In order to understand the Electoral College, we have to consider what happens before the election takes place. Every party whether it’s Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, Green Party, or any other party that will appear on the ballot must pick their slate of electors. The number of electors each state gets varies. In the United States, we have 538 electors who ultimately decide who the president will be. These electors are largely selected by their respective political parties. The number 538 is based on the total number of congressional representatives and senators from each state. For example, Indiana has 9 representatives and 2 senators which gives the state 11 electoral votes. Other more populated states have significantly larger electoral votes like New York and Florida with 29, Texas with 38, and California has the most with 55. When you consider the total number of representatives (435) and senators (100) from each state, that number equals 535. The remaining 3 electoral votes come from Washington, D.C., even though it has no voting representation in Congress (no representatives or senators). This is because, when the idea of a capital was created, the founders didn’t want it to be overly politically influenced or biased by any one ideology. To win the Electoral College, a candidate needs to receive at least 270 electoral votes, which is just over half of the total 538.
The General Election in November, when we vote for the president, is what determines the popular vote. The popular vote doesn’t actually decide the president; instead, it determines which party gets to use their slate of electors. This is based on whichever party wins the majority of votes in each state. After the general election in November, the electors convene in December to cast the votes that will determine who wins the presidency. This is when Indiana’s slate of 11 electors will convene to cast their votes for president. Those electoral votes are what actually determine who becomes president.
Swing states are very important during an election. Candidates tend to focus on these states because they can easily go either blue or red. For example, Texas is a deep red state, and California is a deep blue state. Michigan, however, can go either way. Thanks to swing states, it’s possible to win the presidency without winning the national popular vote. If a candidate can sway enough swing states toward their party, they can secure more electoral votes. This strategy allows a candidate to win with a combination of swing states and reliably red or blue states that already align with their party.
Many people don’t agree with the Electoral College because it seems as though it doesn’t take everyone’s vote or the will of the people into account. If you look at the Electoral College in a nutshell, only 538 people are essentially deciding the president out of the 341.96 million people who live in the U.S., and the roughly 200 million who are eligible to vote. The Electoral College tends to empower cities and urban areas more than rural areas because these areas have higher populations and therefore more representation. It can also affect minority populations depending on who the 538 electors are. If there is minority representation among the electors, it is more likely that minority voices will be heard. However, there is a noticeable trend of greater diversity among electors in the Libertarian and Democratic parties compared to the Republican Party.
