What is the Electoral College?
The president and vice president of the United States are not elected by popular vote, but by the Electoral College – a system devised by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution. When people cast their votes, they’re actually voting for party slates of electors pledged to the candidates. Generally, the candidate who wins the most number of popular votes in a state wins the state’s entire slate of electoral votes. The candidate with the majority of electoral votes–at least 270 out of 538 possible wins. Each state is allotted as many electors as it has members in Congress. States with larger populations have more electoral votes. So it’s possible to win the popular vote but not the presidency. That actually happened in the 2000 election with George W. Bush and Al Gore. The electors are chosen by a variety of methods according to each state including primaries, party conventions and party organizations.
The Electoral College is the group of citizens designated by the states to cast votes for the president and vice president on behalf of state citizens. The process for selecting electors varies from state to state, but usually the political parties nominate electors at state party conventions or by a vote of the party’s central committee. The voters in each state, by casting votes for president and vice president, choose the electors on the day of the general election. The Electoral College, not the popular vote, elects the president, but the two votes are tied closely.
