Skip to main content

Electoral College Established

1788

Article II of the Constitution specifies that the president is elected by representatives to the Electoral College. The Electoral College is a group of people who are appointed from each of the states, through a process established by each state legislature. They assemble in January after the November presidential election and vote for the candidate who won the majority of votes in their state. Each state gets the number of electors equal to the number of its representatives and senators in Congress. The creation of the Electoral College gives more power to the smaller states, rather than letting the people in the most populous states always control who becomes president. In the event of a tie vote in the Electoral College, the House of Representatives chooses the president.