Electoral College it is the only American system for electing presidents. It’s different from the popular vote and has a huge impact on how candidates run and win campaigns. Republicans Trump and Bush lost the popular vote in their presidential races but won the Electoral College to claim the nation’s top office.

Some Democrats charge that the system favors Republicans and would prefer that the United States elect presidents with a simple majority vote. But the framers of the country set the system in the Constitution, and it would take a constitutional amendment to change it.

A look at the Electoral College and how it works as Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, compete for the White House on Election Day, Nov. 5:

What is the Electoral College?

The Electoral College is a 538-member body that elects a president. The framers of the Constitution established it to give more power to the states and as a compromise to avoid having Congress decide the winner.

The electors of each state vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in that state. The runner-up gets nothing — except in Nebraska and Maine, where electoral votes are awarded based on congressional district and statewide results.

How many electoral votes are needed to win the presidential election?

To win the presidency, a candidate must obtain 270 electoral votes – a majority of the 538 possible votes.

Could it be an Electoral College tie?

Yes, there are some unlikely scenarios where two candidates could end up with a 269 to 269 electoral vote tie, in which case Congress would decide the presidency, NBC News reports.

How is it different from the popular vote?

In the Electoral College system, a single vote in a small state is given more weight than someone’s vote in a large state, leading to results that were at odds with the popular vote.

It also affects how candidates campaign. Because the outcome is almost certain in solidly Republican states and solidly Democratic states, candidates tend to focus most of their efforts on a handful of swing states that have split their votes in recent elections.

Who are the voters?

Electors are allocated based on how many representatives a state has in the House of Representatives, plus its two senators. The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the house of Congress has no vote in Congress.

It varies by state, but often electors are chosen by state parties. Members of Congress cannot serve as electors.

Does the District of Columbia have electoral votes?

Yes, even though the District of Columbia is not a state, has three electoral votes.

How and when are the votes counted?

After state election officials certify their elections, the electors meet in their individual states—never as one body—to certify the election. This year, that will happen on December 17.

If the two candidates have an equal number of votes, the election is thrown in the House, where each state’s congressional delegation gets one vote. This happened only twice, in 1801 and 1825.

Once a state’s electors have certified their vote, they send a certificate to Congress. Congress then officially counts and certifies the vote in a special session on January 6. The Vice President presides as the envelopes for each state are opened and checked.

Can MPs object?

Lawmakers can object to a state’s results during congressional certification, as several Republicans did after the 2020 election. On January 6, 2021, the House and Senate both voted to reject GOP objections to the Arizona and Pennsylvania results.

After Trump tried to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden and his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, Congress updated the 1800s-era Election Counting Act to make it harder to object and to make clearer the role ceremonial vice president, among other changes. Trump pressed Vice President Mike Pence to try to challenge the results — something the vice president has no legal standing to do.

Once Congress certifies the vote, the new or returning president will be inaugurated on January 20 on the steps of the Capitol.

Which state has the most electoral votes?

California has the most electoral votes, with 54.

Which state has the fewest electoral votes?

Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming all have three electoral votes, the fewest of any state.