Millions of Americans around the country are gearing up for Election Day — held on Tuesday, Nov. 5th, where they will cast their ballots for their potential pick of the 47th President of the United States. The two candidates fighting for the top spot are Vice President Kamala Harris (Democratic nominee), and former President Donald J. Trump (Republican nominee).
Politics can be overwhelming, whether you are an American citizen or not. So overwhelming that many tune out altogether. On the plus side, elections can also bring about hope, change, and exercising the right to vote — having a say in who runs the country you live in. If you want to be informed — here’s some basic information — and fun facts about American elections!
Why is Election Day Always on a Tuesday in November?
“Voting Tuesday” has been the longstanding tradition of the U.S. for over a century. According to the Pew Research Center, “The first law designating Election Day as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November was passed back in 1845.” Tuesday had to do with the U.S. being a mostly agrarian society at the time — with farmers' crop schedules being priority. Sunday got in the way of church services, and Wednesdays were usually reserved for the markets in most rural areas. November was chosen as the month for farmers, as well. With the Fall harvest being over, and the brutal winter ahead, the month of November allowed farmers to commute to vote without disrupting any of their seasonal work that needed to be done before winter.
Why is the Democratic Party's Color "blue" and the Republican Party’s Color "red"?
The truth is, both parties' colors have been through a journey. It wasn’t actually until the 2000 presidential election, with George W. Bush (Republican) and Al Gore (Democrat), that the media and people around the country unofficially started describing states as “red states” and “blue states.” CNN does a good job highlighting how the colors officially became each party's signature color, and how it used to be the other way around for quite some time before 2000. The media played a huge factor in displaying the colors of political parties after color television was invented. News networks did not want to confuse their audiences with different colors across cable news networks — but newspapers still had the colors switched around. Because the 2000 election was so tight (one of the most contentious races in history), color was important for the news to accurately portray the slim margins of victory for each candidate — and show U.S. maps accordingly by color. “The first recorded use of the term ‘red state’ in the media occurred on an NBC ‘Today Show’ segment that aired a week before voters headed to the polls in 2000. But it was in the election’s aftermath that ‘red states’ and ‘blue states’ became so widely discussed that they entered common parlance.” States that show the same amount of support for both political parties — known as “swing states,” are purple (between red and blue).
How Do Candidates Get Chosen to Lead Their Political Party?
With many people wanting to be chosen to lead their political party as presidential hopefuls, candidates from each party will campaign throughout the country with the hope to win the votes from their other party members. Back in August of this year, Harris earned enough votes from the Democratic delegates to win the Democratic presidential nomination. Trump secured his spot as the Republican nominee back in March — once he got enough delegate votes. After receiving enough votes from their party delegates, the nominees officially accept the nomination at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, respectively. This is also where vice presidential picks will officially be announced. Harris appointed Tim Walz — Governor of Minnesota, and Nebraska native. Trump appointed JD Vance — junior U.S. senator and author from Ohio.
The General Election
Next Tuesday, when voters cast their ballots for their presidential hopeful, they are actually voting for a group of people called ELECTORS. If a presidential candidate receives the majority of votes from the people of a state, then they will receive ALL of the electoral votes from that state. It’s also referred to as “winning a state.”
In the U.S., to win the presidential election, a candidate needs to capture 270 of the 538 total electoral votes.
The Electoral College (And How Nebraska’s Works)
Each of the 50 U.S. states + the District of Columbia (DC) receive electoral votes. According to the National Archives, the amount of electoral votes each state receives is based on its total senators & representatives. Each state has 2 senators, and the Congressional Districts in each state are decided by the population (gathered by the U.S. Census) of each state. Nebraska has five electoral votes (2 senators, and 3 Congressional Districts).
There are only two states that do not go by this rule, Nebraska (us!), and Maine. What this means is both Nebraska and Maine split their electoral college votes. Both states give their two electoral votes to the state’s popular vote winner, and then electoral votes to the popular vote winner in EACH congressional district. This creates multiple popular vote contests in these states, which could lead to a split electoral vote. No other states do this, it is “winner take all” in the remaining 48 states.
According to the New York Times, Nebraska has the “sudden potential to swing the outcome of a super-close presidential race.” Nebraska, a predominantly red state, has the potential to “vote blue,” or Democrat, in its 2nd Congressional District containing Omaha. Nebraska Public Media reported on the 2020 election, in which Trump won four of Nebraska’s electoral votes by winning the popular vote, and the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts — and Biden won one vote from the Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. The 2nd Congressional District is up for grabs once again, in next week’s election.
"Swing States" — Will Sway the Vote!
With current polls showing a razor-thin margin between Harris and Trump, the election will most likely be decided by 7 key states — known as “swing states.” These states include: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania (biggest swing state with 19 electoral votes), and Wisconsin. According to ABC News, Although Nebraska is not considered a battleground state, our 2nd Congressional District could break a potential tie of 269 votes for each candidate, creating an even 270 for Harris if she were to win Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Voting in Nebraska
- The last day to register to vote was Oct. 25th in Nebraska.
- Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 5th. If people are in line when the polls close, they should still be allowed to cast their ballot.
- Early voting is open, and people can return their ballots in-person to any ballot box or to their county election office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.