The US election process
The path to choose the 44th president of the United States of America on November 4, 2008, has already become the most expensive and longest presidential race on record.
So just how does it work?
The election
Every four years, American citizens choose the next president of the country.
Candidacy
Prospective candidates form an exploratory committee to gauge support for a presidential bid, and then declare themselves in the race for president well ahead of the formal process, in order to raise funding and launch their campaigns. Candidates battle against rivals in their own parties for their party's nomination for president.
Debates
Both parties hold televised debates including all candidates in the run-up to the primaries, for voters to get a better idea of their policies and how they match up against each other.
Primaries
The political parties in each of the 50 states hold their own elections to choose the nominees they think will be the party's best candidate for president of the country, and also elect the delegates that will represent the state at the national party conventions, who will then elect the presidential nominees. Some states hold caucuses - a local meeting system - to choose their nominees.
Delegates and super delegates
The complicated delegate formula differs in each party, but essentially gives each candidate delegates proportional to the number of votes received in the primary.
Democrats need a minimum of 2 025 out of 4 049 delegates to win their party's nomination.
Republicans need 1 191 out of 2 380 delegates to win the Republican presidential nomination.
National convention
The Democrat and Republican parties will hold their nominating conventions in August and September respectively, during which delegates will formally choose each party's presidential candidate. Often the strongest candidates have already emerged, so the conventions are more an opportunity to network and unify ahead of the final campaign.
Campaign
The successful candidate will then start the party's campaign for the presidency, and also name their vice-presidential running mate. The Democrat and Republican (and possibly independent) candidates will battle against each other for the first time. Policies are fine-tuned and the there are more advertisements, endorsements and public debates.
Election day
On November 4, 2008, Americans go to the polls to choose the president, members of the House of Representatives, and one-third of members of the US Senate.
The president is not actually chosen by the popular vote (the number of votes received), but by the Electoral College.
Electoral College
Remember how Al Gore got more votes but George W Bush won the 2000 US presidential election? It comes down to the Electoral College. Each party in each state chooses a number of electors proportional to the state's population and number of senators, members of Congress and House representatives. Only the electors from the winning party in each state make up the 538 electoral votes in the Electoral College.
What this means is that voters are actually electing the electors to the Electoral College, who are pledged to a certain candidate and who will then elect the new president. A candidate needs the majority of electoral votes - 270 - to win the presidency.
Inauguration
The new president will then be inaugurated on January 20, 2009.