How the Electoral College Really Works!

[Music] I don't think people understand how the Electoral College Works let's clear that up so what is the Electoral College it's a unique system used in the United States to elect the president and vice president unlike a direct popular vote where the candidate with the most votes Nationwide wins The Electoral College adds a layer of complexity to the process it's not a place but a process the term Electoral College refers to the collective group of 538 electors who are chosen to to cast the official votes for president and vice president when you vote for a president you're actually voting for a group of people called electors these electors are pledged to support the candidate you voted for each state has its own method for selecting electors but they are generally chosen by political parties each state has a certain number of electors based on its population the number of electors for each state is equal to the total number of its senators and representatives in Congress for example California being the most popular state has 55 electors while smaller States like Wyoming have just through the more people the more electors this system aims to balance the influence of both popul and less populous states in the election here's the catch Most states use a winner takes all system this means that the candidate who wins the most votes in a state gets all the electors from that state regardless of the margin of victory that means if a candidate wins the most votes in a state they get all the electors from that state for example if candidate a wins 51% of the vote in Texas they receive all 38 of Texas's electoral votes to win the presidency a candidate needs a majority of the 538 total electoral votes which is at least 270 this majority ensures that the winning candidate has Brad support across the country so why does this matter the Electoral College can lead to situations where a candidate wins the popular vote but loses the election this has happened five times in US history most recently in the 2016 election it means that sometimes a candidate can win the popular vote but lose the election sounds confusing this happens because the distribution of electoral votes can favor one candidate over another depending on how the votes are spread across the states just remember your vote helps decide which electors get to cast their ballots in December the electors meet in their resp Ive states to cast their votes which are then sent to Congress to be counted in January and there you have it the Electoral College made simple and clear while it may seem complicated understanding this process is crucial for grasping how US presidential elections work the Electoral College made simple and clear by knowing how it works you can better appreciate the intricacies of the American electoral system and the importance of your vote in shaping the nation's leadership