The Electoral College system was established by the founding founders as a compromise between an election by a vote in Congress or by a popular vote from the American people. In order to be elected as President, a candidate must have the majority of the electoral votes. A candidate must accumulate a total of 270 out of the 538 in order to win the election.

If the country were to stray from the Electoral College, it would require two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the States to ratify a Constitutional amendment, as the system is part of the original design of the U.S. Constitution.

A Brief History:

During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the attendees had considered several methods that would elect a president. Eventually, the matter fell to the Committee of Eleven of Postponed Matters, which devised the Electoral College system. Other members of the convention agreed with this method and wrote it into Constitution with only minor changes. The system’s goal was to compromise between states’ and federal interest while giving the American people the ability to have a say in politics. The Electoral College was also devised to protect elections from political manipulation. Like much of the Constitution, the founding fathers did not give great detail and left the section of the Electoral College system up for interpretation. The system has evolved over time and is slightly different than what it was intended to be.

How it Works Today:

Each election consists of the following sectors: selection of electors, Election Day, the meeting where the electors cast their votes, Congress verifying and counting the votes, and the Inauguration. On Election Day, you not voting for the candidate and their running mate, but rather your state’s electors. The electors are pre-selected some time before the general election and are typically picked by the candidate’s political party in each state. There are not many qualifications or guidelines regarding the electors, however, they cannot be anyone who holds an office in government including, but not limited to, Senators, Representatives, or officials in position in an Office of Profit or Trust. These limitations are defined by Article II, section 1 of the Constitution. There are no other federal laws or legislature that binds electors to voting based on the popular vote in their respective state or by their political affiliations. Some states, New Jersey excluded, do have laws that or measures that place electors under oath. These pledges can either be a pledge under State law or a pledge bound to a political party.

Each state is allocated a different number of electoral votes, or electors, based on three things: Their representation in the Senate. Every state has two Senators, delegates in Congress, and population. The decennial census for 2010 will be used for each state’s population for both the 2016 and 2020 elections. Electoral votes can be adjusted based on a state’s population, meaning that states can gain votes if their population increases or states can lose votes based on a decrease in population. California has the most electoral votes at 55 and Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Montana, the Dakotas, Vermont, and Wyoming have the least amount of votes at 3. If you wish to see a complete list, please refer to this chart from the federal archives.

The popular vote in each state determines which candidate’s electors represent your state. Based on Shore’s latest survey results, Mr. Trumps’s electors would represent Shore at the meeting of the electors. That is assuming that Shore, like 48 states and the District of Columbia, used the General Ticket system, or winner-takes-all. In these states, whichever candidate receives the popular in the general election also receives all of the state’s electoral votes. In the two states that do not use the General Ticket system, Nebraska and Maine, they use a proportional representation system.

The results of the general election are then recorded by the governor of each state in a document called the Certificate of Ascertainment. The document lists all the candidates and names their electors. The Certificate of Ascertainment also declares the winning candidate and which electors will represent your state. In December of the election year, the electors meet in their respective states and to cast their votes for president and vice president. Their ballots are recorded on a Certificate of Vote and sent to Congress and the National Archives as part of the official records of the election.

The last part of the election process is the joint-session of the Senate and the House of Representatives in which the Certificates of Vote are read for each state. The meeting takes place on January 6 in the year immediately following the election. The candidates who receive the majority, 270, of the 538 electoral votes is declared the winner by either the President or the Vice President, though most commonly the Vice President. If none of the candidates meet this requirement, the House and the Senate hold a Contingent Election in which the president is chosen by them.

For more information, please visit the Federal Archive’s FAQ page. If you are unsure of where to vote, please Google “where do I vote”and the following image will appear. After entering your address, it should show you your polling center on the map, provide you with an address, and other resources for Election Day. You could also visit your town’s website.