Presidential elections have started in the United States, and the first results are already known. The first results of the US presidential election were announced in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire – CNN
The voters of Dixville Notch are the first in the country to vote at midnight, a tradition that began in 1960. The population of the community is 12 people. There were 4 Republicans and 2 independent voters. Harris and Trump received 3 votes each.
Specifics of the US elections
Presidential elections in the United States are held in two stages. First, citizens of each state vote for their candidates, but in reality they cast their votes for electors – party representatives who then officially elect the president in December. In the modern US political system, the role of electors is more of a formality, but the system provides that each state actually holds separate elections.
To win, a candidate must receive at least 270 votes out of a total of 538 electors. The number of electors varies from state to state and depends on the population. California has the most electors – 54 – and the fewest – in sparsely populated states such as Vermont and Wyoming, which have only three electors each.
Most states use the winner-take-all principle, with the exception of Nebraska and Maine, where a split vote is possible. This means that the candidate who receives the majority of votes in a particular state receives all of its electors. Thus, the candidate who received fewer votes in the country as a whole can become president – such cases occurred in 2000 and 2016, when George W. Bush and Donald Trump won.
Most states consistently support one of the parties – Republicans or Democrats – so focusing efforts in such states is ineffective. Instead, the key role is played by “swing” states, where support for both parties is roughly equal and voters can change their position due to economic or social factors.
In the 2024 elections, the main swing states are Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, and Arizona. Each of them has a significant impact, as the candidates’ ratings are close and the results can be decisive. The most important states are Pennsylvania with 19 electoral votes, Michigan and Georgia with 16, North Carolina with 15, Arizona with 11, Wisconsin with 10, and Nevada with 6. It is in these states that the main candidates – Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – are focusing their attention and advertising budgets.
The vote count will begin on November 6, and preliminary results will be available by the morning of November 7.
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