As the United States (US) heads to its general election on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, voters will choose between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
This raises important questions about how the U.S. presidential winner is ultimately determined and the role the Electoral College plays in the election process.
The Kenya Times breaks down the U.S. Electoral College system, explaining how it decides the outcome of the presidential race.
What is the Electoral College in the US
The Electoral College in the context of U.S. elections is a system in which the President and Vice President are elected indirectly.
Instead of voting directly for a candidate, voters in each state select a group of electors who then cast electoral votes on their behalf. These electoral votes ultimately determine the winner of the presidency.
Who is in the Electoral College
The Electoral College consists of 538 electors drawn from all 50 U.S. states.
Each state is assigned a number of electors that equals its total number of Congressional representatives, including both the House and the Senate.
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Political parties in each state select their own slate of potential electors, although the selection process can differ from state to state.
After the popular vote, the electors from the winning party in each state cast their votes for the President and Vice President.
How does the Electoral College process work?
After you cast your ballot for president, your vote contributes to a statewide tally.
In nearly all states, the candidate who receives the most votes in that state gets all of its electoral votes, a system known as the “winner-takes-all” approach.
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Each candidate aims to secure at least 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win the presidency, which also guarantees their running mate becomes vice president.
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While a projected winner is often announced on election night in November, the official Electoral College vote takes place in mid-December. During this time, electors from each state meet to cast their official votes.
For instance, if a candidate wins just over half the popular vote in Texas, they receive all 40 of Texas’s electoral votes, regardless of the margin by which they won.
Scenarios one can witness during the elections
It is possible to lose the popular vote and still win the Electoral College. This occurred in the 2016 presidential election when Donald Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton, who received over 2.8 million more votes.
Trump secured 304 electoral college votes, while Clinton received 227 electoral votes.
If no candidate receives the majority of electoral votes, the vote goes to the House of Representatives.
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