Each four years, Americans vote to elect a President and Vice President. The winner of the popular vote becomes the President and the second place candidate becomes the Vice President. This is possible because of our unique electoral college system, which was designed by our founding fathers to encourage careful deliberation about the best candidates for the presidency.
During the election, candidates campaign across the country in primary and caucus contests to win support from party members. People with similar ideas form political parties, and those parties select delegates to their national conventions. The delegates then choose a candidate to represent the party at the presidential elections.
After the delegates are chosen, presidential debates are held, and voters learn more about each candidate. These events have become increasingly important to voters, and recent surveys show that watching a presidential debate is one of the most important things that a potential voter does before deciding which candidate to vote for.
To be eligible to become president, a candidate must have the support of a majority of the electors (270) in the Electoral College. This number varies from state to state, and voters should check with their local election offices for more information about how to vote.