1. Aim: How does the Electoral College Operate?

2. Who are the Electors? There are a total of 538 Electors.
The total number of Electors are chosen by each state and they equal the total number of Senators and Representatives the state has in Congress.
There are a total of 538 Electors.
50 states x 2 Senators each is equal to 100
435 members of the House of Representative
3 Electors for Washington, DC
A total of 270 votes are need to win the Presidency.

4. Electoral College Authority
The Electoral College gets its authority directly from the United States Constitution as the Founding Fathers did not believe the population should choose the Chief Executive of the Country.
Article II Section 1 first discusses the Electoral College
The 12th Amendment makes several changes to the College

5. Can an Electoral Change their Vote?
YES
Electors have changed their votes in the past but it has NEVER changed the outcome of the popular vote.
Electors changed their votes in 1948, 1956, 1960, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1988, &

6. When does the Electoral College Meet?
Congress has set the meeting of the Electoral College to be the First Monday after the Second Wednesday in December.
Each state will have their Electors meet in the State Capital and vote. They are supposed to vote as pledged but their can change their pledged vote. Remember, the person who won the state is supposed to get all of the Electoral Votes for that state.
After Voting the results are certified by the Secretary of State and sent to the United States Vice President in his role as President of the Senate.

7. How are the Votes Finalized?
The United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives meet on January 6th at 1:00 pm in the House of Representatives. The Votes are then counted by members of both chambers and the Vice President announces the results.
The new President is then sworn into office on January 20th at 12:00 pm in a public ceremony and then assumes the Office of President of the United States of America.

8. What Happens if the Votes End in a Tie?
If the Electoral College ends in a tie – the vote go to the House of Representatives with each state getting one vote. This can still end in a 50/50 tie.
The Senate would then choose the Vice- President who will serve as Interim Acting President until the House of Representatives reaches a deal on who the new President shall be.