• Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock
Editor's Pick

What is the Electoral College? How does it work?

by November 3, 2024
written by November 3, 2024

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have spent months traveling the country on the 2024 presidential election campaign trail, vying for America’s vote to move into the White House.

With every new presidential election cycle, U.S. citizens ask themselves the same question, keeping in mind the power of the Electoral College: ‘Does my vote count?’

Local and state officials elected into office in the U.S. are able to do so by winning the popular vote. However, the President of the United States is selected with the help of the Electoral College and the popular vote.

Most often, the popular vote and the electoral vote mirror each other, but there are few instances in history when the two have differed. Most recently, in 2016, Trump won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton.

What is the Electoral College?

The Electoral College is the formal process in which the President and Vice President of the United States are elected into office.

‘The Electoral College, as we know it, was created by the 12th Amendment of the Constitution, which was ratified in 1804. Today, there are a total of 538 electoral votes, and a candidate needs at least 270 to win,’ Fox News’ Todd Piro explained on ‘Fox and Friends’ in November 2020. 

In the Electoral College, Washington D.C. has its own three electors. 

In 48 states, plus Washington D.C., the winner of the popular vote gets all the electoral votes for that state, according to USA.gov. This is apart from Maine and Nebraska, where a proportional system is used, per the source.

How does the Electoral College work?

While the popular vote takes place in November, the electoral vote doesn’t take place until about a month later, in mid-December. 

Who is chosen as a state’s electors, how they are chosen and when they are picked vary state-by-state, but there is a two-part system in place, according to the National Archive’s website.

Slates of electors are chosen at state party conventions, or they are voted on by the party’s central committee based on state or national party rules.

During a general election, voters across the states cast their ballots to select their electors who will represent their decesion in the presidential election. The names of electors may or may not appear on the ballots.

Electors pledge to vote for specific candidates, though they are not legally obligated to do so. While there is no federal law in place for electors to vote a certain way, penalties, like being disqualified from future ballots, are in place.

Through the years, there have been many calls made to change the Electoral College as we know it. 

‘Over the years, there have been hundreds of proposed amendments to change the Electoral College, but only one has gotten remotely close to being passed after the 1968 presidential election saw Richard Nixon win against Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace,’ Piro said. ‘A 1969 bill to replace the Electoral College with the popular vote passed in the House of Representatives, and though it was endorsed by Nixon, the bill eventually died in the Senate after it was filibustered, and it still stands today.’

Recently, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called for the elimination of the Electoral College altogether. 

‘I think all of us know the Electoral College needs to go,’ he said at a California fundraising event in October, according to a pool report at the event, Bloomberg reported. ‘We need a national popular vote, but that’s not the world we live in.’

In order to do away with the system created by the Founding Fathers, a major constitutional change would need to be made.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
American journalist detained in Iran as Supreme Leader Khamenei threatens US, Israel, State Department says
next post
RFK Jr. says Trump White House will get fluoride out of drinking water

related articles

Trump denounces court’s ‘political’ tariff decision, calls on...

May 30, 2025

President Trump teases ‘last day, but not really’...

May 30, 2025

State Dept says DOGE’s changes will be permanent...

May 30, 2025

Jill Biden should have to answer for ‘cover...

May 29, 2025

DOGE staffing shakeup as Elon Musk hangs up...

May 29, 2025

Hawley urges DOJ probe of Chinese trucking company

May 29, 2025

Less than half of DOGE-terminated contracts can be...

May 29, 2025

Flashback: Top five wildest moments from Elon Musk’s...

May 29, 2025

Sen Ron Johnson suggests he may not run...

May 29, 2025

Justice Department tells American Bar Association it will...

May 29, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News, And Articles.


Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Latest News

  • Trump attorney Alina Habba not considering press secretary role

    November 14, 2024
  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the meaning of a Republican Senate – and What’s Ahead for the House

    November 6, 2024
  • Deep State resistance taught Trump he needed to tame bureaucrats

    February 18, 2025
  • FBI must release Mar-a-Lago probe records despite Trump’s criminal immunity: judge

    February 11, 2025
  • IBM pledges $150 billion to boost U.S. tech growth, computer manufacturing

    April 29, 2025

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Secret Service admits leaning on ‘state and local partners’ after claim it ignored Trump team’s past requests

    July 21, 2024
  • 2

    Elon and Vivek should tackle US funding for this boondoogle organization and score a multimillion dollar win

    December 4, 2024
  • 3

    Forex Profit Calculator: Maximize Your Trading Potential

    July 10, 2024
  • 4

    Five more House Democrats call on Biden to drop out, third US senator

    July 19, 2024
  • 5

    Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

    July 17, 2024

Categories

  • Economy (829)
  • Editor's Pick (4,723)
  • Investing (624)
  • Stock (773)

Latest Posts

  • Kamala Harris takes veiled jabs at Trump, Elon Musk in 1st major speech since election defeat

    February 24, 2025
  • US consumer sentiment plunges to lowest level in over a decade as trade tensions escalate

    April 11, 2025
  • Trump nominates Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as secretary of labor

    November 23, 2024

Recent Posts

  • Elon Musk’s OpenAI bid sparks legal chaos and investor doubts: just as he planned?

    February 12, 2025
  • DirecTV is pushing its pay TV bundle — without a satellite dish

    August 13, 2024
  • Fauci ripped over new paper criticizing Trump on coronavirus, promoting natural origin theory: ‘Embarrassment’

    November 30, 2024

Editor’s Pick

  • McCarthy says Trump showing ‘real leadership’ to the world after assassination attempt

    July 17, 2024
  • Federal judge accuses President Biden of attempting to ‘rewrite history’ in Hunter Biden pardon

    December 4, 2024
  • JPMorgan upgrades Abercrombie & Fitch: Is the stock a buy with a $194 price target?

    July 22, 2024
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Disclaimer: moneyrisetoday.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2025 moneyrisetoday.com | All Rights Reserved

Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock