An Intro to the Electoral College and How It Works

3 weeks ago 15

October 24, 2024 | 10:20 pm

Republican and Democrats clap while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) commends Capitol Police and law enforcement for their work after rioters supporting President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol, as the House of Representatives reconvenes to continue the process of certifying the 2020 Electoral College results in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2021. Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The presidential election in the United States is set to take place on November 5, 2024, with the nomination of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. In a constitutional federal republic, a candidate becomes president through a system called the Electoral College. The system doesn’t translate the national popular vote into an immediate win for the candidate but will be based on the electoral votes to the 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to Reuters.

Here are some things to know about the Electoral College and how it rules the upcoming democracy party in the U.S. as quoted from various sources.

What is the Electoral College?

The Electoral College is a process for selecting electors, or typically party loyalists, to support a particular candidate. While the traditional election of voting directly for the candidate is widely used in other U.S. elections, the President and Vice President are chosen by the votes of the electors.

In November 2024, citizens will not vote for the presidential and vice presidential candidates. Instead, electors will vote for a group or slate of electors. There are a total of 538 electoral votes or electors, and the candidate needs at least 270 votes to secure victory.

How Does the Electoral College Work?

One elector represents one vote in the election and each candidate running for president generally chooses the group of electors, also known as a slate, before the election.

According to Reuters, each state has as many electors as it has representatives and senators in Congress. The number of seats in the House of Representatives can vary depending on the population of the state. While the most populous state, California, has 54 electors, the six least populous states have only three.

Most states use a winner-take-all system, except Maine and Nebraska, which use a variant of proportional representation.

A candidate can win the election but lose the popular vote. This has happened several times, most notably in the 1800s, 2000, and 2016.

Origin of the Electoral College

The origin of the Electoral College in Congress dates back to 1787 when the Founding Fathers were drafting the US Constitution. They agreed on a compromise presidential election system of a national popular vote of citizens and a vote in Congress. The law is enshrined in Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment.

Despite the flaws exposed in previous election rounds, the Electoral College is part of the original design of the US Constitution. Therefore, certain requirements must be met to change the entire system.

Countries that Use Electoral College

In today’s era, no country except the United States still adopts the electoral college approach. According to The Conversation, former electoral college countries like Colombia, Chile, France, Finland, and Argentina have abandoned the system long before the 2000s.

Reuters | USA.Gov | The Conversation

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