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(AFP) — The long road to the White House involves several key steps.
Each state holds elections to choose delegates for the Democrat and Republican National Conventions, where each party names their presidential candidate.
Pre-selection of a candidate involves either:
-a caucus, which is a local meeting organised by each party
-or a primary, which is a state-wide vote where candidates are directly elected at the polls
The process traditionally starts with the caucus in Iowa, followed by primaries in New Hampshire.
Super Tuesday is the busiest day in the calendar, when many states hold primaries at the same time.
This pre-selection phase takes four or five months.
Delegates elected during the caucus-primary election period then vote for their party’s candidate at the national convention where an absolute majority is needed to win.
Once nominated, the winner then chooses a vice-president and the pair is known as a ‘ticket’.
The two presidential rivals will then go head-to-head on November 8, 2016, in addition to any independent candidates.
