What is the Electoral College and how does the US use it to elect presidents?
The Electoral College is the unique American system of electing presidents
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016 because of the Electoral College. So did George W. Bush in 2000.
The Electoral College is the unique American system of electing presidents. It is different from the popular vote, and it has an outsize impact on how candidates run and win campaigns. Republicans Trump and Bush lost the popular vote during their presidential runs but won the Electoral College to claim the nation's top office.
Some Democrats charge that the system favors Republicans and they would rather the United States elect presidents by a simple majority vote. But the country’s framers set up the system in the Constitution, and it would require a constitutional amendment to change.
A look at the Electoral College and how it works, as Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, compete for the White House on Election Day, Nov. 5:
