Understanding Presidential Elections

Updated for the 2016 election. Every four years citizens of the United States cast their vote in the election process of their Chief Executive - the President of the United States. But many students and adults alike do not understand the process by which we elect our president. Are we really casting a vote directly for one of them or for an elector, and what is the difference? And going backwards from November, how did those men and/or women end up on the November ballot in the first place? What is the process of a political party choosing their candidate, through this confusing array of caucuses and primaries that have been held? This little book walks through the constitutional background and basis for this critical office, and then goes through the nomination process of caucuses and primaries, ending with the Electoral College process that completes the cycle every four years.