The winner of the popular vote in each state is awarded the electoral votes for that state. The candidate winning the majority of electoral votes wins. Given this arrangement, it is possible to win the popular vote and lose the electoral vote.
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• The electors in each state meet on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December (December 15 in 2008) to select the president and vice president of the United States. • No constitutional provision or federal law requires electors to vote in accordance with the popular vote in their state.
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The Electoral College determines the President and Vice-President of the United States. The Electoral College system also distinguishes the United States from other systems where the highest vote-getter automatically wins.
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• Each state is allocated a number of electors equal to the number of its U.S. senators (always two) plus the number of its U.S. representatives, which is based on the census of population conducted every 10 years.
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The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors who cast votes to decide the President and Vice-President of the United States. When voters go to the polls on Tuesday, they will be choosing which candidate receives their state's electors. The candidate who receives a majority of electoral votes (270) wins the Presidency. The number 538 is the sum of the nation's 435 Representatives, 100 Senators, and 3 electors given to the District of Columbia.
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How the Electoral College Works. Instead of voting directly for a presidential candidate (and his or her vice-presidential running mate), voters in the fifty states and the District of Columbia vote for a slate of electors who are pledged to vote for a particular presidential ticket (president/vice-president team).
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Yes, a candidate could lose the popular vote and win the electoral college vote. This happened to George W. Bush in 2000, who lost the popular vote to Al Gore by .51% but won the electoral college 271 to 266.
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The Constitution sets out the way the Electoral College works, with little direction about who can serve as electors. The Constitutional Basis. Excerpt from Article II, Section 1. The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.
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• The voters in each state choose the electors pledged to a presidential candidate on the day of the general election -- the Tuesday after the first Monday in November (November 4 in 2008).
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The Electoral College was established by the Founding Fathers of the United States as a compromise between election of the president by Congress and election by direct popular vote. The people of the United States vote for electors, who then vote for the president.
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how does the electoral college operate
Instead of voting directly for a presidential candidate voters in the fifty states and the District of Columbia vote for a slate of electors who are pledged to vote for a particular presidential ticket.