text: The Electoral College is not a place but a process that was established by the founding fathers as a compromise between election of the president by a vote in congress and election of the president by a popular vote of qualified citizens. Each candidate running for president in a state has their own group of electors. A presidential election is held every four years so we can help choose our state's electors because when we vote for our candidate we actually are voting for our candidate's electors. Under the Electoral College system, voters vote not for the president, but for a slate of electors, who turn elect the president. The electors can be anyone not holding public office.