TRENDING

Whether or not you’re old enough to vote, you know that this year's election is super important. Now that we are officially in March, the presidential race is about to get way more intense—starting with Super Tuesday.

So what's Super Tuesday, and why is it such a big deal? If you're still a little confused as to what today is all about, here’s a quick guide.

What is Super Tuesday?

Typically, state primary elections (an election that helps narrow down the number of candidates before the actual presidential election) are spread out throughout the year. Super Tuesday, however, is the one huge exception. On Super Tuesday, more states will vote and more delegates are up for grabs than on any single day in the presidential primary campaign.

But wait, then what’s the SEC Primary?

The SEC Primary is just another name for Super Tuesday. If you follow college sports, it may sound really familiar. That’s because the SEC stands for the Southeastern Conference. Several states participating in Super Tuesday are southern states.

How many states will be voting?

13 states plus the territory of American Samoa will be voting today. These states include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. Colorado, Minnesota and the US territory of American Samoa are caucusing (more of a political event than a ballot vote).

What do you mean by “delegates are up for grabs”?

You need delegates to win the nomination, and on Super Tuesday there will be thousands of delegates that candidates can win votes from. 1,004 out of 4,763 will be available for Democrats, and 595 out of 2,472 for Republicans. For Democrats, there will be about 150 superdelegates up for grabs, too.

What is a superdelegate?

A superdelegate is an unpledged delegate—meaning they are free to vote for whatever candidate they want. Only Democrats use this system, though.

So why is Super Tuesday so important?

Before Super Tuesday, only about 2% of the Democratic delegates and 5% of the Republican delegates will have been awarded. After Super Tuesday, those numbers will skyrocket. Almost 25% of the Democratic delegates will be chosen, and the Republicans will grab nearly 30% of their delegates.

Check out this cool video that explains Super Tuesday using some of our favorite things: french fries and burgers. Watch it below or here on Amazon.

Have you been following the election news? What are you most interested in? Let us know in the comments.

by Caitlin Callihan | 3/1/2016