How the US Selects Its President: All About the Electoral College

Donald Trump once called it “a disaster for democracy.” Thomas Jefferson said it was “the most dangerous blot on our Constitution.” Even James Madison, considered the “father of the Constitution,” eventually came to think it should be overhauled. From the beginning of the Republic, the Electoral College and its arcane and indirect method of electing the US president have been among the most maligned provisions of the founding document. Polls show a solid majority of Americans would like to ditch the system and elect their leader directly — a process that would have resulted in a different presidential winner five times in the last century, most recently in 2016.

When voters in each state choose a presidential candidate in what’s known as the popular vote, they’re actually voting for a slate of potential electors aligned with that choice. These potential electors are chosen by political parties.