This corresponds to AQA specification 3.2.1.5, “The electoral process and direct democracy” (AQA 7152, Government and Politics of the USA). The AQA specification combines campaign finance and state-level direct democracy, such as referendums, initiatives and recall elections, within this same section, whereas the Edexcel specification separates these into distinct sub-sections (electing the president and Congress in 3A.5.1, and campaign finance in 3A.5.2) and treats voting behaviour as a separate topic.
The table below sets out the tiers of the US electoral system, running from local government up to the presidency, as a starting reference point before the detail of the invisible primary, national party conventions and the electoral college is examined.
| Level | Office(s) elected | Electoral system used | Cycle | Relevance to the path to the presidency |
| Local government | Mayors, county officials, school boards | Mostly plurality (first past the post); a growing number of cities, for example New York, use ranked-choice voting | Varies by jurisdiction | The traditional entry point for a political career and for building a local party organisation |
| State legislatures | State House and Senate seats | Single-member plurality in most states | Two or four years, depending on the state | State legislatures control congressional redistricting, which shapes House competitiveness |
| Governorships | State governor | Plurality in most states; majority run-off in Georgia and Louisiana | Four years (two years in a few states) | A common launch pad for presidential candidacies, offering executive experience without a Washington record |
| US House of Representatives | 435 seats | Single-member plurality, except Maine and Alaska, which use ranked-choice voting | Two years, all seats contested | Midterm results are widely read as a referendum on presidential incumbency |
| US Senate | 100 seats (one third contested at a time) | Statewide plurality; majority run-off in Georgia; ranked-choice voting in Maine and Alaska | Six-year staggered terms | Senate control affects a president’s ability to pass legislation and confirm appointments, including to the Supreme Court |
| Presidential nomination | Party candidate | Primaries (open, closed, semi-closed) and a small number of remaining caucuses; delegate allocation is proportional or winner-take-all depending on the state and party | January to June of the election year, preceded by the invisible primary | Determines each party’s nominee before the general election |
| National party conventions | Formal nomination | Delegate vote | Summer of the election year | Ratifies the primary and caucus outcome, confirms the running mate, and sets the platform |
| Presidential general election | President | The electoral college: 538 electors, winner-take-all in 48 states and the District of Columbia, congressional district method in Maine and Nebraska | Every four years, in November | An indirect election in which the national popular vote does not determine the outcome, as seen in 2000 and 2016 |
A note on Donald Trump and this topic
Trump’s two terms in office are a useful thread to trace throughout this topic, particularly his reshaping of the Republican invisible primary and convention process in 2024, his continued dominance of the party’s organisation as an incumbent-adjacent figure, and the post-Citizens United campaign finance landscape that has shaped his fundraising through Super PACs.