How the Electoral College Works
8th Grade · Social Studies · 30 min
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Learning Objective
I can explain how the Electoral College works in U.S. presidential elections.
- 1
Each state's number of electors is equal to its total number of members of Congress, which is the sum of its representatives in the House and its Senators.
- 2
If no presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives chooses the president, with each state casting one vote, and the Senate chooses the vice president.
- 3
The Electoral College was created at the Constitutional Convention as a compromise between having Congress choose the president, state legislatures choose the president or having a national popular vote.
