Before you vote, learn about how the presidential race works and what the electoral system looks like. Then, use our tool to see how the race stands in your state.
After a month-long Kamala Harris surge, the national presidential race seems to have stabilized in recent weeks. She continues to lead Trump by about two points in averages across several polling organizations, though she has a much smaller lead in battleground states.
She is facing three key challenges. First, 37% to 42% of voters in some swing states know virtually nothing about her other than that she was Joe Biden’s vice president. That gap will need to close before she can compete in states that have a significant impact on the election’s ultimate result.
Second, the Harris campaign must make sure that the debate performance pleases her base without attracting independent or third-party supporters who would give Trump an edge in the Electoral College. Third, the Harris campaign must nudge undecideds to make up their minds by promoting their candidate’s positive qualities.
Unlike the US Senate and House of Representatives, the winner of a presidential election is not the person who gets the most overall votes. Instead, a country’s 538 electoral votes are awarded by individual states based on their populations. The winning candidate must secure 270 of those votes to win. There is the possibility of a tie, but this is very rare. For example, the last time a tie occurred was in 1968.