What is the Electoral College?

The Electoral College is a constitutionally established process through which the President and Vice President of the United States are elected. Specifically, it consists of a group of representatives, known as electors, who are selected by each state and are responsible for formally casting votes for these offices. The system was created in part to balance the influence of populous states with less populous ones in the presidential election process.

Each state's number of electors is determined by its representation in Congress, which reflects both the number of senators (always two) and the number of representatives in the House, thus incorporating a measure of the state's population. When citizens cast their votes in a presidential election, they are actually voting for a slate of electors pledged to vote for their chosen candidate. The electors then convene in their respective state capitals after the election and officially cast their votes for President and Vice President.

This process underscores the compromise made by the framers of the Constitution to balance direct democracy with a republic, ensuring that both the popular vote and state representation are considered in selecting the nation’s leaders.