For ease of reading, the following is in the form of a FAQ:

Q: Who really elects the president?

A: 538 people called “electors” decide who becomes president by simple Majority vote.

Q: 538 is a weird number. Where did that come from?

A: Each state sends a number of electors equal to the number of its Senators (2 per state) and the number of their House of Representatives members (varies according to state population) There are a total of 100 senators and 435 Congresscritters for a total of 535 electors, plus 3 for the Disctric of Columbia (Washington DC) since they have no Congresscritters.

Q: So who ARE these people? Who picked them?

A: The political parties pick a slate of electors for each state. Utah, for example, has 5 electoral votes, so the Democrats would pick five and the Republicans would pick five.

Q: Wait…wouldn’t that mean 10 electors?

A: Quick with the math, aren’t you? But no, only the political party who wins the majority of the popular vote sends their electors. The other five stay home.

Q: OK, so how do I get to be one of these “electors”?

A: The informal qualifications are 1: Party loyalty (so you vote for the correct candidate when you go) 2. Contribution to the party (money or volunteering)

Q: What if the popular vote in my state is even? Can I send half of my electors, and have the other guys send half of theirs?

A: Sorry, it’s a winner-take-all system. Even if millions in your state vote for one guy, if the other guy gets just one more vote, he gets ALL the electors.

Q: So, if I vote for the guy who loses my state, my vote doesn’t count?

A: It’s counted, but it has no impact on who becomes president.

Q: Then why bother, if I like the guy I know will lose my state?

A: Well, I could give you the “civic duty” line, but the fact is, projected totals are just that, and polls can be wrong, so we don’t know who “won” until everybody votes.

Q: So, how many electoral votes does a candidate need to win the Election?

A: A majority: 270.

Q: What if there’s, like, a third guy, and he gets a couple of states and nobody gets 270 votes? Does it just go to the guy with the most votes?

A: Nope. The US House of Representatives decides.

Q: Wait…doesn’t this system mean that a candidate could win more votes overall, but lose the “electoral college” vote?

A: yep.

Q: What happens then?

A: The electoral college decides the presidency, NOT the popular vote.

Q: That blows; it’s not fair!

A: It is fair, it’s just not Democratic.

Q: Well, thanks for answering my questions. I’d better go register to vote.

A: Bye…don’t trip on the….*CRASH*… stairs.