The Electoral College in U.S. presidential elections is an indirect voting system that determines the winner of the presidency. Each state is assigned a specific number of electoral votes based on its representation in Congress (the number of its House representatives plus its two senators). There are a total of 538 electoral votes, and a candidate must win a majority—at least 270 electoral votes—to be elected president.
Here’s how it works:
- Voters cast ballots in each state, not directly for a presidential candidate but for a slate of electors pledged to that candidate.
- Electors are generally chosen by the political parties of each state and are expected to vote for their party’s candidate.
- Most states use a “winner-takes-all” system, where the candidate with the most votes in the state receives all of that state’s electoral votes. However, Maine and Nebraska use a proportional system.
This system means that while the popular vote shows the total number of votes each candidate receives nationwide, the Electoral College determines the ultimate winner. The purpose of this system, established in the U.S. Constitution, is to balance the influence of high-population states with that of smaller states in presidential elections.