This process flows on to affect the State numbers in the Electoral College, and means that population shifts will slowly alter the electoral significance of particular States or regions. As the number of Electoral College votes is constant, an increase in one State's votes must necessarily cause a drop in another's-though each is guaranteed a minimum of 3 votes. Since 1976 California's vote has grown from 45 to 54, but New York's has dropped from 41 to 33. If no candidate gains 270 votes, the election is decided by the House of Representatives, with all representatives of a State voting as a unit, and each State having 1 vote. The marathon that is the US Presidential election lasts for approximately two years.
Every State has a certain number of delegates to each convention.
In 2000 these delegates will be chosen in State-run caucuses and primary elections held between January and June. A State caucus is a multi-stage, internal party process that takes many weeks to conduct, but which encourages grassroots party participation. The number of delegates chosen by this method is declining as more States switch to primaries. Primaries are public ballots of registered party supporters to determine who will be the party's candidate. They have gradually become the preferred method of delegate selection.