Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. Since every state has two senators and at least one representative to the House, every state has at least 3 electoral votes. The District of Columbia gets 3 electoral votes. Therefore, the total number of electoral votes is 538 - 100 (senators) + 435 (representatives) +3 (for DC). A majority is 270 - one more than half of the total number 0f 538.
Each State assigns electors differently. States can assign delegates proportionally or by a winner-take-all rule. In caucus States, delegates may be assigned in a process that has nothing to do with popular election results. In some States, delegates can be compelled by law to vote for a specific candidate and in others, delegates are free to vote as they wish.
They are "electors" and as a group they are the "electoral college." Voters in Presidential elections are actually selecting the electors who represent a given party or candidate. Under the US Contitution, voters in each state select Presidential Electors who meet in their State Capitals and vote on the Presidential slates. Together, these Electors constitute the Electoral College, although the College never meets all together in one place. Although Electors are usually pledged to vote for one slate or another, there is no constitutional requirement that they do so. Originally they were expected to vote as they thought best for their states and the country.
Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution established the Electoral College to elect the President. It provided that each state would choose electors according to a method set up by the state legislature. Each state received the number of electors that equalled the two Senators plus the number of Representatives in the House of Representatives that the state has. Today, when you vote, you are voting for electors pledged to vote for the candidate of your party. Some states list the name of the electors but most simply list the name of the candidates. So, if you vote for the Republican candidate for President in the general election in November, you are actually voting for the electors selected by the State's Republican Party who are pledged to vote for the Republican candidate if he wins a majority of the popular vote in your state. There are a total of 538 electors that make up the Electoral College. The winning candidate must get 270 of the votes. They formally meet and vote on the Monday following the second Wednesday in December. The votes are taken to the Senate where, on January 6, both houses meet together and the President of the Senate (the current Vice President) counts the votes and officially declares the winner.
Congress
Most states appoint their electors on a winner-take-all basis, based on the statewide popular vote on Election Day. Maine and Nebraska are the only two current exceptions. Maine and Nebraska distribute their electoral votes proportionally, with two at-large electors representing the statewide winning presidential and vice-presidential candidates and one elector each representing the winners from each of their Congressional districts.
Proposal for choosing presidential electors by which two electors would be selected in each State according to the Statewide popular vote and the other electors would be selected separately in each of the State's congressional districts.
The electors in each state are elected by the popular vote in the presidential election and swear in advance to vote for the presidential candidate who wins the election in their state.
Electoral votes determine the President of the United States. Every state and DC are awarded a certain number of electoral votes with which to elect the President. Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. The electors in each state are elected in the presidential election and swear in advance to vote for the presidential candidate who wins the election in their state. When people vote for a presidential candidate they actually are voting for the electors in that state who have sworn in advance that they will vote for that candidate in the electoral college.
The popular vote has no bearing on the Presidential and Vice Presidential elections themselves. It is used by the states to determine which electors get appointed. State electors are "pledged" to vote for the candidate of the party that chose them. In 48 states plus D.C., the winner of the popular vote in each state will receive all of that state's electoral votes in the real Presidential and Vice Presidential elections when they meet in December. In Maine and Nebraska, the winner of the popular vote in each state receives two of that state's electoral votes, and each additional electoral vote goes to the candidate who wins the popular vote in each of the state's federal congressional districts.
Electors are typically appointed by political parties in each state. Each party selects a slate of electors to represent them in the Electoral College during the presidential election. The number of electors assigned to each state is based on its total number of Senators and Representatives in Congress.
The state presidential electors are chosen by the individual parties. Each state party organization has different rules how the electors are chosen.
Electoral votes determine the President of the United States. Every state and DC are awarded a certain number of electoral votes with which to elect the President. Each state has electoral votes equal to the total of the 2 representative the state has in the U.S. Senate plus the number of representative the state has in the House of Representatives. The electors in each state are elected in the presidential election and swear in advance to vote for the presidential candidate who wins the election in their state. When people vote for a presidential candidate they actually are voting for the electors in that state who have sworn in advance that they will vote for that candidate in the electoral college.
The Electors in the electoral college represent the people who elected them. The political parties in each state choose slates of potential Electors sometime before the general election. The electoral college Electors in most states are selected by state party conventions or by the state party's central committee. In a few states the Electors are selected by primary election or by the party's presidential nominee. Political parties often choose Electors that are state elected officials, state party leaders, or people in the state who have a personal or political affiliation with their party's Presidential candidate. On Election Day, the voters in each state select their state's Electors by casting their ballots for President. In most states, the names of individual Electors do not appear anywhere on the ballot; instead only those of the various candidates for President and Vice President appear, usually prefaced by the words "Electors for." The Electors are expected to vote for the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the party that nominated them.
Electoral college members are known as electors. They are elected by the voters, not appointed. When people vote for president, they actually vote for the electors that are pledged to vote for their choice of candidate. Candidates for electors are chosen by the parties in ways similar to the way they choose delegates to the national conventions. They are people who have achieved senior status in the state party organization.
The minimum number of presidential electors from any state is three. The minimum age to be a US President is 35.
It is up to each state to decide how its electors are chosen. Currently, every state and the District of Columbia allow the voters to decide which candidates' electors will be appointed. 49 of the 51 governments use a winner-take-all system, where all of the state's electoral votes go to the Presidential candidate and the Vice Presidential candidate with the most popular votes. Maine and Nebraska each cast two votes for each office according to the state's popular vote, and each remaining electoral vote goes to the candidate with the highest popular vote in each congressional district.
three
by popular vote