The Electoral College

Electoral College Text Version Every four years, Americans go to the polls to elect the next president, but a lot goes into the process. In the United States, we use the Electoral College to determine the president. No, not that sort of college. The Electoral College is a system, not a place. The Founding Fathers were afraid of the direct election of the president. They feared a tyrant could manipulate public opinion and come to power. They also wanted to give power to smaller states. They decided that the Electoral College was the solution. Each state has the same number of electoral votes as representatives in Congress. So, no state has less than three electoral votes. Still confusing? Let's take it step-by-step. It's election day. You live in Florida and vote for Candidate A for president. It's a close race, but Candidate B gets the most votes in Florida. Because Florida is a "winner-take-all" state, all of its electoral votes go to the winner of the popular vote in Florida. You're bummed because your candidate didn't win Florida—but it's not over yet! There are 538 electoral votes available, and a candidate needs to earn more than half to win. Half of 538 is 269, so the winner of a presidential election will need 270 votes or more to secure the victory. As each state's popular vote is counted, it is determined which candidate receives their electoral votes. Finally, all the states' counts are in, and Candidate A gains the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the election. A month later, the designated electors in each state meet to officially cast their electoral votes. The electors from Florida will cast two votes each: one for Candidate B for president and another for the vice president. Remember, even though Candidate A won the national election, Candidate B won the election in Florida. Florida’s electoral votes go to Candidate B. It’s a difficult system to understand. But it's been used since our nation's first presidential election in 1789. And the only way to change it is to amend the Constitution.