The 2020 election in the United States is on the horizon, with only two weeks left until November 3rd.

Many eyes were fixed on the insights of the 2016 US presidential election, but with this year’s epidemic and everything else in the world going on, the 2020 election may be under radar for some.

Ahead of the big day next month, here’s a basic guide to how the U.S. voting system works.

What happens early next month?

On November 3, people from the United States will vote for the president.

A presidential election is held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

However, the president is not the only one to be elected. It will elect 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the US Senate.

U.S. equivalent of Deal and Synod.

Republicans have a 53-47 Senate advantage over Democrats.

How does voting work in the United States?

When voting for the presidency in the US, the elections presented are more limited than the Irish presidential elections.

In the US, the real battle is between two candidates – one from the Democratic Party (Joe Biden) and one from the Republican Party (Donald Trump).

Donald Trump and Joe Biden during a presidential debate last month.

Source: DPA / PA images

Depending on the government, there may be other candidates from smaller parties on the ballot, but Republicans and Democrats have been in power all but a few years in U.S. history.

However, the number of votes cast by the public (known as the popular vote) does not determine the winner of the presidency.

Use the Electoral College instead of the Presidential Election. Therefore, a candidate must receive a majority of the electorate to win the presidency.

What is Electoral College?

In the Electoral College, each state is given a fixed number of voters (including as many as members of Congress). There are a total of 538 voters.

For example, there are 39 voters in Texas, 55 in California, and three in Wyoming.

After members of the public record their ballot papers, each vote is counted statewide.

In 48 states and Washington, D.C., the winner receives all of the state’s electoral votes.

Two states – Maine and Nebraska – were elected Using a proportional system.

A candidate needs at least 270 votes to win the presidency – more than half of the total.

Voters waiting for early voting in Chicago, Illinois this week.

Source: Xinhua News Agency / PA Images

In most cases, the expected winner will be announced on November election night. However, the actual Electoral College vote will take place in mid-December.

This is how Donald Trump was elected US President in 2016. The Electoral College won the vote but lost the popular vote.

This happened before 2000 and three other times in the 1800s U.S. Government.

If a candidate does not receive a majority of the vote, the vote goes to the House of Representatives.

Members of the House elect the new President from the first three candidates. The Senate may elect a vice president from the remaining two best candidates.

This happened before John Quincy Adams was elected president of the church in 1824.

Have people tried to change this process?

Since it is part of the original American Constitution, a constitutional amendment is needed to change this.

According to the U.S. Government Archives, over 700 proposals have been put forward to change or exclude the Electoral College over the past 200 years.

Who can run for president?

To actually try to be president of the United States, you must:

• Be a naturalized U.S. citizen
• Be at least 35 years old
• Has lived in the US for 14 years

How do political parties choose their candidate?

Election signs outside a polling station in Texas.

Source: Xinhua News Agency / PA Images

The election process in the US begins with the primary elections and the Caucasus. This is how states select a presidential nominee.

Primaries usually use secret ballots, but the Caucasus is a large gathering of voters who choose a candidate at the end of a meeting.

This leads to the nominations of political parties to conventions to select a nominee.

At a convention, each nominee announces their vice presidential candidate.

Before the election and the referendum, candidates are campaigning across the country like canvassers in Ireland, to explain their views and plans to the people.

Candidates should also participate in the debates before the election.

What about postal votes? Why is Trump criticizing them?

Millions of Americans vote by election in the mail, but this year in particular has seen record figures so far.

As of Thursday, more than 17.8 million people had cast ballots ahead of the election.

The outcome of the White House contest in the US will not be known until the night of November 3, but early voting indications from these ballots seem to favor Biden, who has a double-digit lead over Trump in the national election. .

Trump has repeatedly denounced fraudulent voting, but there is no evidence of widespread vote-rigging in the last election.

Banner hoisted outside an election bureau in the US.

Source: SIPA USA / PA Images

Michael McDonald, a professor of political science at the University of Florida, which runs the U.S. Voting Project, said early voting numbers could have a positive effect on Biden, but Trump could have a strong turnout on Nov. 3.

Numerous polls have shown that Democrats are more likely to vote earlier than Republicans because of the Kovid-19 pandemic.

“I warn that the Democratic vote should not be an indication of Biden’s election at this stage [sewn] Back to top, ”McDonald said in an early vote analysis on his website. “Yes, the numbers are very good for Biden.

“However, Republicans are likely to come into force to vote individually,” he added.

As of Thursday, voters had requested 80.69 million mail-in ballots in the states, according to the U.S. election plan.

Among states that report political party registration requests, Democrats have requested 23.66 million ballots and Republicans 13.91 million.

Do people in the US vote on paper like we do?

This varies from state to state. Some have electronic voting equipment and some use paper ballots during daytime voting.

Technical glitches are common during U.S. elections, and voting machines have led to some concerns about cyber security.

Hackers have the ability to break into voting machines.

In 2016, U.S. intelligence revealed that Russian agents had tried to access the electronic voting lists of more than 20 states and had accessed at least one of them.

In November 2019, Washington announced that it had tightened election security across the country.

Here in Ireland, you may remember our own problems with electronic voting (also known as e-voting).

The concept of e-voting Floating was originally the environment minister Noel Dempsey returned in 1999.

The Electoral (Amendment) Act of 2000 introduced legal provisions for electronic voting.

The government imported 7,500 machines from the Dutch company Nedap at a cost of $ 51 million.

However, a The Commission reported in April 2004 The reliability of the system cannot be established for its satisfaction.

As a result, plans to release it were put on ice, and after a brief drop in e-voting, the entire country returned to paper voting for the 2004 election.

Earlier this week, a woman in Cincinnati argued with Trump supporters.

Source: SIPA USA / PA Images

When will they know who the new president is and when will they come to power?

Although we have an idea of ​​who the winner will be on the night of November 3, the result of the popular vote may not come until some time after this.

Trump failed last month to ensure a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election.

“We may not have known for months,” Trump later added: “It doesn’t end well.”

“I urge my supporters to go to the polls and monitor the situation closely,” he said.

Biden vowed to honor the results “after all the ballots have been counted.”

“It simply came to our notice then. If it’s me, fine. If it is not me, I will support the result, ”he said.

Voters must register to vote on December 14 and inaugurate the next U.S. president on January 20 next year.

– With AFP and the Press Association reporting