Definition
The Electoral College is the indirect method the Constitution establishes for selecting the president and vice president. Voters in each state choose a slate of electors, and those electors cast the formal votes that decide the election.
Each state receives a number of electors equal to its total congressional delegation, its House seats plus its two senators. A candidate must win a majority of electoral votes to take office.
Why it matters
How it works
In most states the candidate who wins the statewide popular vote receives all of that state electors, a winner-take-all rule that is set by state law rather than the Constitution. Electors then meet in their states to cast ballots, which Congress later counts.
Because electoral votes are tied to congressional seats, smaller states are slightly overweighted relative to population. If no candidate wins a majority, the election moves to the House, with each state delegation casting a single vote.