think?

POLL noun: a survey of people’s opinions

Political polls are opinion surveys. They’re often conducted by research or media organizations to find out what people think about candidates or issues before an election.

In a poll, a sample group of people represents the larger U.S. population. Pollsters question them by phone, online, or face-to-face. They ask people how they feel about a topic or whom they plan to vote for. The answers are used to find trends.

Polls aren’t perfect. They’re not accurate if a sample group isn’t diverse or people don’t respond honestly. At press time, most polls show Harris and Trump nearly tied, but we won’t know if this is accurate until the election results are in.