The election process begins with primary elections and caucuses. These are two methods that states use to select a potential presidential nominee. Primary elections and caucuses differ in how they are organized and who participates. And rates of participation differ widely. Primaries Primaries are run by state and local governments. Voting happens through secret ballot. …

When U.S. citizens cast their presidential election ballots, they’ll be voting for someone like Hagner Mister or Rex Teter. You probably have not heard of Mister or Teter. In fact, most voters who chose them in 2016 did not know who they were. During the last presidential election, Mister and Teter served as electors — …

While each major U.S. political party has many states it counts on winning in November’s presidential election, a handful of states are too close to call. These “swing states” have populations that are closely divided politically. They have swung back and forth between Democratic and Republican candidates in recent years. They are the battleground states …