Ah, "The West Wing," how I love you so. My all-time favorite show, this series explains many key points about the political process and policy topics, and it's how I began learning about politics a long time ago when it first ran on television and my dad taped it to watch on weekends. Read on to find out which episodes will best prepare you for the presidential election, and a few other key informative clips.

1. How politics are conducted in New Hampshire: "Opposition Research"

Josh makes a strong point in this episode: that in New Hampshire, people think their vote is the most personal thing they have to give. It explains quite a bit about the importance of ground time in New Hampshire, where retail politics tends to reign supreme over policy. It also explains a concept called opposition research, where a campaign does research on other candidates to find out what can be used against them.

2. Midnight voting in New Hampshire: "Hartsfield's Landing"

In reality, the town isn't called Hartsfield's Landing. Rather, there are a few of them, one of which is called Hart's Location. These towns do indeed vote at midnight and the media gets to run these results all day until the polls close at 8 P.M. in the rest of the state.

3. What does Super Tuesday look like?: "La Palabra"

Super Tuesday is coming; it will be here on March 1st. It's not an easy day for candidates. There are far more states than they can visit and politics stop being retail, as it is in the early states. Media spots and interviews become far more important, making money a key issue. More candidates will likely drop out, and endorsements will be key.

4. What is a convention?: "2162 Votes"

OK, I will be the first to admit this is a rather dramatic, unusual situation to have at a convention, but you can get a preview of how conventions work before they happen in July. And who knows? Maybe this year's conventions will be as dramatic. After all, they can't be worse than the empty chair we saw last time around.

5. Debates: "Game On" and "The Debate"

I will admit the debates need a little explanation at this point, but these were two great episodes, these clips especially. Above, a clip about 10-word answers from the episode "Game On," which explains the problem with 10-word answers, the kind that politicians use so often.

Here, Congressman Santos defends the word 'liberal,' which is so often used as a slur these days.

6. Last minute crises can change the outcome of the election: "Duck and Cover"

Many a soul would attribute President Obama's reelection to Hurricane Sandy, and there is some polling data to back that up. This real-world example is examined in the seventh season episode "Duck and Cover."

7. Voting and the importance of not tempting fate: "Election Night"

Okay, everyone. Please, please, please, for the love of all things Bartlet, watch this video and don't make any of these mistakes. Also, remember that when you have the option of winning something, you can also lose it, and you should not tempt the wrath of the whatever by assuming victory, lest you need to go outside, turn around three times and spit. And curse. Just do everything.

8. What happens next?: "Tomorrow"

So, this isn't a happy episode as such, as it was the series finale, but it shows an Inauguration Day with an outgoing and incoming president. If you're curious about the process of moving in a new staff, this and the preceding episodes are what you should watch.

9. Islam is to Islamic extremists as Christianity is to...: "Isaac and Ishmael"

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, a special episode of "The West Wing" was filmed and put out instead of the first episode of the third season. It doesn't hold a spot in "West Wing" canon but contains some of the most important lessons that the show ever taught. One month after the Twin Towers fell, the cast attempted to break through the hatred and explain what was going on. Josh's analogy, which is explained in the clip above, is one of the key pieces of the show and something that everyone should seek to remember, especially in an election where there has been so much discussion of Islamic extremism.

10. The Buffett Rule: "Red Haven's on Fire"

This is a pretty good description of the so-called "Buffett Rule," named for Warren Buffett, who has supported Hillary Clinton in this election. Implementing the Buffett Rule is one of Clinton's policies.

11. Big Block of Cheese Day: "Crackpots and These Women"

Big Block of Cheese Day is always interesting and here Leo does a fine job of explaining what it is. One of my personal favorite things about the Obama administration is that they have begun holding online versions of this day, where staffers take questions online and then respond to them. Sadly, this happens only once a year or so.

12. Selecting a New Supreme Court Justice: "The Short List" and "The Supremes"

The death of Antonin Scalia has thrown a huge curve ball into the 2016 election, although it shouldn't, considering that President Obama still has nine months left before November and is not, in fact, a lame-duck President. He was, after all, elected for four years, not three. That being said, sometime in the next year we will see a new Supreme Court Justice nominated by the President of the United States and (unless it is a recess appointment) confirmed by the United States Senate. How well that will go, we'll just have to see. It very well may take something just as dramatic as what happens in "The Supreme" to get a confirmation, but it is more likely that it will go more along the lines of "The Short List."

Enjoy!