For more than 200 years, the United States has held quadrennial presidential elections in both peacetime and war. Yet some of us ask, “Is this any way to select our leader?” No other nation does it the way we do. Trace how our unique system evolved through four distinct eras: the first- and second-party systems era; the political bosses and machines era; the expanding suffrage and expanding media power era; and the modern era dominated by debates, 24-hour cable news and social media. Learn what has changed and what hasn’t. Share ideas on how to make the process better!