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"The invisible primary takes place the year before the presidential election. The winner is the candidate who ends the year with the most support in the polls and the most money raised."

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The announcement is the point at which a person officially announces their run for Presidency.

April 25, 2019: Biden (Democrat) officially announces his run for Presidency.
June 18, 2019: Trump (Republican) officially announces his run for reelection for Presidency.
November 2, 2019: Jorgensen (Libertarian) officially announces his run for Presidency.

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[February to April]
Caucus: An informal "town hall" style meeting where anyone can meet to discuss the candidates and select who they want to support (beginning of 2020)

Primary: A process where voters who are a member of a party can formally indicate their preferred choice of candidates for their party. This nominates a candidate to be voted for at the party convention as the main candidate for the party as a whole.
Ex. Joe Biden was nominated in the 2020 primaries in February

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The Party reveals its official nominee for Party candidate at the Party Convention.

May 23rd 2020: Jorgensen was announced as the presidential nominee for the Libertarian Party
August 18th 2020: Biden was announced as the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.
August 24th 2020: Trump was announced as the presidential nominee for the Republican Party.

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The general meeting of a political party is attended by certain delegates who represent the party membership to select a final Presidential Nominee.

August 17-20th 2020: Democratic National Convention
August 24-27th 2020: Republican National Convention

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Happens in the 90 days or so leading up to the election.

Candidates advertise their views on issues, party affiliation, and overall message in order to persuade voters to vote for them. Such can even include community outreach, speeches, ads, and debates.

August-November 3rd, 2020

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The day when American citizens go out and vote for President. Such is the popular vote. However, the President is actually chosen by the electoral vote. Votes from the popular vote contribute towards which candidate gets each state’s electoral votes.
It takes place on the first Tuesday of November in the election year.
Joe Biden won the popular vote on the general Election Day, Tuesday November 3rd, 2020

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Electors across all states that vote and certify the state’s vote for President and Vice President. Electors usually vote for the candidate that won the popular vote in their state. Some states have electors split their electoral vote to represent the popular vote in their state. The amount of electors for each state is decided by the percent of the total US population of a given state: The same number as the number of representatives in the House.
There is a total of 538 Electors. A majority of 270 is required to win the Presidency. If no candidate wins 270 Electoral votes, it is left to Congress to decide who won.

Biden: 306
Trump: 232
Total/Majority: 538/270

Biden won.

December 14th, 2020: Electoral College vote takes place in mid-December when the electors meet in their states.

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The first primary of the 2020 presidential campaign is underway. It's called the "invisible primary." Nobody actually goes to a polling place to cast a ballot - but there are winners and losers.

The invisible primary takes place the year before the presidential election. The winner is the candidate who ends the year with the most support in the polls and the most money raised.

Does the invisible primary predict the ultimate winner? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It worked four years ago when Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump came out on top of their respective parties. It didn't work in the 2004 election when the winner of the invisible Democratic primary was Howard Dean. In January 2004, when the actual voting began, Dean came in third in the Iowa caucuses and second to John Kerry in New Hampshire. By mid-February, Dean was out.

So where does the Democratic race stand now?

California Sen. Kamala Harris was the clear winner of the first Democratic debate. That has brought her a huge amount of media attention and a rise in the polls. She may become the leading progressive candidate. But not necessarily the nominee.

Since World War II, Democratic primaries have often ended up as showdowns between progressives and populists. The difference is social class. Progressive Democratic voters tend to be relatively affluent, well educated and liberal, particularly on social issues like abortion and guns. Populist Democratic voters tend to be working class, non-college educated and moderate on social issues, though often liberal on economic issues like health care.

