The Electoral College is the unique American system of electing presidents. It’s different from the popular vote and has an outsized impact on how candidates run and win campaigns. Republicans Trump and Bush lost the popular vote in their presidential campaigns but won the electoral college to claim the nation’s highest office.

Some Democrats say the system favors Republicans and would prefer that the United States elect its presidents by a simple majority. But the country’s creators established the system in the Constitution, and it would take a constitutional amendment to change it.

A look at the Electoral College and how it works, as Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, vie for the White House on Election Day, November 5:

What is the Electoral College?

The Electoral College is a 538-member body that elects a president. The framers of the Constitution established it to give more power to the states and as a compromise to avoid having Congress decide who wins.

Electors in each state vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in that state. The runner-up gets nothing, except in Nebraska and Maine, where electors’ votes are awarded based on congressional district and statewide results.

How many electoral votes do you need to win the presidential election?

To win the presidency, a candidate must obtain 270 electoral votes, a majority of the 538 possible votes.

Could there be a tie in the Electoral College?

Yes, there are unlikely scenarios in which two candidates could end up in a 269-269 tie, in which case Congress would decide the presidency, NBC News reports.

How is this different from the popular vote?

Under the Electoral College system, more weight is given to a single vote in a small state than to that of a person in a large state, sometimes leading to results at odds with the popular vote.

It also affects how candidates campaign. Because the outcome is almost certain in both solidly Republican and solidly Democratic states, candidates tend to focus most of their efforts on a handful of swing states that split their votes in recent elections.

Who are the voters?

Voters are allocated based on the number of representatives a state has in the House of Representatives, plus its two senators. The District of Columbia gets three, even though the congressional seat has no congressional voting rights.

This varies by state, but electors are often chosen by state parties. Members of Congress cannot be voters.

Does the District of Columbia have electoral votes?

Yes, even though the District of Columbia is not a state, he has three electoral votes.

How and when are votes counted?

After state election officials certify their elections, electors come together in their individual states – never as one body – to certify the election. This year it will take place on December 17.

If both candidates receive an equal number of votes, the election goes to the House, where each state’s congressional delegation gets one vote. This only happened twice, in 1801 and 1825.

Once a state’s electors have certified their vote, they send a certificate to Congress. Congress then officially counts and certifies the vote in a special session on January 6. The vice president presides over the opening and verification of the envelopes of each state.

Can lawmakers object?

Lawmakers can object to a state’s results during certification by Congress, as several Republicans did after the 2020 election. On January 6, 2021, the House and Senate both voted to reject the results. GOP objections to Arizona and Pennsylvania results.

After Trump tried to overturn his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden and his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, Congress updated the electoral count law from the 1800s to make it harder to count. objection and to more clearly define the ceremonial role of the vice president, among other things. other changes. Trump had pressured Vice President Mike Pence to try to object to the results — something the vice president has no legal authority to do.

Once Congress certifies the vote, the new or outgoing president will be inaugurated on January 20 on the steps of the Capitol.

Which state has the most electoral votes?

California holds the most electoral votes with 54.

Which state has the fewest electoral votes?

Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming all have three electoral votes, the fewest of any state.