No matter where you are in the world right now, it’d be difficult to miss the news of the U.S. election and the showdown between Donald Trump (Republican) and Kamala Harris (Democrat).

After two assassination attempts, a candidate dropping out of the race, and Beyoncé showing up at a rally, we’ve made it to election week.

I’ve written you a cheat sheet to help you make it through. This is your central place to ctrl+f phrases like ‘electoral college’ and ‘swing state’. Let’s dive in.

The U.S. holds a presidential election every four years.

Current President Joe Biden won the 2020 election and had planned to get re-elected.

However, he dropped out in July after a poor debate performance against Trump, marking the first time in modern political history that a candidate withdrew so close to polling day.

It made way for his Vice President, Kamala Harris, to run in his stead. At the Democratic National Convention, she announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her Vice President.

Likewise, Trump chose Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate at the Republican National Convention.

This week, millions of Americans will have the opportunity to choose either Harris/Walz or Trump/Vance. Voting isn’t compulsory, so we’ll have to wait and see how many actually turn up.

The presidential campaign has been dominated by three key issues: the economy, abortion, and immigration.

In a poll conducted by Pew Research Centre, 81% of all voters rated the economy as a high priority issue. 

Republicans have blamed Harris for the Biden administration’s economic performance – especially inflation (rising prices), which peaked at an annual rate of 9.1% in June 2022 and since eased to 2.4%. Trump, for his part, has promised to “end inflation”. 

Harris has appealed to lower and middle-income families with policies including a $US6,000 child tax credit and a first-home buyers grant to help with a deposit. 

Trump’s economic agenda involves a corporate tax cut for companies that “make their products in America”, and imposing high taxes on countries importing goods to the U.S.

Moving on to the next issue, another Pew poll shows an 11% jump between 2020 and 2024 in people saying abortion is a key matter.

That’s because in 2022 the Supreme Court overturned its 1973 decision in the Roe v. Wade case, which had protected abortion at the national level. Now, individual states can set their own laws, leading to strong restrictions with limited exceptions across much of the country.  

Harris has campaigned on reinstating abortion protections, and released ads blaming Trump for his role in overturning Roe (he appointed three of the judges who voted in favour). 

Trump says he supports exemptions in limited circumstances, though his campaign states a clear opposition to “late-term abortions”.

Immigration has also taken centre stage in the campaign, with Trump rallying hard to “stop illegal immigrants” from crossing the U.S. border and calling for mass deportations.

Among voters, 82% of Trump supporters rate immigration as a major area of concern, compared to 39% of Harris backers. 

Harris has said she’ll curb unlawful crossings at the U.S-Mexico border, and promised to pass a border protection bill through Congress if she becomes President. She’s previously tried to do this, but it was defeated by Trump-backed Republicans.

The U.S. election isn’t just about winning the most votes. It’s also about winning the right votes.

That’s because of the ‘electoral college’.

The U.S. has 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, aka Washington D.C. Every state plus D.C. has a set number of ‘electoral college’ votes. This is based on their representation in Congress (Senators and members of the House of Representatives), which in turn is based on their population.

For example, the 40 million residents of California have 54 electoral college votes: 52 seats in the House + 2 Senators.

If either Harris or Trump wins the most votes in a state, they win all of its electoral college votes. The candidate who reaches 270 electoral college votes wins.

This process occurs for every state except Maine (4 electoral college votes) and Nebraska (5), where the electoral college votes are divided slightly differently. It’s all based on a very complicated formula, but some analysts say these results could sway the outcome of the election.

On election day, polls predict Harris will win Democrat-leaning states like California (54), Massachusetts (11), and Hawai’i (4), while Trump will win Republican-leaning states like Alabama (9), Arkansas (6) and Tennessee (11).

Their focus has been on the seven swing states, however. Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin have all flipped between Democrat and Republican wins at recent elections.

Harris and Trump have visited these states multiple times during their campaigns.

In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton won the most votes nationally (the popular vote), but lost the electoral college to Trump. That possibility will be front of mind for both Trump and Harris’ campaigns this time around.

The time difference between Australia and the U.S. means their Tuesday is really our Wednesday.

The first polls will close in Indiana and Kentucky at 9am AEDT on Wednesday, 6 November. All mainland states will have wrapped up voting by 2pm, with the last of votes being cast in Alaska and Hawai’i by 3pm.

That’s not to say we’ll know by Wednesday night our time — officials will still need to count mail-in ballots. In 2020, with a record wave of mailed ballots due to the pandemic, Biden’s victory wasn’t confirmed until four days after polls closed.

Whoever wins won’t officially become the President until a two-stage process in January. First, their win is certified by Congress, then they’re inaugurated later in the month.

That window is what led to trouble last time around.

After the 2020 election, Trump refused to concede and falsely claimed widespread voter fraud had taken place.

On 6 January 2021, bands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building to try to stop the Congress certification. Seven people died as a result, and court cases are still ongoing over Trump’s alleged actions after the election.

The U.S. has long been seen as the “leader of the free world”. It’s modelled itself as a democratic beacon, setting a standard of elected representatives running a country, in contrast to dictator rule.

Australia is one of many countries that will be impacted – through diplomacy and trade – by the election result and the uncertainty that could come with a change of administration.

Will Trump’s tariffs make it difficult for Australian businesses to sell to the U.S? Will Harris’ economic plans actually keep inflation down?

Will the war in Ukraine be over “within a day” of Trump entering the White House, like he’s promised? Will Harris continue Biden’s foreign policy, and what impact will that have?

Many will be anxiously watching to see who wins. The fate of the “free world” may depend on it.

Feeling lost in your banking?

Up is here to change that. Up is designed to help young Aussies (like us!) take control of our money without the usual headaches.

What does that look like? No extra fees and no sneaky charges - just banking designed for your lifestyle. Whether you’re ready to start saving for a home or plan your next adventure overseas, Up has your back.

Manage everything from your phone in minutes and feel good knowing your money isn’t funding fossil fuels. 

Ready to simplify your banking? Download the app and use the code TDA20 to get $20 in your account!

In this week's wrap of good news, we discuss the new aviation rule in the U.S, why thousands of people marched naked across a bridge in Brisbane, and the top NSW mental health researcher honoured.