George Washington was elected unanimously by the 69 electors from the 10 participating states in the in augural election of a US president in 1788. In practice how the system works in the 21st century’s USA of over 330 million people is very different from in the USA of 1788 with less than 4 million people, the underlying principle is still that the states each choose electors to an electoral college who together determine who is to be the president, but in practice today the people of each state get to vote for how their states electors will vote.

This is how it works, and a look at what could possibly stop it working as expected.

Like many others, back in February 2024 I wrote that A Biden-Harris ticket would not cut it for the 2024 election. The debate highlighted the problems of US voters again being faced with Biden and Trump: almost no one sees this as a choice between two good options.

The Biden problem will be resolved, but no, it was not just about losing a debate, it was about his inability to maintain his train of thought during the debate, and the risk that presents for another full term in office. Arguably, the focus has all along been only on polarisation and wins for political parties, rather than visions for the future.

Democracy should offer the people choices of a say in their future, but under current systems becomes more about personalities. Looking deeper reveals even without the current issues, it is unclear the US voters get a real choice and real say in what elections should determine.