US elections: What is Electoral College? Understanding myths and facts

Washington DC

As Donald Trump and Kamala Harris fight in the race for the White House, one key term is back in the limelight: the US Electoral College.

The US president is elected on the basis of two, not one, elections: the popular votes, followed by electoral college votes.

This is a unique form of proportionate voting which could be confusing to people in other countries.

Here is what you should know about the Electoral College.

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Simply put, the Electoral College is a group of electors chosen to represent the election choices of each American state.

Based on population data derived from the Census, each state is allocated a specific number of electoral college votes that adds up to 538 (see list below).

Why was the Electoral College established in the US?

The Electoral College system was established in view of the possibility that, considering the different population sizes of each state, the popular vote could be skewed in favour of one winner.

For instance, whoever wins California could take the White House, as it has the largest population. This would not be a proportionate mandate that takes into account the wishes of the people of all states. 

In order to solve this, the Founding Fathers of the US introduced the Electoral College as a compromise between congressional selection and direct popular vote.

The Electoral College consists of 538 votes. Whoever gets a total of 270 or more electoral college votes wins the election.

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The electors' numbers in each state are proportionate to how many members of Congress it sends. One electoral college vote is equal to one house seat plus two senate seats.

The District of Columbia, which is not a state, has three electors. This exemption was given under the 23rd Amendment of the Constitution, which treats the District of Columbia as a state for electoral college purposes.

How are Electoral College electors chosen?

In the general elections, voters are actually choosing their preferred electors rather than directly voting for the presidential candidates.

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In most states, the 'winner-takes-all' system is used, meaning all electoral votes for these states go to the candidate who has won the popular vote there.

The states of Maine and Nebraska, however, use a proportionate method.

How electoral votes are recorded and announced

Once the general election is over on 5th November, the state officials will prepare a Certificate of Ascertainment listing the electors and their votes, which is sent to the National Archives and Records Administration or NARA. 

These electors will meet on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December to cast their votes for president and vice president. 

Their votes are then recorded and sent to Congress, which counts them on January 6 at a joint session presided over by the incumbent vice president. 

The announcement of the electoral college by the Congress will follow.

This is the formal declaration of the president-elect and vice president-elect, ending the US presidential election process.

The new president will the oath of office on January 20.

The Electoral College in numbers: States and votes

As already mentioned, there are a total of 538 electoral votes, and the majority mark, or the magic number, is 270.

Below are the electoral college votes of each state, and District of Columbia

Alabama - 9 votes

Kentucky - 8 votes

North Dakota - 3 votes

Alaska - 3 votes

Louisiana - 8 votes

Ohio - 17 votes

Arizona - 11 votes

Maine - 4 votes

Oklahoma - 7 votes

Arkansas - 6 votes

Maryland - 10 votes

Oregon - 8 votes

California - 54 votes

Massachusetts - 11 votes

Pennsylvania - 19 votes

Colorado - 10 votes

Michigan - 15 votes

Rhode Island - 4 votes

Connecticut - 7 votes

Minnesota - 10 votes

South Carolina - 9 votes

Delaware - 3 votes

Mississippi - 6 votes

South Dakota - 3 votes

District of Columbia - 3 votes

Missouri - 10 votes

Tennessee - 11 votes

Florida - 30 votes

Montana - 4 votes

Texas - 40 votes

Georgia - 16 votes

Nebraska - 5 votes

Utah - 6 votes

Hawaii - 4 votes

Nevada - 6 votes

Vermont - 3 votes

Idaho - 4 votes

New Hampshire - 4 votes

Virginia - 13 votes

Illinois - 19 votes

New Jersey - 14 votes

Washington - 12 votes

Indiana - 11 votes

New Mexico - 5 votes

West Virginia - 4 votes

Iowa - 6 votes

New York - 28 votes

Wisconsin - 10 votes

Kansas - 6 votes

North Carolina - 16 votes

Wyoming - 3 votes

(With inputs from agencies)