The United States Electoral College is the body that elects the President and Vice President of the United States every four years. Citizens of the United States do not directly elect the president or the vice president; instead they choose "electors", who usually pledge to vote for particular candidates.

Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of Senators and Representatives to which the state is entitled. The District of Columbia has the lesser of the number of electors. It would have more electors if it were a state. The number of electors for the least-populous state (Vermont) is currently three. So, there are 538 electors, corresponding to the 435 Representatives and 100 Senators, plus the three electors for the District of Columbia. The Constitution bars any federal official, elected or appointed, from being an elector.

The presidential and vice presidential candidate who gets an absolute majority of electoral votes (currently 270) is elected to the office. If the Electoral College fails to elect a president or vice president,12th Amendment applies. If no candidate acquires a majority for president, the House of Representatives will select the president, with each state delegation having only one vote. If no candidate receives a majority for vice president, then the Senate will select the vice president, with each senator having one vote.

With the Electoral College system, a person may win the election without receiving the most popular votes.

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