1. Electoral College

2. The Electoral College Total of 538 electors
Each state receives as many electoral votes as it has seats in Congress (House and Reps and two Senators). Based on population of state
To be president a candidate must win 270+ (a majority of total electors) electors

3. Three Key Points
The electoral college system is state based – 50 individual contests. Total U.S. popular vote is irrelevant. Popular vote only important state by state
A winner-take-all system
A candidate only needs a plurality (most) votes in a state to win all electoral votes from that state.