Who picks the next president?
The Electoral College does. It is a group of people called electors. The electors come from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. They cast the official votes for president in December. Their votes are called electoral votes.
What happens on Election Day then?
Americans cast ballots on Election Day. This is called the popular vote. The presidential candidates’ names are on the ballot. But people are really voting for electors who have pledged, or promised, to vote for a particular candidate.
How many electors does each state have in the Electoral College?
A state has the same number of electors as it does senators and representatives in Congress. Every state has two senators. But a state’s number of representatives is based on population. States with more people have more representatives. That means they have more electors too.
How does a candidate win?
There are 538 electors in the Electoral College. Each has one electoral vote. A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to win. In most states, the candidate who wins the popular vote gets all of that state’s electoral votes. In Maine and Nebraska, electoral votes can be split between candidates. (To better understand how this works, check out The Race to 270, our interactive Electoral College map!)
Why is the election set up like this?
The people who wrote the U.S. Constitution disagreed on how the president should be chosen. Some thought people should vote directly for the president. Others wanted Congress to pick the president. The Electoral College was a compromise.
Does the candidate who wins the popular vote always win in the presidency?
Not always. In the 2016 election, Donald Trump won the presidency with 304 electoral votes, even though he lost the popular vote. This situation has happened four other times in U.S. history. Because of this, some people want to get rid of the Electoral College.
Who selects the president?
That honor goes to the Electoral College—a group of people called electors who represent all 50 states and Washington, D.C. They cast the official votes for president in December, about one month after Election Day. Their votes are called electoral votes.
What happens on Election Day then?
Americans do vote on Election Day, in what is known as the popular vote. But they aren’t voting directly for president, even though the presidential candidates’ names are on the ballot. They are voting for their state’s electors—people who have pledged to support a particular candidate.
How many electors does each state have?
Each state has the same number of electors as it has members in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Every state has two senators, but the number of representatives depends on a state’s population. More people means more electors—and more electoral college votes.
How does a candidate win?
There are 538 electors in the Electoral College. Each elector gets one electoral vote. A candidate needs a majority of the electoral votes cast to win in the Electoral College. That works out to at least 270. Most states use a “winner takes all” rule regarding electors: the candidate who gets the most votes from people in a state wins all of that state’s electors. In Maine and Nebraska, however, electors can be split between candidates. (To better understand how this works, check out The Race to 270, our interactive Electoral College map!)
What happens if neither candidate gets a majority of electoral votes?
That situation is unlikely, but it has happened once before—in 1800. If it occurs, the House of Representatives would elect the president from the top three candidates.
Why is the election set up like this?
In 1787, the Framers of the U.S. Constitution clashed over how the president should be chosen. Should citizens vote directly for the nation’s leader? Or should Congress decide? They compromised by having states vote through the Electoral College.
Does the candidate who wins the popular vote always win in the presidency?
Not always. For example, in 2016, Republican Donald Trump won the presidency with 304 electoral votes, despite losing the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by about 2.9 million votes. (Experts say the “winner takes all” rule was one reason for the difference. Trump narrowly edged out Clinton in the popular vote of a few states with a high number of electors.) This situation has happened four other times in U.S. history—prompting some Americans to advocate getting rid of the Electoral College altogether.
