The Electoral College of the United States is one of the fundamental pillars to understand the electoral system of the neighboring country. On the occasion of the upcoming elections to be held on Tuesday, November 5 from 2024 in this note we will explain how it works.
The electoral system has governed the USA since the 18th century, the date on which the mechanism was established in the Constitution. The format allows candidates who lose the popular vote to emerge victorious in the Electoral college.
In the process of Electoral College involves 538 electors distributed among the states of this nation. Each of these states has a number of electors proportional to their representation in the Congress. In such a way that Wyoming would only represent three electors, while Californiawith its vast population, would have 55 electors.
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The reason behind this way of counting election votes represents the need to ensure that all states have an influence on the presidential election. The mechanism was created to prevent the popular vote from benefiting only the most populated territories.
During election day, each American citizen votes for the electors of their state and not for the person running for president. These voters undertake to elect the candidate who wins the popular vote in their territory.
To win the presidency, a candidate must win a majority of electoral votes. The minimum number is 270 of the 538 available. If no candidate obtains said number of votes, the process moves to the House of Representatives, where each state delegation casts a vote and the winner is chosen.
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This is why campaigns are usually organized to convince the so-called “pendulum states“; those territories that are not usually politically defined and may lean in favor of one ideology or another. This category could include Florida, Pennsylvania y Ohio.
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