Believing that their vote does not count is one of the most popular reasons why Americans avoid voting booths, but that is simply not true. Everyone’s vote counts and it is imperative that Americans understand how the voting system works in the U.S. in order to grasp this truth.
1.The candidate with the most votes wins, right?
This is true for most U.S. elections, except for the presidential election. Americans elect their president through an Electoral College. The Electoral College goes back to the founding fathers and it is considered a compromise between Congress electing the president and the citizens electing the president.
2. Who makes up the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is made up of the state’s congressional delegation. This means that every state has at least three electoral votes, one for the state’s House of Representatives and two for the state’s Senators. The District of Columbia also has three electoral votes. There are obviously states with high populations, such as California and Texas, which have more electoral votes simply because the state has more people in it. For instance, West Virginia has five electoral votes in the 2016 election while California has 55 and Texas has 38.
3. How many Electoral College votes does a candidate need to win the presidential election?
There are 538 total electors and presidential candidates need 270 electoral votes to win the election.
4. Who are the electors?
There are two parts in the process of choosing an elector. The first part depends on the state and is dictated by the political parties in that state. The results of the first part of the process are that each presidential candidate has their own slate of electors in that particular state.
The second part of the process is decided on Election Day. This is where everyone’s vote counts. Voters that cast their ballot on Election Day are voting for the electors in their state.
Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have certain electors in each state and when voters select the choice for president on the ballot, they are voting for that candidate’s electors. Some states actually have the names of the electors on the ballot and some do not. It just depends on the state’s election procedures and ballot formats.
Voters can look up sample ballots to be more prepared on Election Day.
5. Are electors required to vote for the candidate they are slated with on the ballot?
It depends on the state. There is nothing saying electors have to vote for the candidate they are slated with in the Constitution and there is no Federal law either, but certain states have bound their electors by state laws or pledges to vote for their party's candidate. West Virginia’s electors are not bound by state law or by a pledge.
6. What’s a ‘Faithless Elector’?
A faithless elector is an elector who does not vote for their party’s candidate. It is true that in the 21 states where electors are not bound by a state law or pledge electors can vote for a candidate other than their party’s candidate, but it is rare.
7. What about Maine and Nebraska?
Main and Nebraska are special because they are the only states with split electoral votes. They give two electoral votes to the popular vote winner and one electoral vote to the popular vote winner for each congressional district in the two states. Main has two congressional districts and Nebraska has three congressional districts.
The American voting system may have the Electoral College and it may be a very complicated process, but the popular vote still matters. Presidential candidates do not receive electoral votes if they do not receive the popular vote.
Also, the presidential candidates are not the only people on the ballot in November. There are many candidates on the ballot that are elected solely by the popular vote who will make decisions in local and state government that affect voters as well.
The most important thing to remember about voting is that everyone's vote counts. Mark November 8 on the calendar and have a say in government.