In the 1950s, Democrats were divided between Adlai Stevenson (progressive) and Estes Kefauver (populist). In 1968, it was Eugene McCarthy (progressive) versus Robert Kennedy (populist). In 1972, George McGovern (progressive) and Hubert Humphrey (populist). 1984: Gary Hart (progressive) and Walter Mondale (populist). 1988: Michael Dukakis (progressive) and Richard Gephardt (populist). 1992: Paul Tsongas (progressive) and Bill Clinton (populist). 2000: Bill Bradley (progressive) and Al Gore (populist). 2008: Barack Obama (progressive) and Hillary Clinton (populist). In the 2016 Democratic race, Bernie Sanders branded himself a populist, but his core support came from young progressives.

Democrats won in 2018 because, in a midterm, the party didn't have to come up with one presidential candidate. In 2020, they do.

Right now, Joe Biden dominates the populist wing of the party, often described as "moderates."

The progressive field is more crowded - and more divided.

Harris is poised to challenge Sanders as the progressive alternative to Biden. But she faces a lot of competition from other Democrats popular with the NPR crowd - Elizabeth Warren, Julian Castro, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Beto O'Rourke, Kirsten Gillibrand. Biden has to hope progressives fail to unite behind a single "Stop Biden" candidate.

The polls show Biden doing best among older Democrats. To young progressives, Biden is a voice of the past. The English novelist L.P. Hartley once wrote, "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there." Like bipartisanship and compromise. And collaboration with outright racists. To older Democrats, however, the past is when things used to work - before Trump came along to cause chaos and disruption. They're counting on Biden to restore that past.

From the 1930s to the 1960s, white populists, led by organized labor, were the dominant force in the Democratic Party. They began leaving the party when Democrats embraced the civil rights movement. Non-college educated whites have not voted for a Democrat for president in more than 50 years.

The populist vote in the Democratic Party today is mostly minority voters. Southern whites and northern white ethnics (who used to be called "Archie Bunker" voters) have become out of reach for Democrats. White working-class voters are often depicted as the swing vote, but they're unlikely to swing back to the Democratic Party, not even for Biden. Biden started the race with strong black and Latino support. He's finding out that he can't afford to alienate those minorities.

The swing vote today is college-educated white suburban voters who are appalled by President Trump. In 2018, Democratic House candidates made their biggest gains in affluent suburban districts like Orange County, Calif., and Fairfax County, Va. Those upscale voters respond to progressive messages on social issues like abortion and guns. Not to tax hikes or "socialism."

The 2016 election taught Democrats an important lesson. They expected that revulsion at the prospect of a Trump presidency would rally the party. That didn't quite happen. Here's why:

I talked to a lot of Democrats after the election. Many of them admitted that they never liked Hillary Clinton. She was a charter member of the Washington establishment. When she called Trump supporters "deplorables," she displayed the fatal flaw of liberals - condescension. What finished her off was a headline in the New York Times on Election Day: "Hillary Clinton has an 85% chance to win.'' A lot of voters concluded, "She doesn't need my vote."

Democrats are not going to make that mistake again.

Bill Schneider is a professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and author of 'Standoff: How America Became Ungovernable '

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The first primary of the 2020 presidential campaign is underway. It's called the "invisible primary." Nobody actually goes to a polling place to cast a ballot - but there are winners and losers. The invisible primary takes place the year before the presidential election.

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Libertarian Party

The Clemson psychology lecturer and 1996 Libertarian vice presidential candidate got 51 percent on the fourth ballot.

In a day-long virtual meeting, after four ballots, the 1,035 delegates assembled for the Libertarian Party's online convention selected Jo Jorgensen as their presidential candidate.

She won with slightly over 51 percent of the vote (not every delegate voted in every round) on that fourth ballot, with 524 votes. Jacob Hornberger came in second, with nearly 28 percent of the vote. Vermin Supreme came in third, with 20 percent of the final vote.

Reason ran an interview with Jorgensen, a lecturer in psychology at Clemson who was the party's vice presidential candidate on a ticket with Harry Browne in 1996, on Thursday.

The party's voting procedure involved six candidates officially in nomination: Jorgensen, Jacob Hornberger, Vermin Supreme, John Monds, Judge James Gray, and Adam Kokesh. (Members could vote for other people if they wanted, or for none of the above, and many did.)

