When Americans go to the polls on November 6, they will choose a President and a Vice President. They will also choose members of Congress — the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats are up for election, and the Senate, which votes on key legislation. Citizens from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are eligible to vote in this national election.
In the months leading up to the election, candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties begin their campaigns. They set up teams and travel the country to raise money and meet with voters. They also participate in televised debates with their opponents. The debates give voters a chance to see how each candidate might perform in the job and to ask questions.
After a series of state primaries and caucuses, the Democratic and Republican parties held conventions to select their final presidential nominees. Those nominated will then appear on the ballot in the general election.
On the Democratic side, Biden and Harris battled for the party nomination. Both candidates had high enough numbers of delegates to secure the nomination. However, Biden faced calls to withdraw after a rocky performance in a nationally televised debate against Trump. His stumbling, meandering answers and raspy voice were perceived to make him seem weaker than his opponent. Eventually, Biden did withdraw, and the race shifted to Harris. Several other races — including mayoral elections in Cincinnati, Atlanta and Detroit and the Supreme Court seat of Pittsburgh — were won by Democrats.