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Everything you need to know about the 2020 US election
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Election 2020 in America: Joe Biden wins 16 videos
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Everything you need to know about the 2020 US election
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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks during a drive-in campaign rally in the parking lot of Cellairis Ampitheatre on October 27, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. Biden is campaigning in Georgia on Tuesday, with scheduled stops in Atlanta and Warm Springs. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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WILMINGTON, DELAWARE - NOVEMBER 07: President-elect Joe Biden addresses the nation at the Chase Center November 07, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. After four days of counting the high volume of mail-in ballots in key battleground states due to the coronavirus pandemic, the race was called for Biden after a contentious election battle against incumbent Republican President Donald Trump. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published October 18, 2020.

CNN  — 

President Donald Trump tried to declare victory in the presidential election early Wednesday.

But he hasn’t won, because all the votes haven’t been counted – and in some ways, the process is just getting started.

While Americans vote on or before Election Day, picking the US president is actually a months-long process and the election is just one step.

The system is especially confusing because voters only cast ballots to determine which candidate gets to send a handpicked group of allies known as electors to the Electoral College, where the actual presidential vote takes place. (Here’s a refresher on that.)

The whole timeline is below.