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Did you know that the “electoral college” you’ve been hearing so much about isn’t actually a real place? It actually refers to a process in which a selection of individuals cast votes to decide who our president and vice president will be.
You might think that when you vote in the November election, the person with the most votes win. This is known as the “popular vote”. And this the typical process — the person with the most votes automatically wins. But sometimes the person with the lesser votes wins because of the electoral college process, which was designed to ensure equal representation throughout the states.
Here’s How USA.gov Describes the Electoral College Process
“After you cast our ballot for president, your vote goes to a statewide tally. In 48 states and Washington, D.C., the winner gets all the electoral votes for that state. Maine and Nebraska assign their electors using a proportional system.”
“A candidate needs the vote of at least 270 electors — more than half of all electors — to win the presidential election. In most cases, a projected winner is announced on election night in November after you vote. But the actual Electoral College vote takes place in mid-December when the electors meet in their states.” (TAKE A POLL: Do You Attend Weekly Religious Services?)
What Happens If Someone Does The Wrong Thing?
“While the Constitution does not require electors to vote for the candidate chosen by their state’s popular vote, some states do. The rare elector who votes for someone else may be fined, disqualified and replaced by a substitute elector, or potentially even prosecuted by their state.”
And what happens if no candidate wins the majority of electoral votes? Well, this has happened twice in history! “The first time was following the 1800 presidential election when the House chose Thomas Jefferson. And following the 1824 presidential election, the House selected John Quincy Adams as president.” After the president is chosen, they are sworn in on January 20th of the following year. (TAKE A POLL: Do You Believe in the Separation of Church and State?)
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