Jorgensen led the vote in every round, though she was only 12 votes ahead of runner-up Jacob Hornberger on the first ballot. As per the party's procedure, the lowest vote getter in each round was technically eliminated for the next one.

Kokesh was eliminated after round one, Gray after round two, and Monds after round three. Jorgensen's lead grew with each round, to 82 votes over Hornberger on the second ballot and a 126-vote lead on the third. Hornberger's support remained pretty steady, rising only to 285 from his first-round 236 votes.

Jorgensen vowed to "make this the most successful campaign we can" in a speech after the results came in. Runner-up Hornberger said in a concession speech that he "hold[s] her in the highest respect and esteem."

Joseph Bishop-Henchman, an at-large representative on the Libertarian National Committee who is running for its chairmanship this year, said in a written message on learning of her victory that "Jo Jorgensen has proven that she is a fighter, and will serve as a great contrast to the 70+ year old men she's taking on. She brought a remarkably diverse group of Libertarians together."

Jorgensen's vice presidential running mate will be selected in a second vote scheduled for tomorrow.

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Jo Jorgensen Wins Libertarian Party Presidential Nomination

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Libertarian Party In a day-long virtual meeting, after four ballots, the 1,035 delegates assembled for the Libertarian Party's online convention selected Jo Jorgensen as their presidential candidate. She won with slightly over 51 percent of the vote (not every delegate voted in every round) on that fourth ballot, with 524 votes.

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Learn more about the 3 types of elections:

General elections

General elections are always held the first Tuesday, after the first Monday, in November.
In a general election, Pennsylvanians vote for federal, state, and local officials, including:

U.S. senators and U.S. representatives to Congress

Pennsylvania governor, lieutenant governor, general assembly, attorney general, auditor general, state treasurer

County and city officials (only elected in odd-numbered years)

Judges and magisterial district judges (only elected in odd-numbered years)

In odd-numbered years, like 2021, these November elections are also called municipal elections because there are no federal or state office on the ballot.

Every four years, the General Election is also a presidential election.

Primary elections

Primary elections in Pennsylvania are held on the third Tuesday of May in most years.

In presidential years, the primary election is held on the fourth Tuesday of April.

In a primary election, each political party selects its candidates to run for office during the general election. The candidates who get the highest number of votes in the primary election go on to run in the general election . Voters also vote for their party's officers during a primary election.

In Pennsylvania, you can only vote for the candidates in the same political party you have named in your voter registration. For example, if you registered to vote as a member of the Republican Party then you can vote in the Republican primary, but not the Democratic primary.

All voters can vote on:

constitutional amendments,

ballot questions, and

any special election contests held at the same time as a primary election.

Special elections

Pennsylvania holds special elections when someone in office can no longer serve. This may happen when someone resigns, dies, or gets removed from office. Voters must select someone to replace that person.

Special elections may be held:

during a general election

during a primary election

on a different day designated by the elections office

The county or counties running the special election must advertise the date and locations for the special election, as well as the candidates running for office.

Everyone who lives in the district the candidates will represent can vote in the special election.

Presidential elections and the Electoral College

In presidential elections, each political party holds a national convention where they choose their nominee for president. The results of the primary election determine how votes from Pennsylvania are cast at the convention.

The nominees from each party run against each other in the general election in November.

The president is officially elected by the Electoral College, and not the popular vote. But the popular vote - including your vote - helps decide which candidate receives Pennsylvania's electoral votes.

What is the Electoral College?

The Electoral College is a group of citizens known as electors. Electors get appointed by each state to cast votes for the president and vice president of the United States on behalf of the state's citizens.

Pennsylvania has 20 electoral votes. All 20 of Pennsylvania's electoral votes go to the person who won the popular vote in Pennsylvania.

When you cast your vote for president, you tell your state's electors to cast their votes for the candidate you chose. In Pennsylvania, each candidate for president chooses a list of electors. The electors for the candidate who wins Pennsylvania's popular vote get to cast their vote for president and vice president.

