When Americans cast their votes on November 5, they are not directly electing the presidential candidates themselves. Voters are casting ballots for competing slates of “electors” who will in turn cast the actual votes for president and vice president on December 17.
Collectively, the electors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are referred to the “Electoral College.” The presidential candidate who wins the majority of the popular vote on election night does not necessarily win the White House. In order to win the presidency, a candidate must win a majority of votes in the Electoral College.
The Electoral College is comprised of 538 electors who represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each state has between three and 54 electoral votes. A candidate needs a majority of electoral votes – 270 – to win.
In 48 states and the District of Columbia, all electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who wins a plurality of the popular vote in that state. This is known as the “winner-take-all” system. Two states – Maine and Nebraska – do not award their electoral votes according to a winner-take-all system.
Read more about the Electoral College below:
Read more about how the US election works.
