The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president. ... The electors meet and vote in December and the inauguration of the president and vice president takes place in January.

In what month does the Electoral College vote for the president?

After Election Day, on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, these electors assemble in their state capitals, cast their ballots, and officially select the next President of the United States. Legally, the electors may vote for someone other than the candidate for whom they were pledged to vote.

What determines when the Electoral College votes?

Under the "Electoral College" system, each state is assigned a certain number of "votes". ... The formula for determining the number of votes for each state is simple: each state gets two votes for its two US Senators, and then one more additional vote for each member it has in the House of Representatives.

Who certifies the Electoral College vote?

Brasilia, January 9, 2021: On the morning of January 7, 2021, the Congress of the United States certified the results of the Electoral College votes of each state and the District of Columbia, confirming that Joseph R.

Who becomes president if Electoral College doesn't vote?

If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the Presidential election leaves the Electoral College process and moves to Congress. The House of Representatives elects the President from the 3 Presidential candidates who received the most electoral votes.

Does your vote count? The Electoral College explained - Christina Greer

16 related questions found

When did the South go red?

Following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, Southern states became more reliably Republican in presidential politics, while Northeastern states became more reliably Democratic.

What three requirements must be met in order to be president of the United States?

As directed by the Constitution, a presidential candidate must be a natural born citizen of the United States, a resident for 14 years, and 35 years of age or older.

Can Congress reject Electoral College votes?

Under the law, Congress may still reject a state's electors if both houses decide to do so, but only when they determine either that the appointment of electors was not "lawfully certified" by the governor under the ascertainment process, or that the votes themselves were not "regularly given" by the electors.

Who opens and counts the electoral votes?

Congress meets in joint session in the House of Representatives on January 6 to count the electoral votes. The Vice President, as President of the Senate, is the presiding officer. Tellers open, present, and record the votes of the States in alphabetical order.

Does popular vote determine electoral vote?

When citizens cast their ballots for president in the popular vote, they elect a slate of electors. Electors then cast the votes that decide who becomes president of the United States. Usually, electoral votes align with the popular vote in an election.

How many electoral votes are needed to win?

How many electoral votes are necessary to win the presidential election? 270. In order to become president, a candidate must win more than half of the votes in the Electoral College.

Do all the Electoral College votes go to one candidate?

Electors. Most states require that all electoral votes go to the candidate who receives the most votes in that state. After state election officials certify the popular vote of each state, the winning slate of electors meet in the state capital and cast two ballots—one for Vice President and one for President.

Can a state split electoral votes?

Under the District Method, a State's electoral votes can be split among two or more candidates, just as a state's congressional delegation can be split among multiple political parties. As of 2008, Nebraska and Maine are the only states using the District Method of distributing electoral votes.

How do you win electoral votes?

The number of electors each state gets is equal to its total number of Senators and Representatives in Congress. A total of 538 electors form the Electoral College. Each elector casts one vote following the general election. The candidate who gets 270 votes or more wins.

How many electoral votes does New York have in 2020?

New York has 29 electoral votes in the Electoral College.

What does the 12th Amendment to the Constitution say?

The Twelfth Amendment stipulates that each elector must cast distinct votes for president and vice president, instead of two votes for president. ... The Twelfth Amendment requires a person to receive a majority of the electoral votes for vice president for that person to be elected vice president by the Electoral College.

Does Congress certify the presidential election?

In January, Congress sits in joint session to certify the election of the President and Vice President. In the year after the election, electoral documents are held at the OFR for public viewing, and then transferred to the Archives of the United States for permanent retention and access.

Which president broke the two term tradition by running for a third term in 1940?

On November 5, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won a third term in office—an unprecedented act that would be barred by a constitutional amendment a decade later. Roosevelt's decision to break the precedent set by George Washington was made in July 1940, as the United States neared its entry into World War II.

Who is the youngest president to take office?

The youngest person to assume the presidency was Theodore Roosevelt, who, at the age of 42, succeeded to the office after the assassination of William McKinley. The youngest to become president by election was John F. Kennedy, who was inaugurated at age 43.

What is the 45th Amendment of the United States?

Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

What does Section 4 of Article II talk about?

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

What states are in the Deep South?

The term "Deep South" is defined in a variety of ways: Most definitions include the following states: Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Who is the only president to have served two non consecutive terms?

The first Democrat elected after the Civil War in 1885, our 22nd and 24th President Grover Cleveland was the only President to leave the White House and return for a second term four years later (1885-1889 and 1893-1897).