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Lots of people dream of becoming President
of the United States.
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But to officially run for office, a person
needs to meet three basic requirements established
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by the U.S. Constitution
(Article 2, Section 1).
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A Presidential candidate must be:
A natural born citizen (U.S. citizen from birth)
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At least 35 years old and
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A U.S. resident (permanently lives in the
U.S.) for at least 14 years
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People with similar ideas usually belong to
the same political party.
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The two main parties in the U.S. are Republican
and Democrat.
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Many people want to be President.
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They campaign around the country and compete
to try to win their partyâs nomination.
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In caucuses, party members meet, discuss,
and vote for who they think would be the best
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party candidate.
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In primaries, party members vote in a state
election for the candidate they want to represent
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them in the general election.
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After the primaries and caucuses, each major
party, Democrat and Republican, holds a national
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convention to select a Presidential nominee.
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The partyâs Presidential nominee announces
his or her choice for Vice President.
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The Presidential candidates campaign throughout
the country to win the support of the
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general population.
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On election day, people in every state cast
their vote .
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When people cast their vote, they are actually
voting for a group of people called electors.
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The number of electors each state gets is
equal to its total number of Senators and
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Representatives in Congress.
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A total of 538 electors form the Electoral
College.
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Each elector casts one vote following the
general election.
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The candidate who gets 270 votes or more wins.
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The newly elected President and Vice President
are then inaugurated on January 20th.
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For more information, go to kids.usa.gov/president.
