Electoral College in the United States

Electoral College

A description about Electoral College is available here: The president and vice president are selected through the electoral college system, which gives each state the same number of electoral votes as it has members of Congress. The District of Columbia gets three electoral votes. Of the total 538 votes available, a candidate must receive 270 to win.

Concept of Electoral College

In the U.S., in the context of Presidency and Executive Power, Electoral College has the following meaning: Article II of the Constitution creates the Presidency, then specifies the method for selecting a President. Each state appoints “a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress.” Electors meet in each state and cast ballots for President and Vice President and send those ballots to Congress to be counted. Collectively, the electors are known as the “electoral college,” though they never actually meet together. (Source of this definition of Electoral College : University of Texas)

Electoral College

Concept of Electoral College

In the U.S., in the context of Voting, Campaigns and Elections Electoral College has the following meaning: The constitutional mechanism for choosing the President of the United States. Each state gets as many electors in the electoral college as it has U.S. Senators and Representatives. Presidential electors in each state cast ballots for the parties’ presidential nominees (possibly even independent candidates). A presidential candidate must win a majority of electors’ votes nationwide to be elected President. (Source of this definition of Electoral College : University of Texas)

Electoral College

Electoral College (in Politics)

Related to political science, the following is a definition of Electoral College in the U.S. practice of politics: The Electoral College was established by the founding fathers as a compromise between election of the president by Congress and election by popular vote. Americans actually vote for the electors who then vote for the President.

The term “electoral college” actually does not appear in the U.S. Constitution and was derived from the concept of electors used by the Roman empire. However, in the early 1800’s the term “electoral college” came into general usage as the unofficial designation for the group of citizens selected to cast votes for President and Vice President. It was later written into Federal law in 1845.

Each state gets a number of electors equal to its number of members in the U.S. House of Representatives plus one for each of its two U.S. Senators.

Resources

See Also

• Voting
• Campaigns
• Elections

Electoral College (in Politics)

Related to political science, the following is a definition of Electoral College in the U.S. practice of politics: The Electoral College was established by the founding fathers as a compromise between election of the president by Congress and election by popular vote. Americans actually vote for the electors who then vote for the President.

The term “electoral college” actually does not appear in the U.S. Constitution and was derived from the concept of electors used by the Roman empire. However, in the early 1800’s the term “electoral college” came into general usage as the unofficial designation for the group of citizens selected to cast votes for President and Vice President. It was later written into Federal law in 1845.

Each state gets a number of electors equal to its number of members in the U.S. House of Representatives plus one for each of its two U.S. Senators.

Resources

See Also

• Presidency
• Executive Power