The 2020 US presidential election takes place on Wednesday, November 4, Australian time.
But if you do not follow the campaign, or even blink when it comes to American politics, this is for you.
From how it works to when it is determined, here is your basic guide to the US election.
When is the US election?
The election will take place Wednesday, November 4 Australian time.
Who is running?
President Donald Trump Seeks re-election with his vice president Mike Pence.
The pair represent the Conservative Republican Party – AKA The GOP or the Grand Old Party – and have been in office since 2016 when they won against Hillary Clinton and Tim Cain.
Before winning the presidency, Trump was a prominent businessman and television personality, and the governor of Benz Indiana.
For liberal Democrats, Joe Biden He will challenge Mr. Trump for the presidency with his deputy Kamala Harris.
Prior to the election, Biden was the Vice President of the United States under President Barack Obama. Harris is a senator from California, and she was the state’s attorney general – the first African-American and the first woman to hold that position.
How will the winner be determined?
An American election is not determined by a popular vote (as it is in Australia).
Instead, an American president is elected with the highest profits Election College Votes.
The college is made up of 538 formal voters, each of whom represents one vote.
Each state is allowed a certain number of electoral votes based on its population.
That means a candidate needs a minimum 270 election votes To win the election.
Who is going to win?
Who knows.
The 2016 poll was largely in favor of Clinton winning, but despite his popular vote, Trump won the Electoral College with 304 votes, 227 for Clinton.
This year Polling refers to Pita The people are in favor of winning the vote, but Trump can certainly win again by electoral college votes.
Considering that the last time polls were proven wrong, they should be treated with salt grain.
When do we know the winner?
You can expect the results to start coming Wednesday morning 10:00 p.m. (AEDT) Most polling stations across the country are closed at 1:00 p.m.
But with more mail-in votes expected this year due to the corona virus, the turnout could be longer than usual, especially as states have different rules on whether mail-in votes can be processed before election day.
It can take days or even weeks to count all the ballots and get certified.
How many Americans vote in the US election?
Voting in the United States is not as mandatory as in Australia.
The Census Bureau In 2016, there were an estimated 245.5 million Americans aged 18 and over.
But only about 157.6 million were reported to have registered to vote.
In the 2016 US election, just 55 percent Eligible Americans Vote – 20 years less than the presidential election.
What happens when the winner is announced?
Every American state is up December 14 Resolve any dispute regarding election results.
Then January 6 Before awarding the certificate to the winner, the House of Representatives and the Senate meet for the final election vote.
And January 20 The new or current US president will be inaugurated at a ceremony at the Capitol Building in Washington DC.
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