Voting in the USA

Welcome to Election Year.

Since 1789, when George Washington was elected as the first president of the United States, every four years, we have gathered for a historic occasion: Election Day. The Presidential Election in the United States of America is a day full of emotions. Stress, joy, and anger are felt by millions of Americans nation-wide. Despite all the excitement and tension, one question stands out: “Who will win?”

Take the 2020 election, for example. Over 159 million citizens cast their votes, marking the highest voter turnout in more than a century. President Joe Biden received about 51.3% of the votes, while former President Donald Trump got 46.78%, and the independent parties accounted for 1.8%. With so many voices making their choices, you might wonder: “How exactly are all those votes counted?”

It’s not exactly rocket science. 

Most votes are cast on Election Day. Across the country, ballots—pieces of paper where you make your choice—are filled out. To keep your vote private, you get to cast it in a secluded booth. After that, the counting process varies depending on where you live.

In some areas, your vote goes into a secure ballot box after you’ve cast it. Once the polls close, election workers transport these boxes to a central location for counting. In other places, your ballot is run through a computer that tallies the votes immediately.

Once the ballots from the polls are collected, they head to a special tabulation room, where election staff carefully count them. Tabulation is another word for organization in a systematic way. For digital tabulation, the data from the machines is transferred to a central location where everything gets cataloged.  This entire process ensures that every vote is accounted for and securely managed.

However, this is when the Electoral College comes into play. During the spring and summer of the election year, each state's political party nominates their electors for a total of 583 members. So what do they do? Well, when you choose to vote for a presidential candidate, that vote actually counts towards a group of the electors that have declared they will support the candidate you’ve chosen. Each state has a certain number of electors, who will then send in their vote depending on the candidate that gathers the most votes in that state. To win the election, the candidate that won the majority of the electoral votes (270 or more out of 538), will win the presidency. 

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the constant pressure on voting for our next president, and you may even want to decide not to be a part of that process. But always remember that your vote counts, and your decision has an impact. 

Don’t forget to vote!

References:

ncsl.org

USEmbassy.gov

azcleanelections.gov

Library of Congress