The race for the White House in 2024 has begun in what will likely be one of the most bitterly fought US elections.
As the polls stand, it seems likely next year’s election will be a rerun of 2020 with Donald Trump hoping to reverse his defeat by Joe Biden.
But despite both men polling way ahead of their rivals, there is little enthusiasm among voters for either candidate.
Mr Biden’s critics say the Democratic president is too old to seek a second term, at the end of which he would be 86. As a result of his son’s controversial business dealings, the president is also in danger of being mired in scandal, albeit by association.
Mr Trump, who will be 78 when voters go to the polls, is facing 91 criminal counts across four indictments and is expected to go on trial during the height of the election campaign.
There is no doubt the 2024 election contest will be one of the most unusual – and historically consequential – the nation has seen.
Below, The Telegraph lays out everything you need to know about the 2024 election.
- When is the next US election?
- How do parties choose their candidates?
- What is the electoral college?
- What is Super Tuesday?
- What are the key battleground states?
- What happens on election day?
- Can Trump run if indicted or convicted?
- What are the polls showing?
- US congressional elections: Who else is running in 2024
When is the next US election?
The US election day will be held on Tuesday, November 5 2024.
The winner will serve four years in the White House starting from their inauguration on January 20 2025.
Voters will be electing a president, but Congressional candidates for seats in the House of Representatives and the US Senate.
How do parties choose their candidates?
The first stage of the 2024 elections will see the two main political parties select their presidential candidates through either primary elections or caucuses in each state.
Iowa, as always, will go first on Jan 15, followed by New Hampshire a week later. The race typically reaches a decisive point by March 5, when more than a dozen states vote at once in what is known as Super Tuesday.
Primaries are regular elections to choose delegates for the party convention, where the party’s final candidate is confirmed. Some states rely on the caucus system where party members gather in person and debate who should be the candidate before choosing delegates accordingly.