The Constitution created the Electoral College to ensure that each state had a role in selecting the president, no matter its population. Each state has the same number of electoral votes as it has members of Congress. There are a total of 538 votes in the Electoral College. A candidate must win a simple majority - 270 - of those votes to win the election.

Learn more about:

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Learn more about the 3 types of elections: General elections are always held the first Tuesday, after the first Monday, in November. In a general election, Pennsylvanians vote for federal, state, and local officials, including: U.S. senators and U.S.

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Trump officially becomes Republican nominee after delegates’ roll call

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The roll call of states to name Donald Trump as the nominee took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the prime-time speeches moving to Washington later in the evening.

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Presidential elections are held every four years, but campaigning for the most powerful position in the free world never really ends. Politicians who aspire to the White House begin building alliances, seeking endorsements, and raising money years before they announce their intentions.

The never-ending campaign is a modern phenomenon. The all-important role money now plays in influencing elections has forced members of Congress and even the president to begin tapping donors and holding fundraisers even before they're sworn into office.

The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative reporting organization in Washington, D.C., writes:

"Once upon a time not terribly long ago, federal politicians more or less kept their campaigning to election years. They reserved their energies in odd-numbered, non-election years for legislating and governing. No longer."

While much of the work of running for president happens behind the scenes, there is a moment when every candidate must step forward in a public setting and make an official declaration that they are seeking the presidency.

This is when the race for president begins in earnest.

The 2020 presidential election was held on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The Year Before the Election

In the four most recent presidential races in which there was no incumbent, the nominees launched their campaigns an average of 531 days before the election took place.

That's about one year and seven months before the presidential election. That means presidential campaigns typically begin in the spring of the year before the presidential election.

Presidential candidates select running mates much later in the campaign.

2020 Presidential Campaign

The 2020 presidential election took place on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Incumbent president, Republican Donald Trump officially filed for reelection to a second term on January 20, 2017, the day he was first inaugurated. He became the presumptive Republican nominee on March 17, 2020, after securing a majority of pledged convention delegates. On November 7, 2018, Trump confirmed that incumbent Vice President Mike Pence would again be his running mate.

On the Democratic side, former Vice President (and eventual president) Joe Biden became the presumptive nominee on April 8, 2020, after Senator Bernie Sanders, the last remaining major Democratic candidate, suspended his campaign. A total of 29 major candidates had vied for the Democratic nomination, the most of any political party since the primary elections system began in the 1890s. By early June, Biden had exceeded the 1,991 delegates needed to gain the nomination at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. On August 11, 2020, Biden announced he had selected 55-year-old Senator Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate, making her the first Black woman to appear on a major party's presidential ticket.

For the first time in history, a first-term president faced impeachment while running for reelection. On December 18, 2019, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. He was subsequently acquitted in the Senate trial, which ended on February 5, 2020. Trump continued to hold campaign rallies throughout the impeachment process. However, the four U.S. Senators then running for the Democratic nomination were forced to remain in Washington during the trial.

2016 Presidential Campaign

The 2016 presidential election was held on Nov. 8, 2016. There was no incumbent because President Barack Obama was finishing his second and final term.

The eventual Republican nominee and president, reality-television star and billionaire real-estate developer Donald Trump, announced his candidacy on June 16, 2015-513 days, or one year and nearly five months before the election.

Democrat Hillary Clinton, a former U.S. senator who served as secretary of the Department of State under Obama, announced her presidential campaign on April 12, 2015-577 days or one year and seven months before the election.

2008 Presidential Campaign

The 2008 presidential election was held on Nov. 4, 2008. There was no incumbent because President George W. Bush was serving his second and final term.

Democrat Obama, the eventual victor, and a U.S. Senator, announced he was seeking his party's nomination for the presidency on Feb. 10, 2007-633 days, or one year, 8 months and 25 days before the election.

Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain announced his intentions to seek his party's presidential nomination on April 25 of 2007-559 days, or one year, six months and 10 days before the election.

2000 Presidential Campaign

The 2000 presidential election was held on Nov. 7, 2000. There was no incumbent because President Bill Clinton was serving his second and final term.

Republican George W. Bush, the eventual winner and governor of Texas, announced he was seeking his party's presidential nomination on June 12, 1999-514 days, or one year, four months and 26 days before the election.

Democrat Al Gore, the vice president, announced he was seeking the party's nomination for the presidency on June 16, 1999-501 days, or one year, four months and 22 days before the election.

1988 Presidential Campaign

The 1988 presidential election was held on Nov. 8, 1988. There was no incumbent because President Ronald Reagan was serving his second and final term.

Republican George H.W. Bush, who was vice president at the time, announced he was seeking the party's presidential nomination on Oct. 13, 1987-392 days, or one year and 26 days before the election.

Democrat Michael Dukakis, the governor of Massachusetts, announced he was seeking his party's presidential nomination on April 29, 1987-559 days, or one year, six months and 10 days before the election.

Updated by Robert Longley

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How Early Do Presidential Candidates Start Campaigning?

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Presidential elections are held every four years, but campaigning for the most powerful position in the free world never really ends. Politicians who aspire to the White House begin building alliances, seeking endorsements, and raising money years before they announce their intentions. The never-ending campaign is a modern phenomenon.

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The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The Founding Fathers established it in the Constitution, in part, as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.

What is the process?

The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress.

How many electors are there? How are they distributed among the States?

The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. Your State has the same number of electors as it does Members in its Congressional delegation: one for each Member in the House of Representatives plus two Senators. Read more about the allocation of electoral votes.

The District of Columbia is allocated 3 electors and treated like a State for purposes of the Electoral College under the 23rd Amendment of the Constitution. For this reason, in the following discussion, the word "State" also refers to the District of Columbia and "Executive" to the State Governors and the Mayor of the District of Columbia.

How are my electors chosen? What are their qualifications? How do they decide who to vote for?

Each candidate running for President in your State has their own group of electors (known as a slate). The slates are generally chosen by the candidate's political party in your State, but State laws vary on how the electors are selected and what their responsibilities are. Read more about the qualifications of the electors and restrictions on who the electors may vote for.

What happens in the general election? Why should I vote?

The general election is held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. When you vote for a Presidential candidate you are actually voting for your candidate's preferred electors. Learn more about voting for the electors.

Most States have a "winner-take-all" system that awards all electors to the Presidential candidate who wins the State's popular vote. However, Maine and Nebraska each have a variation of "proportional representation." Read more about the allocation of electors among the States.

What happens after the general election?

After the general election, your State's Executive prepares a Certificate of Ascertainment listing the names of all the individuals on the slates for each candidate. The Certificate of Ascertainment also lists the number of votes each individual received and shows which individuals were appointed as your State's electors. Your State's Certificate of Ascertainment is sent to NARA as part of the official records of the Presidential election.

The meeting of the electors takes place on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December after the general election. The electors meet in their respective States, where they cast their votes for President and Vice President on separate ballots. Your State's electors' votes are recorded on a Certificate of Vote, which is prepared at the meeting by the electors. Your State's Certificate of Vote is sent to Congress, where the votes are counted, and to NARA, as part of the official records of the Presidential election.

Each State's electoral votes are counted in a joint session of Congress on the 6th of January in the year following the meeting of the electors. Members of the House and Senate meet in the House Chamber to conduct the official count of electoral votes. The Vice President of the United States, as President of the Senate, presides over the count in a strictly ministerial manner and announces the results of the vote. The President of the Senate then declares which persons, if any, have been elected President and Vice President of the United States.

The President-elect takes the oath of office and is sworn in as President of the United States on January 20th in the year following the general election.

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The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The Founding Fathers established it in the Constitution, in part, as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. What is the process? The Electoral Col…