United States Election 2024: see candidates, rules and how it is counted

How does the calculation work in the USA?

Winner is not defined by popular vote. In practice, candidates compete for the majority of votes from the 538 delegates, and not just the voters. Whoever wins the support of 270 of them, plus one — the so-called “magic number” wins. There are two exceptions: Maine and Nebraska, which follow the proportional model. Here, two delegates vote for the entire state and another votes according to the district results.

Candidate can win popular vote, but lose Electoral College. Considering that each state has a specific number of delegates, who form the Electoral College, the weight of some regions is greater than others in the final result. In 2016, for example, Republican Donald Trump was elected even after Democrat Hillary Clinton received more votes from the population. At the time, California, Pennsylvania and Texas were the protagonists of the dispute: in total, Trump won three more delegates in the Electoral College, even though he had almost three million fewer popular votes than Clinton.

What are swing states? Swing states, which historically do not lean toward one party or the other, play a big role in American elections. In 2024, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are considered swing states. Together, these regions hold the votes of 93 delegates who can define the command of the White House.

Vote counting is not immediate. In most cases, a projected winner is announced on election night in November. But the actual Electoral College vote takes place in mid-December, when electors meet in their states.

And in case of a tie? If the vote ends in a tie or without a majority, it is up to the Chamber of Deputies to choose the president. Each state has one vote. In this case, newly elected deputies participate in the process, not those already in office. This happened twice in American history, in 1800 and 1824.