text: The presidential election is held every four years on a tuesday after the first monday in november. What most states do is have a "winner-take-all" system that awards all electors to the winning presidential candidate. Then win the election is over the governor prepares a "Certificate of Ascertainment"with every candidate who ran for president names on it. That means who ever won it represents your state for when you try running for president. The certificate is sent to the congress and the National Archives as part of the official records of the presidential election.