One of the most misunderstood aspects of the Presidential election process is the electoral college. The electoral college was set up many years ago as a means of electing the new President of the United States into office. The electoral college is made up of representatives from all 50 states and the District of Columbia each holding a certain number of votes toward the end election tally. .
The electoral college is made up of 538 people. Each of these electors has the power of one vote to cast for the next President and Vice President of the United States. While the public election process is heavily pushed, the real power of election is held by these electors. The Presidential candidate team who earns the most electoral votes will be named the next President and Vice President of the United States, even if the popular vote swings in the opposite direction of the Electoral College vote. .
The 538 people given electoral votes are those elected to the Senate and as Representatives of the state in Congress. In this aspect, the people retain the power of the vote due to the fact that they elect the representatives to speak for their needs in the political setting. Each state has the same number of electoral votes as there are Senate and Representative elected officials. .
All states, aside from Maine and Nebraska, hold to a "popular vote" / "electoral vote" bond. This bond states that the state will offer their electoral votes to the candidates who win the popular vote. At the end of the Presidential race, the candidates who earn at least 270 electoral votes will be named the winners of the election. .
In the case that no team of candidates earn 270 total electoral votes, the United States House of Representatives will be given the sole duty of naming the next President and Vice President of the United States. In the history of the United States, only two Presidential races have been decided by the House of Representatives.
