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How does the presidential election work? -

When Americans vote for president and vice president, they're actually voting for presidential electors in the Electoral College.

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States and their electors -

According to the Constitution, each state is assigned a number of electors equal to the combined total of the state's Senate and House of Representatives delegations. 

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Number of electors -

Today, there are 538 electors. The number of electors per state ranges from three (District of Columbia) to 55 (California). To be elected president, a candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes.

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The first US president -

In 1789, George Washington became the first and only unanimously elected US president. 

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There are only three requirements to be president -

According to Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the US Constitution, one must be at least 35 years old, have lived in the US at least 14 years, and be a naturalized citizen. 

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The phrenology of candidates -

Today, candidates are mostly compared on their policies, or on their approach to key issues. However, in 1884, comparisons of presidential candidates included an analysis of their skulls.

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Video killed the radio star -

During the 1960 presidential campaign, Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard Nixon agreed to four televised debates. While JFK appeared tanned and relaxed, Nixon looked pale and sweaty. To many of those listening to the debate on the radio, Nixon came out ahead. To television audiences, however, Kennedy was the clear winner.

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Voter turnout -

The 2020 presidential election had the highest voter turnout of the 21st century, with 66.8% of citizens 18 years and older voting in the election. 

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Why elections are held on Tuesdays in November -

In the late 1800s, most citizens worked as farmers and often had to travel a day or two to vote. November was considered a good time for elections because the busy harvest season was coming to an end.

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Elections were once held within a 34-day period -

Before 1845, the states could hold presidential elections within a 34-day period before the first Wednesday in November. This system was problematic and had some flaws. Communications and transportation had also evolved, which could influence votes in different time zones.

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The first election day -

The first actual election day took place on November 7, 1848. Whig Party candidate Zachary Taylor won the election becoming the 12th president.

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1820 election -

James Monroe received every electoral vote but one in the 1820 election. He served from 1817 to 1825, and became the last Founding Father to serve as president. 

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African-American vote -

In 1870, the US Congress passed and the states ratified the Fifteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which granted African-American men the right to vote.

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Voting Rights Act -

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act to outlaw states' discriminatory voting practices, especially regarding those targeting African-Americans in the South.

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Campaigning paraphernalia -

Flyers, bumper stickers, and posters are all fairly standard ways of promoting your preferred candidate. But in 1968, Nixon made bubblegum cigars as part of his campaign.

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A convict for president -

Eugene V. Debs was a five-time Socialist Party presidential candidate in the early 1900s. During World War I, Debs publicly railed against the war and the military draft. He was jailed in 1918 for his continued agitation against the government. Two years later, Debs made his fifth and final run, this time from a federal prison. He lost, but received over 900,000 votes.

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Two term presidents -

Only 13 US presidents have been elected to office for two terms and served those two terms. The longest-serving president was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was elected to office for four terms prior to the Twenty-second Amendment.

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The only unelected president -

The only president (and vice president) who was never actually elected to office was Gerald Ford. He became vice president when Spiro Agnew resigned and president when Nixon resigned.

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An unfair vote -

When women first got the right to vote, which was limited, authorities were concerned about them having their say on issues that they weren't legally entitled to vote for. So the government created two separate ballot boxes for men and women. That way, if any "illegal" ballots were to show up in the women's tin, they could easily be thrown out.

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Women's right to vote -

On October 23, 1915, 25,000 women marched in New York City demanding the right for women to vote without restrictions.

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The Nineteenth Amendment -

Just in time for the 1920 presidential election, the Nineteenth Amendment was adopted, granting women from every state the right to vote. It was nicknamed the "Anthony" amendment in recognition of the lobbying efforts of suffragette Susan B. Anthony. 

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Speaking to a nation -

Franklin D. Roosevelt used the radio to make his famous "fireside chats" in the '30s and '40s. In the 1940 election, incumbent Roosevelt broke with tradition and controversially ran for a third term. He reached out directly to voters through radio broadcasts, bypassing newspapers that refused to cover his campaign.

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How many presidents? -

Joe Biden is the 46th president, but in reality there have only been 45 presidents. This is because Grover Cleveland is actually counted twice. 

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The 22nd and 24th President of the United States -

Cleveland was elected president in 1884, lost his re-election campaign in 1888, and won the presidency for a second time in 1892. This makes him the 22nd and 24th US president. 

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The first woman to run for president -

Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for president in 1872. Some disagree with classifying it as a true candidacy because she was younger than the constitutionally mandated age of 35. However, her 35th birthday was in September 1873, six months after the March inauguration.

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The first natural-born American president -

Martin Van Buren was the first natural-born American to become president in 1837. Each of the seven previous presidents were born as British subjects.

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The right to vote at 18 -

In 1971, the 26th Amendment reduced the voting age in the US from 21 to 18 years of age. The first 18-year-olds voted in the 1972 elections.

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Candidates have won the popular vote but lost the election -

In 2016, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, despite losing the popular vote by almost three million votes. This is because Trump won the electoral vote, which also happened in the elections of 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000. 

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The US Marine band -

The US Marine band has played at every presidential inauguration since 1801.

Sources: (History) (BBC) (America 250) 

See also: The famous last words of US presidents

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