Define Electoral College

Many practices, rules, and laws that we still use today are deeply rooted in our nation’s vast history. For example, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights set forth fundamental ideas of justice and liberty for all, which are still vital to the ideals of what it means to live in America. Another important aspect of our nation's history is the emphasis on democracy and a fair and just political process in which the voice of every man can be heard at the voting polls. The premise behind the Electoral College is one such fundamental political concept, deeply rooted in our history.

Define Electoral College

Many people hear the word college and think of a place or institution where you go for higher education. Although that is true in most cases, the Electoral College is not an institute of higher learning. The Electoral College is actually a group of individuals, known as electors, whose primary responsibility is to provide final votes in the Presidential election in the United States of America.The Electoral College was established by our country’s forefathers. The group was established to ensure that the election of the President and Vice President was a fair decision. The electoral college does this by ensuring the President and Vice President are elected based on popular vote, in addition to Congressional vote.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Electoral College is governed by the Office of the Federal Registrar. They coordinate the Electoral College on behalf of the American people, Congress, the states, and the nation. They ensure that the Electors have all the certification and experience required to represent their state in the Presidential election. After verifying certification, this information is passed onto the House and the Senate before an Elector is named an official representative of the state.

How the Electoral College Works

Electors are appointed to their position in the Electoral College by the political parties they are affiliated with. They are normally appointed during party conventions or by a vote of the party’s primary committee in each state. Every state is represented by a different number of Electors, and the number each state gets is based on how many Senators and U.S. Representatives the state has. There are always exactly two Senators in each state. The number of U.S. Representatives for individual states varies, and is determined by the number of people living in the state. To determine a state's population in order to determine how many representatives each state has, the data in the most recent U.S. census report is used.On the day of primary election, individuals cast their vote for their chosen candidate by using a ballot. Typically the name of the President and Vice President will be indicated on the ballot . Sometimes the name of the Electors will be mentioned as well, under the Presidential candidate that they are associated with. After the ballots are cast in the popular vote, they are tabulated and the results are issued to the electors.After the popular vote has been tabulated, the final vote is left up to the Electors in each state. Typically, the votes of the Electors follow the popular vote. However, there is no Federal law that states Electors must do this. Each state is given a certain number of Electoral votes based on the criteria already mentioned above (population and representation).

Some state’s laws do require the Elector to vote with the popular vote. However, such laws can create a potential conflict of interest when an Elector is dedicated to his or her own political party.

These electoral votes are then tabulated similar to the popular vote to determine who will win the Presidential and Vice Presidential positions. If there is a tie between Elector votes in each state, a tie breaker is performed. The tie breaking process is different for each state.   

Does My Individual Vote Still Count?

Some people might believe that since the Electors in the Electoral College ultimately determine who wins and loses the Presidential election, that their individual vote is no longer necessary. However, this is untrue. Electors use the results of the popular vote to make their ultimate decisions. Therefore, the popular vote is the foundation for the process and allows Electors to know the desires of the American people.