How Does US Presidential Election Work? What Is An Electoral College? Explained

Last Updated:November 04, 2024, 15:36 IST

US Election 2024: Each candidate running for President has their own group of electors (known as a slate). When voting for a Presidential candidate, the person is actually voting for his candidate’s preferred electors

The Electoral College chooses the representatives from each state, who cast their vote and determine who will be the president. (AP File Photo)

The US Presidential Election process is complex and daunting. Since the US presidential election is based on the indirect universal suffrage, even though tens of millions of voters will mark their ballot on November 5, it is the 538 electors of the Electoral College who will ultimately vote to determine the 47th President of the United States.

A candidate needs at least 270 of these electoral votes to win the presidency.

What Is Indirect Election In The US?

In an indirect election, citizens elect a body, and the elected body appoints the representatives.

In the US, each state is allocated a number of electors based on its representation in Congress, which consists of two chambers: 100 senators (two per state) and 435 representatives, the number of representatives is based on the state’s population.

Additionally, the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.), the federal capital, has three electors, though it does not have senators or representatives due to its unique status.

The US Constitution states that “no senator or representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States shall be appointed an elector".

How Are Presidential Nominees Chosen?

Primaries and Caucuses are two ways that help states and political parties choose presidential nominees.

Primary voters choose their preferred candidate anonymously by casting secret ballots. But it is the delegates to the national party conventions who ultimately select the presidential nominees for each major party. Candidates are awarded delegates in most states by winning the primary elections and caucuses. The process is conducted 6-9 months before the presidential polls.

To get the Republican nomination, a candidate needs to get at least 1,215 delegates. For the Democratic nomination, it’s 1,968 delegates.

Primaries are run by the state whereas caucuses are organised by the parties themselves. They are the meetings run by political parties that are held at the county, district, or precinct level. Some caucuses choose candidates by secret ballot. Others require participants to divide themselves into groups according to the candidate they support. Candidates give speeches and get others to join their group.

During an open primary or caucus, voters do not have to be registered with a political party to take part in its primary or caucus, while in a closed primary or caucus, only voters registered with that party can take part and vote.

What is a Convention?

After the states hold primaries and caucuses in the US, the next event is the party convention. It is at those conventions that the Democratic and Republican parties confirm their respective nominee for the presidency, based on the outcome of the primaries and caucuses.

Each convention includes a series of procedural votes, including on event rules and the party’s platform, but the main event is the presidential nomination. In a roll call, each state announces from the convention floor how many delegates it is awarding the nominees.

Delegates are generally assigned to vote for a candidate according to their state’s primary or caucus results. If a candidate wins a majority of the delegates, they win the nomination.

What Is A General Election?

People in the US vote for one President and one Vice-President. The name of the candidates will be listed on the general ballot. Usually, candidates from minor political parties and independent candidates don’t have a national convention. But they may be on the ballot on a state-by-state basis if they meet the eligibility requirements.

When people cast their vote, they are actually voting for a group of people known as electors. People in the US don’t directly elect their President and Vice-President.

Each candidate running for President has their own group of electors (known as a slate). When voting for a Presidential candidate, the person is actually voting for his candidate’s preferred electors.

There are 538 electors in total, representing 435 members of the House of Representatives, 100 Senators, and 3 electors from Washington DC. The magic number for victory is 270 electoral votes — an absolute majority.

What Is An Electoral College?

The Electoral College chooses the electors or representatives from each state, who cast their vote and determine who will be the president.

The candidate who wins the most votes in a state typically takes all of that state’s electoral votes under a “winner-take-all" system, used in 48 states and Washington DC. Maine and Nebraska, however, use a proportional system that can split electoral votes based on district-level and statewide results.

A candidate needs the vote of at least 270 electors — more than half of all electors — to win the presidential election.

If no candidate gets an absolute majority then the House of Representatives elects the president.

What Does A Popular Vote Mean?

It is possible that the candidate who is most popular with voters may not end up being elected president. In 2016, Hillary Clinton gained almost three million more votes than Donald Trump, but he won the presidency with 304 Electoral College votes to her 227.

In 2000, George W Bush won with 271 Electoral College votes, but Democrat candidate Al Gore won the popular vote by more than half a million.

A projected winner is announced on election night, but the actual Electoral College vote happens in December when the electors meet in their states.

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