New Delhi: The countdown for the presidential election in America has begun. The American public will vote for their new president today i.e. on 5 November (Tuesday). There is a close contest between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump. Now it remains to be seen whether the American citizens once again choose Donald Trump or the country will get its first woman president in the form of Kamala Harris. Before the voting for the US President, read here the complete A B C D related to the US election process...

A: Advertisement

Advertising plays an important role in the US presidential election, under which a different kind of war is seen on TV, radio and digital media. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have set a huge budget for advertising. According to the inside report of Assembly Global, this time both the parties have spent 3.1 billion dollars (253 billion rupees) on advertising.

B: Ballot paper

In the US Presidential Election 2024, ballot papers are being used as a priority in the voting process. Votes will be cast using ballot papers in 95 percent of the areas, while only 5 percent i.e. some selected areas like Louisiana will vote using EVMs. However, the counting of votes will be done through electronic machines only. These ballots will be counted through scanning machines.

C: Caucus

A meeting held at the start of a US election, where party members gather to choose a candidate or discuss policy. This meeting takes place before the primary election.

D: Democratic Party

One of the two biggest parties in America is the Democratic Party, whose unofficial symbol is a 'donkey'. So far, 16 presidents have been elected from the Democratic Party. If Kamala Harris is elected president, she will be the 16th Democratic president.

E: Election day

Elections are held in America every four years. The day and month of voting are fixed. Voting for the US Presidential election takes place on the Tuesday following Monday in the month of November. If the first Tuesday falls on November 1, then voting will not take place on that Tuesday, because Christians celebrate 'All Saints Day' on November 1.

Therefore, voting will take place on the Tuesday after Monday. This day is called Election Day. This time voting is taking place in America on November 5, while the election results will be declared on November 6.

Electoral College

In the US presidential election, the public cannot vote directly for the candidate. Voters elect an electoral body of 538 members, which is called the Electoral College. The President and Vice President are selected on the basis of their votes.

F: Financial position

The current economic situation of the US has registered a slight increase. The country's real GDP grew at an annual rate of 2.8% in the third quarter 2024, with the main contributors being an increase in consumer spending, exports and federal government spending. Earlier, GDP growth was 3.0% in the second quarter. Some slowdown is expected in the fourth quarter of 2024. However, overall economic growth has remained stable.

H: Hanging Chads

In America, when a voter hangs his vote on a wall instead of putting it in the Chads box, it is called Hanging Chads. In the year 2000, when George W. Bush and Al Gore were in the electoral fray, thousands of hanging chads were seen in Florida. However, Bush won Florida by 537 votes.

House of Senate: Through today's elections, members will be elected for 435 House seats of America and 35 out of 100 seats of Senate.

I: India

The role of Indians in the US elections has always been important. In this election, both Trump and Kamala Harris are trying to woo Indian voters. When Trump mentioned the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, Kamala never forgot to remind him of being the daughter of an Indian mother.

In the US elections 2024, the Indian-American community is seen leaning heavily towards the Democratic Party. According to the survey, 61% Indian-American voters are supporting Kamala Harris, while 32% are in favor of Donald Trump. On the other hand, if we talk about women, 67% Indian-American women are supporting Kamala Harris.

J: Joe Biden

Current President Joe Biden has been a senator six times. He became the President of America in the 2020 elections, while he was also in the presidential race in 1988 and 2008. He has also been the Vice President of America during Barack Obama's tenure.

Joe Biden, who has been active in politics for nearly 55 years, was in the presidential race this time, but due to age-related problems including forgetfulness, he withdrew his name from the race and in his place Kamala Harris became the presidential candidate from the Democratic side.

K : Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris is the presidential candidate from the Democratic Party in the US Presidential Election 2024. She was elected Vice President in the 2020 election. Kamala Harris is the first woman, first black and first person of Indian origin in America to be elected to this post.

Kamala seems to be getting support from Indians, blacks and women. In such a situation, challenges have increased for Trump.  

L: Libertarian

American citizens who support the individual liberty of conservative ideology vote for Trump's Republican Party. However, they do not support the party on many issues such as homosexuality.

M: Mexico Wall

When Trump first became the President of America, he was adamant on building a wall on the Mexican border despite all the criticism. In such a situation, if he is elected as the President of America again, he will take more strict measures on the southern border. Also, there will be strictness on the issue of illegal immigrants.  

N: Elections on the first Tuesday of November

In America, elections for the post of President are held every four years. A law was made in 1845 to hold elections on the same day in all the states of America.

Under this law, voting takes place on the Tuesday following Monday in the first week of November. According to this, elections are held between November 1 and November 8.

O: Oval Office and Ohio

Oval Office: A special building built in the western wing of the White House is named 'Oval Office'. Built in the year 1930, this building is where the US President holds his office. The President handles all his work from here.

Ohio: This state always plays an important role in the US presidential elections. Till date, no Republican candidate has been able to reach the presidency without winning here.

P: Postal ballot  

In the US Presidential Election 2024, voting will also be done through postal ballots and absentee ballots in many states. Each state in America has different rules. Some states themselves send postal ballots to their registered voters, while in some states voters have to apply to receive postal ballots.

This time, voters with health problems and those on special duty will vote by postal ballot or drop box. Let us tell you that for the first time in the elections held during the Corona epidemic in America, more than 65 percent of the votes were cast through post.

Q: QAnon

This is a group that creates an environment in favour of the Republican Party led by Trump. This group has currently gathered political support for Trump on social media through many issues including blacks.

R: Republican Party

The oldest party in America is the Republican Party, which is why it is also called the 'Grand Old Party'. The unofficial symbol of the party is the 'elephant'. This party was founded in 1800 to oppose slavery. Abraham Lincoln was the first president elected from this party.
 

S: Swing States

There are many states in the US presidential election that play a very important role in electing the president. In swing states, the fight between Republicans and Democrats is very close, meaning the winner here wins by a very small margin.

There are seven swing states in this election, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

T: Taxation

Both the major parties of America- Democratic and Republican are in support of the need to impose tax on the rich people and big companies. The money earned from this can be used to start welfare schemes. However, this time Trump has promised to give tax exemption to businessmen.

U: US Territory

There are five islands including Puerto Rico which are under the control of America, but these islands do not have the right to vote in presidential elections. Apart from Puerto Rico, these include American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and US Virgin Islands. However, except for presidential elections, they have the right to vote in congressional elections and primary elections.

V: Voting machines

After a report of interference by Russia during the US presidential election in 2016, initiatives are being taken to not conduct elections using EVMs there. In 2020, due to Corona, the option of mail-in ballots i.e. vote by post was used.

W: Who Can Vote

153 million registered voters will cast their votes in today's voting for the US Presidential election. Out of these, 41 million are young voters. 825,000 transgender voters can also participate in this election.

Y: Yuan

The impact of China's growing influence can also play an important role in the elections. The competition between Yuan and Dollar took the form of a trade war between China and America. If we recall Trump's tenure, many types of sanctions were imposed on each other by both the countries.

In such a situation, it remains to be seen that if Trump becomes President again this time, then the relations between America and China will remain the same or will improve.  

Z: Zinger

During the debates between the candidates in the US presidential election, certain words or sentences are used in their introductions that the listeners find interesting. Such things are read with great interest on social media.