How does the Electoral College work? A simple explanation for the 2024 presidential election

5 presidents in U.S. historical past have received the presidency with out successful the favored vote, and the newest to take action was Donald Trump in 2016. His opponent that yr, Hillary Clinton, received over 2.8 million extra votes than Trump nationwide, however she misplaced sufficient key states to be defeated within the Electoral School, 306 to 232. 

Trump misplaced each the favored vote and the Electoral School to Joe Biden in 2020. (As soon as once more the electoral vote was 306 to 232, however this time within the Democrat’s favor.) Trump is the GOP nominee once more within the 2024 presidential election, in what’s formed as much as be a decent race in opposition to Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Since its founding, the nation has used the Electoral School to elect the president. Learn on to study extra about the way it works, its historical past and what function particular person voters play within the end result of the presidential election.

What’s the Electoral School and the way does it work?

The Electoral School is the method by which Individuals elect their president and vp not directly by means of their state’s electors. Candidates should safe 270 electoral votes, a majority of the 538 at stake, to win the White Home. 

Earlier than the overall election, states choose slates of electors. After voters forged their ballots in November, the candidate who wins the favored vote determines which slate of electors — Republican, Democrat or a 3rd celebration — will forged electoral votes within the Electoral School for the president. 

In most states, it is winner-take-all — whoever will get probably the most votes within the state wins all of its electoral votes. 

In Maine and Nebraska, the foundations are barely completely different. They’ve a proportional illustration system through which the winner of every congressional district is awarded one electoral vote, and the winner of the statewide vote is awarded every state’s remaining two electoral votes. Some Republicans had been hoping to vary Nebraska’s guidelines to a winner-take-all mannequin, since considered one of its electoral votes usually goes to the Democrat, however the trouble fell quick. 

Electors meet of their respective states in mid-December to forged their votes for the president. The assembly takes place the primary Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December, which falls on Dec. 17 this yr. 

There isn’t any Constitutional provision or federal regulation that requires electors to vote for the candidate to whom they’re pledged, although they nearly at all times do. “Faithless electors” are uncommon, for the reason that electors are chosen by the events.

What number of electors are within the Electoral School?

There are 538 electors in complete throughout the 50 states and Washington, D.C. 

What determines what number of electoral votes a state will get?

Every state is allotted electors primarily based on the scale of its congressional delegation. A number of states with the smallest populations — Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming — have three electors every, since they’ve one consultant within the Home and two senators, whereas California, the most important, has 54 electoral votes.  Washington, D.C., can also be allotted three electors.

States could acquire or lose electors because the inhabitants shifts, and there have been quite a lot of adjustments for the reason that 2020 presidential election.

Within the redistricting that adopted the 2020 Census, Texas gained two electoral votes and 5 states gained one every, whereas seven states misplaced one electoral vote.

Who chooses the electors?

The electors are chosen earlier than the overall election by their respective political celebration. Their sole objective is to satisfy of their state following the November election and forged two votes — one for the president and one for the vp.

Who’re the electors?

Every celebration’s slate of electors could embody state and native elected officers, celebration leaders, group activists and others affiliated with the celebration. They’re usually chosen “to acknowledge their service and dedication to that political celebration,” the Nationwide Archives explains.

There are not any main {qualifications}, however members of Congress and sure different office-holders are barred from collaborating, together with anybody who has engaged in revolt or riot.

What occurs if there is a tie within the Electoral School?

Within the uncommon occasion that there is a tie within the Electoral School — which within the trendy period would imply every candidate wins 269 electoral votes — members of the newly elected Home of Representatives would determine the end result of the presidential election, whereas the Senate would choose the vp.

Such a contingent election would additionally happen if neither candidate wins a majority. This might happen if a third-party candidate wins a few of the electoral votes or if there are a variety of “faithless electors” who break their pledge and vote for a candidate apart from the one who received the state’s well-liked vote.

If it went to the Home, every state would get a single vote, whatever the dimension of its congressional delegation, and the 50 Home delegations (the District of Columbia wouldn’t take part) would choose one of many high three presidential candidates.

The vp can be chosen by a easy majority within the Senate, and all senators would have a vote. Consequently, it is potential that the president and vp may very well be from completely different events.

For the reason that twelfth Modification was ratified in 1804, there have been contingent elections twice.

In 1824, 4 presidential candidates break up the vote, and no candidate received an electoral majority. John Quincy Adams received the election within the Home, regardless that Andrew Jackson had received a plurality of the favored and electoral votes.

And in 1837, Martin Van Buren received a majority of electoral votes, however Virginia’s 23 electors refused to help his vice presidential candidate, Richard Johnson, and have become faithless electors. That left Johnson one vote quick, resulting in a contingent election within the Senate, which he received simply.

Why will we vote if the Electoral School picks the president?

5 presidents in U.S. historical past have misplaced the favored vote and nonetheless managed to win the election, main some to surprise why the nation continues to maintain the Electoral School in place. The Electoral School was established in Article II of the Structure and may very well be repealed by constitutional modification. However that is a troublesome street. Amendments require a two-thirds majority vote in each homes of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states, or 38 of the present 50.

In a 2023 Pew Analysis ballot, 65% of Individuals mentioned the president must be elected by means of the favored vote, not the Electoral School. A whole lot of proposals have been launched in Congress to vary the method over time. There’s additionally a multi-state effort referred to as the Nationwide In style Vote Interstate Compact, which has been adopted by 17 states and Washington, D,C. That proposal would be certain that the winner of the favored vote will get all the electoral votes within the states that signed the compact — however it might solely go into impact if sufficient states agree.

So why hold the Electoral School in place if there’s a lot frustration from Individuals? Based on the Nationwide Archives, the Founding Fathers noticed the Electoral School as a center floor between giving the choice to Congress or to a direct vote by residents. Proponents say it retains much less populous states from being underrepresented by discouraging candidates from campaigning disproportionately in city facilities which might be extra closely populated. 

What is the historical past of the Electoral School?

The Founding Fathers established the Electoral School within the Structure in 1787. The time period “Electoral School” doesn’t seem within the nation’s historic doc, however the phrase “electors” does, the Nationwide Archives famous.

The ratification of the twelfth Modification in 1804 modified a few of the guidelines for the Electoral School. For instance, it required separate electoral votes be forged for the president and vp. With the ratification of the twenty third Modification in 1961, the District of Columbia obtained three electors.