Understanding the Electoral College
The Electoral College is the system we use to elect the president and vice president, rather than direct popular vote.
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It is established in the U.S. Constitution - and described in Article II - as a compromise between electing the president by Congress and by a popular vote of citizens. Voters in each state select a group of electors (how this happens varies by state), who then formally cast their votes for president. The number of electors each state has is equal to the number of representatives they have in the House of Representatives, plus their two senators.. two senators plus the number of members in the House, which is based on population. There are 538 total electors, and a candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win. To read our full resource, click the button below: |