Presidential Election Explainer: How the Electoral College Works

By Dana Cruz Oct 13 2020, 05:28 AM EDT

U.S. Citizens Abroad Receive Ballots For 2020 Presidential Election — In this photo illustration a pencil lies on a U.S. presidential election mail-in ballot received by a U.S. citizen living abroad. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

In the U.S., a presidential election hails its winner through votes from the Electoral College, not a national poll. So what exactly happens with this system on Election Day?

The Electoral College makes the coming Nov. 3 presidential elections a little different from other parts of the globe. There is also a web of laws and provisions that kick in to resolve close elections.

Hundreds of Electoral College votes are divided among the states, complicating the process. But here's an explanation as to how the system works in a presidential election.

How it Works

There are 538 electoral votes, representing the Senate and members of the House of Representatives, as explained by CGP Grey.

When people go to the polls, they don't immediately get a say on who becomes president. But they can tell their state electors who they want to be in that seat.

Most U.S. states cast all their electoral votes to the candidate wins by a majority in their state, like California and Florida. So, for example, a candidate wins a majority of the California citizens' votes, all of California's electoral votes go to that candidate.

It doesn't matter how far apart the gap is between candidates, be it with a 20 percent gap to a mere one percent difference. All votes still go to who wins the majority. Since there are 538 electoral votes, 270 are needed for a clear path to the White House.

For example, in 2016, President Donald Trump lost the national popular vote to Hillary Clinton. Meaning most citizens didn't put Trump as their pick for the White House. But he still secured electoral votes, making way for his win.

He had 304 electoral votes compared to her 227, Reuters noted.

Swing States

This system is a complicated process that started as a compromise when the nation's founders were debating whether the president should be picked by the Congress or by popular votes.

Now, what a candidate needs is to get enough electoral votes needed to secure their victory, and this can be done with a combination of key swing states, said The Independent.

There are 107 Electoral College votes at stake in eight states, including Florida and Arizona. Trump won the 2016 election with the sizable 29 votes from the nation's largest swing state, Florida.

Former president Barack Obama also won in the state in 2012 and 2008. Other toss-up states also rose in 2016, also emerging in 2020, including Arizona and North Carolina.

Can Electors Defy Popular Vote?

Electors can shun popular vote if they do choose to go rogue.

In 2016, there was an overwhelming number of electoral votes cast for someone that wasn't a state's popular vote. There are efforts to avoid this from happening in 32 states and the District of Columbia.

Some have a financial penalty for rogue electors, and others call for the vote to be canceled and the elector to be replaced.

What if there's a tie?

The problem with the Electoral College system is there's a chance for a 269-269 tie. If that happens, the presidency's fate will be decided by a newly elected House of Representatives on Jan. 6 the next year.

Each state's votes are determined by delegation, as required by the Constitution's 12th Amendment. There are currently 26 Republicans and 22 Democrats that control state delegations.