On Election Day, voters for president are really voting for
A. Speaker of the House.
B. President.
C. senators.
D. electors.
Answer
On Election Day, voters for president are really voting for electors. The President and Vice President of the United States are not elected directly by the voters. Instead, they’re chosen by “electors” who are selected by each political party.
The number of electors each state has is equal to its number of representatives in Congress plus its two senators.
So, for example, California has 55 electors because it has 53 representatives plus two senators. Texas has 38 electors because it has 36 representatives plus two senators.
The District of Columbia also gets three electors because it doesn’t have any representation in Congress but is entitled to three electoral votes under the Twenty-Third Amendment.
In total, there are 435 voting members in the House of Representatives and 100 Senators from 50 states, for a total of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President and Vice President.
If no candidate for president receives a majority of the electoral votes, then the House of Representatives chooses the president from among the top three candidates, with each state delegation having one vote. The Senate chooses the vice president from among the top two candidates.
