How the Electoral College Works

What exactly is the Electoral College?

The Electoral College is a political voting system in which voters vote for electors and then electors vote for candidates. It evolved as a compromise solution for the selection of the country's president. When the United States Constitution was being refined, some politicians were concerned that Congress would have too much power if it had the authority to decide who would be president. Other politicians felt that a popular election based solely on votes by citizens was too risky a proposition. Thus, the Electoral College was born.

How the Electoral College is structured

The number of electors varies by state. Each state has two electors, one for each of its United States senators, which is standard. States are also allotted one elector for each of its members in the United States House of Representatives, which changes the equation of electors for each state. Therefore, heavily populated states have more (in some cases, many more) electors than those states with fewer residents. In addition, the District of Columbia presently has three electors. Currently, the Electoral College is made up of 538 electors.

Who are the electors?

Electors tend to be politically active individuals but, interestingly, there don't seem to be any mandatory qualifications for the position. According to the United States National Archives and Records Administration, however, the United States Constitution (article 2, section 1, clause 2) does state what an elector cannot be: a senator or representative, any other high-ranking official "holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States", and-in a throwback to the post-Civil War era-anyone who has "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the country. Electors therefore may be elected state officials, leaders of various parties, activities, and personal or professional colleagues of presidential candidates. The criteria for selecting electors can vary among states. However, two common selection criteria are that the potential elector is nominated by the state party committee, or lobbies for the position and is voted in at the state's party convention. Generally, a state's certification of its electors is considered proof that the individuals are qualified. On the day of the general election the residents of each state vote on its final electors.

The voting process

On the Monday following the second Wednesday in December, electors of each state meet in their respective capitals and cast their official votes for the offices of president and vice president of the United States. These sealed votes are then forwarded to the president of the United States Senate. On January 6, the Senate president unseals the votes and announces the results to all members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. At noon on January 20, the winning candidate is sworn into office.

Why the Electoral College is more important than the popular vote

After the presidential election in 2000, United States voters witnessed firsthand how the Electoral College can be more important than the popular vote. In that election, Democratic candidate Al Gore received a higher number of popular votes, but still lost the election to Republican candidate George W. Bush, who had won the most electoral votes. The total number of electoral votes-not popular votes-determines who wins the office of president. Most of the time, electors cast their ballots for the candidate who has received the majority of votes in their respective states. But this is not always the case. No federal law exists against electors (known as "faithless electors") who vote against their party.