narrator
In the USA, presidential elections are determined by a state-based vote allocation system. This is what it is advisable to know.
That is on the coronary heart of how American presidential elections are determined. However to many, the Electoral School is a thriller, a thriller, a thriller.
Nevertheless it does not must be complicated.
To grasp the Electoral School system, you will need to first know that the president of the USA will not be elected by means of the nationwide well-liked vote: that’s, the overall variety of votes every candidate receives.
As a substitute, a bunch of 538 so-called “electors” chooses the president. These electors make up the Electoral School.
So who’re these electors?
Earlier than an election, every state’s political events choose a bunch of electors: precise voters who in the end vote for president. Many instances, electors are celebration officers or supporters.
Every state has as many electors because it has representatives within the U.S. Home of Representatives and Senate.
For instance, Michigan obtained 15 Electoral School votes. This equates to 2 senators and 13 Home members representing the state in Congress.
Now that we all know who these electors are and the way many individuals characterize every state, how are their votes divided? That is the place it will get fascinating.
In practically each U.S. state, the presidential candidate with probably the most votes wins all of that state’s electors: it’s a winner-take-all system. Even when a candidate wins a state by a slim margin, they nonetheless get all of the electors.
The exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which allocate electors based mostly on a extra advanced system that displays well-liked vote outcomes on the state and congressional district ranges.
The District of Columbia — not a state however containing the nation’s capital — additionally obtained three electoral votes.
However the backside line is that this: To win the White Home, a presidential candidate should win the help of a majority of voters.
So, out of a complete of 538 Electoral School votes, they want not less than 270 to win.
Electors lastly solid their votes in December (a couple of month after the election).
Their votes will likely be licensed by Congress in early January, when the president is confirmed and inaugurated.
So what does this all imply?
The truth is, to win the U.S. presidency, a candidate should win sufficient key states to succeed in the magic Electoral School headcount of 270 folks.
Underneath this technique, the candidate who wins the favored vote (the candidate with probably the most votes nationwide) might not truly win the White Home.
A current instance occurred in 2016, when Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton received the favored vote however misplaced the election to Republican Donald Trump. His victory was aided by victories in states reminiscent of Florida and Pennsylvania, every of which offered not less than 20 Electoral School votes.
The Electoral School system is definitely designed to make sure the political energy of the states.
Some Individuals say that the Electoral School system ought to be abolished and changed by common suffrage. Others argue that the system encourages minority illustration in American democracy by guaranteeing that densely populated states don’t overshadow smaller ones.
