The Electoral College emerged from the Constitutional Convention as a hard-fought compromise, and the system the founders designed is still in use today. But once delegates agreed that states would choose electors to vote for the president, a new question followed: how do those electors actually get chosen?
Each state receives the number of electoral votes equal to its total representation in Congress, combining its House members and its two senators. Because House seats are based on population, more populous states receive more electoral votes, but every state gets at least three, since every state has at least one House member and two senators, regardless of size.
Electors are chosen through a two-part process. Before the general election, each political party in each state selects a slate of potential electors, typically at a state party convention or through a vote of the party's central committee. Parties tend to choose people who have demonstrated loyalty and service, including state officials, party leaders, or people with a close connection to the candidate.
Once those slates are set, voters take over. When Americans cast their ballots on Election Day, they are not voting for the president directly. They are voting to determine which party's slate of electors will represent their state. In 48 states and Washington, D.C., whichever candidate wins the popular vote takes all of the state's electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska distribute some electors by congressional district. The winning slate then meets in December to cast their official votes for president, which are sent to Congress, counted, and certified. There are 538 electoral votes in total, and a candidate must win a majority of 270 to become president.