Are we really voting for the president? No. The ballots indicate the names of the presidential candidates; however, we do not vote for them directly. The national popular vote does not count. The actual voting for president and vice president is done by state-appointed electors, who are collectively called the Electoral College. These voters are members of the Republican or Democratic parties who have promised to vote for their respective party’s candidate.

How many voters does a state have? Each state is assigned electors based on the number of representatives it has (based on population) plus two for its two senators. Ohio has 17 electoral votes. This system grants greater representation per capita to smaller states. Wyoming, the smallest state, has one voter per 195,495 residents, and California, the largest state, has one voter per 720,181 residents. Washington, DC, receives three electoral votes, bringing the total to 538.

How do states allocate their electoral votes to candidates? Almost all states award all of their electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most votes in their state. Nebraska and Maine divided their electoral votes based on the popular vote in that state.

Does the Electoral College always elect the candidate who receives the most votes in the entire country? No. Five times the candidate who won in the Electoral College lost the popular vote. Most recently, in 2016, Hillary Clinton won 2.8 million more votes than Donald Trump in the popular vote. Trump won the Electoral College convincingly by 304 votes to 227.

Why do candidates spend most of their time campaigning in only eight states? The result in 42 states is predictable. Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Nebraska are competitive enough to swing the Electoral College outcome.

When will we know who is elected president? Election Day this year is November 5. Television screens will fill with maps showing red (Republican) and blue (Democratic) states as the partial vote count arrives. The eight swing states are usually shown in light red or light blue to indicate predictions of how they will play out based on different countries. scenarios for either candidate to get 270 electoral votes to win. Uncertainty is to be expected. Verifying and counting mail-in ballots takes time, and a recount may be necessary in states where voting is extremely restricted. Legal challenges are already underway. Therefore, the result may not be known for several days.

What is the Electoral College schedule? On December 11, the governor of each state signs the certificate of verification to appoint the electors chosen in the general election. On December 17, electors in each state meet to vote for president and vice president. On January 6, Congress met to certify the vote. Under the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, Congress can only accept the certificate of each state’s governor. Congress counts the votes submitted by each state. If no candidate receives a majority, the election goes to the House of Representatives, where each state has one vote.

Should we abolish the Electoral College? The current system is undemocratic. This disenfranchises conservative urban voters and liberal rural voters. To win electoral votes, candidates spend almost all their time campaigning in swing states. These eight states combined account for less than 19% of the total US population. Electing the president by direct popular vote would force candidates to compete for every vote in every state.

Jacqueline Richey, member of Living Democracy: Engaging Citizens, a local citizens group. Our mission is to inform and educate the Mid-Ohio Valley about how government works at the local, state and federal levels and how citizens can be involved to make our democracy work. Join us the third Wednesday of each month. [email protected] and facebook/speak foryourselfvote and Living Democracy Youtube channel