How the US election works - BBC News?

The US election is like a big contest where people choose their favorite team to lead the country.

Everyone gets to vote, just like you pick your favorite ice cream flavor at the shop. In the US, people live in states, and each state has its own team, these are called candidates. There are usually two main teams: one is the Republicans, and the other is the Democrats.

In most places, people go to a special place called a polling station on Election Day and put a mark next to their favorite team, it's like picking your favorite ice cream with a sticker!

Each state has a certain number of electors, who are kind of like helpers that count the votes. If a team wins more votes in a state, they get more electors. The team with the most electors overall becomes the President.

After everyone votes, all the electors meet up and officially choose the President, it's like when your class votes for the best student, and the teacher counts the final tally. The person with the most votes becomes the leader of the country!