ELECTION DAY:
Most people who voted early or are heading to the polls on Nov. 8 think they will be voting for
Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump or their chosen third-party candidate. But they won't be. They’ll be voting for their state's electors, who will in turn cast votes for the presidential candidate who wins the most votes in their state. Each state has as many electoral votes as it has members of Congress.
POWER TO THE STATES:
Electors are chosen by each party, and typically are party insiders who can be trusted to vote for their candidate. Members of Congress can’t be electors, by law. An elector has only one duty — to elect a president.
While it may seem like a complicated system, the Electoral College was created to empower the role of individual states.
DECEMBER 19 - THE REAL ELECTION DAY:
By law, the electors must meet on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. This year, that’s Dec. 19.
On that day, they gather in their states to cast votes for president and vice-president. In almost every state, the winner of the state’s popular vote gets all of the state's electors.
CONGRESS DOES A FINAL COUNT:
Once the electoral ballot votes are received, they are counted in a joint session of Congress. By law, this takes place on Jan. 6. The senators are led by two Senate pages carrying boxes that contain the vote certificates sent by the states. The House session is presided over by the current vice president.
The votes are examined, tallied and handed to the vice-president who announces the results.
WHAT IF IT’S A TIE? :
If no presidential candidate receives 270 or more electoral votes in the count, the 12th Amendment directs the House to decide the presidential election. Each state’s House delegation has one vote, and must pick from the top three candidates.
