In the American electoral system, people don't really vote for presidential candidates. Instead, voters cast their ballots for "electors" who support each candidate. Each state has as many electors as the total number of its representatives in Congress. This equals two senators per state plus the number of its representatives in the House (which is based on the state's population). The candidate who has the most votes in a state wins all of the state's electors. To win the presidential election, a candidate must gain at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes.

在美国的选举制度中，人们并不直接投票给总统候选人，而是由选民投票给支持各个候选人的“选举人”。每一州的选举人人数和代表此州的国会议员人数相同，等于每一州有两位参议员，加上众议院的众议员人数（以各州的人口为基准）。在一个州里拥有最多票数的候选人就赢得了那一州所有选举人的票数。要赢得总统大选，候选人必须至少获得总共538个选举人中的270张票。

Over the years, the U.S. has made a number of election reforms. Some early reforms outlawed cheating, giving bribes and threatening voters. They also limited the amount of money candidates could receive from donors and spend on their campaigns. In 1870, black people gained the right to vote, and in 1920, that right was extended to women. In recent decades, laws against unfair rules for voting have been passed. No longer do people have to pay a special tax or pass a test in order to vote. In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18. Other reforms made voting easier for the blind, the disabled and people who couldn't read. In some areas, ballots had to be printed in languages besides English.

多年来，美国在选举方面做了一些改革。早期有些改革禁止作弊、收受贿赂或威胁选民。他们也限制候选人从捐赠者那儿获得的金额数目及花在竞选宣传上的费用。一八七○年，黑人获得选举权。一九二○年，权利延伸至妇女。近几十年来，通过了反对不公平选举规则的法律。人们不再需要付特殊的税或通过测验才能选举。一九七一年，投票的年龄降至十八岁。其它的改革减轻了盲人、残障者及文盲投票的困难。在某些地区，选票上面除了英文以外，还必须印上别的文字。