The presidential election is the longest and most expensive campaign in American politics. Its formal milestones are fixed by the Constitution and federal law, but much of the process, including the primary calendar and the rules for awarding delegates, is set by the political parties and the states.
This guide walks through each stage of the cycle in order and explains who sets the rules at each step.
Under the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, each state's governor sends a certificate of the winning electors, who meet in their states on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December to cast their votes. On January 6, Congress meets in joint session, with the Vice President presiding, to count the votes, and objections now require one-fifth of each chamber. If no candidate wins 270 electoral votes, the House chooses the President, with each state delegation casting one vote. The new President takes the oath of office at noon on January 20, as set by the 20th Amendment.
Each party holds a national convention in the summer to formally nominate its candidates, adopt a platform, and launch the general election campaign. Since the 1970s the nominee has almost always been known before the convention, so conventions have become largely ceremonial. Presidential nominees choose their running mates, and the delegates confirm the choice. A contested or brokered convention, in which no candidate has a majority of delegates, has not occurred since 1952.
Candidates usually begin campaigning the year before the election, or earlier. A candidate who raises or spends more than 5,000 dollars must register with the Federal Election Commission. During the so-called invisible primary, candidates compete for donors, endorsements, staff, and media attention, and party committees hold the first debates. A candidate must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35, and a resident for 14 years, and the 22nd Amendment bars anyone from being elected President more than twice.
From January to June of the election year, states hold primaries and caucuses to award delegates to the national conventions. Iowa and New Hampshire traditionally went first, though the Democratic Party moved South Carolina to the front in 2024 and both parties set their own calendars. Super Tuesday in early March awards a large share of delegates in a single day. Democrats award delegates proportionally to candidates above 15 percent, while Republican states use a mix of proportional and winner-take-all rules. Turnout is far lower than in the general election.
From September to November, campaigns focus on a small number of competitive swing states, because most states award all their electoral votes to the statewide winner. Televised debates, held since 1976 under a nonpartisan commission formed in 1987, are major events, though in 2024 the candidates negotiated debates directly with television networks. Third-party and independent candidates must meet each state's ballot access rules. Campaign spending is regulated by federal law, but outside groups such as super PACs can spend unlimited amounts independently.
Since 1845 federal law has set Election Day as the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Every state offers some form of early or mail voting, and in 2020 and 2024 about half or more of voters cast ballots before Election Day. States and counties run the election, and state officials certify the results, usually within a few weeks. Recounts and legal challenges must be resolved by mid-December, a deadline that shaped the 2000 contest in Bush v. Gore.
Go deeper on the final stage in the Electoral College explained, see how nominees are chosen in how primaries and caucuses work, or follow what happens after the vote in how presidential transitions work.