In a special episode of The Poor Over Today, we're explaining the Electoral College.

This is the 15th episode of our election collection, designed to help us grow in understanding and compassion on key

2024 election topics.

What is the Electoral College? Instead of voting directly for a presidential candidate,

U.S. citizens vote for electors, who then vote for a president,

kind of like picking a team captain who makes the final call.

The system is called the Electoral College.

Who is in the Electoral College?

The Electoral College comprises 538 electors divided between the states and DC.

Each state receives the same number of electors as its congressional delegation,

representatives in the House plus senators.

Most states follow a winner-takes-all system,

where the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state

bags all the states electors.

However, Maine and Nebraska use a proportional system.

They award two elector votes to the statewide winner and cast the remaining votes based on the

winner within each congressional district.

Political parties usually choose electors in each state before the election.

Think of them as each party's loyalists ready to cast votes on their behalf.

They are often state party leaders or people with a personal connection to the candidate.

The presidential election winner is whichever candidate receives 270 or more electoral college votes.

Now, the electoral college's purpose. Why was it created? The Electoral College was a

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