Final answer:
Presidents in the United States are elected through an indirect system called the Electoral College, where voters select electors pledged to vote for specific candidates. Most states award all their electoral votes to the popular vote winner, but Maine and Nebraska use a different method. The Electoral College can result in a president winning the election without the popular vote.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process of electing a president in the United States is unique and follows the system of the Electoral College. Voters do not directly elect the president but rather vote for electors who are pledged to support a certain candidate. The number of electors per state equals the number of its Senators and Representatives in Congress. Most states use a winner-take-all approach, awarding all electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state. However, Maine and Nebraska divide their electors using the congressional district method.
The debate over the Electoral College's relevance continues, with some arguing for a direct election system. Despite this, the Electoral College remains the mechanism through which presidents are elected. And while electors generally vote according to the popular vote, they are not bound by law to do so in most states.
During the presidential election, parties also conduct primaries and caucuses to select their candidates, which eventually culminate in the general election where the citizens vote in November. The newly elected President and Vice President are inaugurated in January, following the Electoral College vote in December. Should a candidate win the popular vote but lose the Electoral College, as seen in 2000 and 2016, it can lead to significant discussion about the system's fairness.