When a Democratic senator from California, Kamala Harris, beat Republican Donald Trump in a debate on Wednesday night, it seemed like the race was finally getting some real traction. But don’t get your hopes up — presidential debates rarely change things much or in a lasting way.
Each US election cycle starts with the two major political parties, the Democrats and Republicans, setting up their teams and going on the campaign trail. They then hold a series of televised presidential debates, where they answer questions and argue their positions on issues.
The candidates also spend a lot of time traveling across the country, speaking to people and fundraising. On the campaign trail, they try to convince voters to support them — and make sure that voters know what their rivals stand for.
The presidential candidate that receives the most votes on Election Day becomes president. However, the final decision is made by a group of electors, who are chosen in each state. They gather in December and cast their votes for one president and vice president. The candidate who receives the most electoral votes becomes president.
The electoral college system can be confusing and controversial, because it means that it’s possible for a person to win the popular vote but not become president. This is because the winner of each state gets a set number of electoral votes, based on its population. In addition, most states lean towards either the Democrats or the Republicans. This forces presidential candidates to focus exponentially more time and money on a few states that could go either way, called swing states.