Ever wonder why your vote *sometimes* feels like it doesn't directly elect the president? That's the Electoral College in action! Instead of a simple popular vote, the US uses this unique system. Basically, each state gets a certain number of 'electors' based on its total number of Representatives in Congress (House + Senate).
When you vote in a presidential election, you're actually voting for these electors, who pledge to support a particular candidate. In almost all states, the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state gets *all* of its electoral votes – a 'winner-take-all' system.
The candidate who wins a majority of the electoral votes (currently 270 out of 538) becomes the President. This means a candidate can win the presidency even if they lose the overall popular vote, as happened in 2000 and 2016. Understanding the Electoral College is crucial to grasping how presidential elections work in the United States, and why state-level races matter so much!
