On 5 November, Americans will elect a new president… It’s less than a month away, so for the next few weeks, we’re dedicating Squiz Shortcuts to get you up to speed. In this short series, we’ll cover the big issues on voters' minds, where the campaign has landed just before election day - and then we’ll get you across the result. But to start with, we’re covering off how US presidential elections work.

Squiz recommends:

Reading: This piece about Hillary Clinton calling for the electoral college system to be dismantled. She made that statement about a year after losing the 2016 election despite winning the popular vote.

Following: This interactive map of the electoral college votes and where things currently stand according to the polls. You’ll see why those swing states are important in settling this.

Want the email version? Sign up for the Shortcuts newsletter here.

Your Shortcut to... the US Election Part 1: How the voting works