How does the electoral college work

The Electoral College is a group of people that elects the president and the vice president of the United States of America. They will not vote for the presidential candidates directly, in a popular vote. Instead, they will vote to elect specific people, known as " electors " to the college.

Despite popular belief, the U. S. Constitution does not provide for the popular election of the American president. It provides for popular election of presidential electors. Each candidate who qualifies for a given state's ballot must designate certain individuals who will serve as his or her electors if that candidate wins the popular vote in that state.

When each state certifies a winner of its overall popular vote, that winner is entitled to send all his or her electors to that state's Capitol, where they will officially record their votes for their candidate. All the electors in all the states do it on the same day, the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December. This year it is Dec. 19, which is the latest it can be, just as this year's Election Day is the latest it can be.