Your guide to the US presidential election

Updated November 06, 2012 20:09:18

Americans are set to decide who will get the chance to lead their country for the next four years.

But did you know that the millions of voters headed to the polls aren't directly electing either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney? Or that the election is already a foregone conclusion in the majority of states?

Here's what to expect as the US goes to the polls.

What's the Electoral College?

Electoral College explained Video: Electoral College explained (ABC News)

The Electoral College is critical to understanding how the United States chooses its president.

The first thing to know is that the Electoral College is not a school. It's a kind of parliament, but with just one duty – to elect the president and vice-president of the United States of America.

The Presidential election on November 6 (November 7 here in Australia) is not a direct election. It's a series of simultaneous state votes for delegates to the Electoral College. Those delegates then elect the president.

The Electoral College never actually sits in the one place – votes are cast in mid-December in each state capital, and tallied in Washington DC.

These days there are 538 delegate seats in the Electoral College – equal in number to the 435 members of the US House of Representatives, plus the 100 US senators, and three electors from the District of Columbia (The "DC" in "Washington DC")

US Electoral College explained

  • The Electoral College elects the president and vice-president of the US.
  • There are 538 delegates.
  • Each state sends a number of delegates proportional to its population.
  • The largest, California, has 55. The least populous states only have three.
  • To win the presidency a candidate needs 270 votes.
  • In a tie the House of Representatives decides the winner.

Those 538 Electoral College votes are distributed across the 50 states and DC on a proportional basis.

California has the most with 55, and states like Delaware, North and South Dakota, and Wyoming have just three votes each.

To win the presidency, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are both aiming for a minimum of 270 electoral college votes.

Four years ago Mr Obama won 365 votes to John McCain’s 173, on the back of a popular vote margin of nearly 10 million.

It is possible to win more votes overall, but still lose the electoral college. In 2000, Al Gore had 540,000 more popular votes than George W Bush, but lost the electoral college and the presidency 271 to 266.

And a tie is possible too – it happened in 1800 when Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr both won 73 Electoral College votes.

This year both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney could win 269 Electoral College votes.

In that scenario, it then falls to the US House of Representatives to decide the winner.

And if it comes to a house vote to break an Electoral College tie, all states have just one vote, whether it's Delaware or California.

But Republicans are likely to have the majority of seats, and therefore control of 29 of the 50 state delegations.

So a tied Electoral College is good news for Mitt Romney - or president-elect Romney as he would then be.

- By John Barron

What are the states to watch?

There are 50 states in the US, but the election could be decided in just 10.

ABC election analyst Antony Green identifies Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nevada as swing states.

The campaigns have been concentrating their resources in these key battlegrounds in a bid to woo voters, with Ohio a particular centre of focus.

Any one of these states could prove vital in providing enough Electoral College votes to get either candidate into the White House.

Antony Green has analysed past results in each state, and examined what's in play in each state.

Up close: Battleground states in the US election

  1. Battleground: Florida

    Take a look at the key state of Florida - the state that can make or break a President.

  2. Battleground: Ohio

    Take a look at the key state of Ohio - king of the swings, and powerhouse of industry.

  3. Battleground: Colorado

    Take a look at the key state of Colorado: where both candidates are up against former TV star Roseanne.

  4. Battleground: Virginia

    Take a look at the key state of Virgina: the state that has spawned eight Presidents.

  5. Electoral College explained

    Planet America's John Barron explains the intricacies of the US Electoral College system.

  6. Two different Americas

    Jeremy Fernandez takes a closer look at the two US presidential candidates, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, and what they stand for.

What to expect on election day

The action will unfold on Wednesday (Australian time) as polling stations across the US close their doors.

Our timeline shows when voting closes in all the key states, and how much electoral clout each one wields.

We'll keep across it all with a live blog, live results and live video coverage from ABC News 24.

Election countdown

See what time the polls close in the battleground states. (See all states)

StatePolls close (AEDT)
North Carolina11:30am
New Hampshire12pm

First posted November 06, 2012 16:57:51