US election 2024: Why the Electoral College is crucial

US election 2024
“The winner takes it all”: Why the electoral college is so crucial

An American flag flutters in the wind in front of the Capitol in Washington

Watch the video: This is how the US electoral system works.

Every four years, US citizens decide whether a Democrat or a Republican should be their president. The election traditionally begins in the towns of Dixville Notch and Millsfield because residents counted their votes shortly after midnight. The latest results come from Hawaii. The fact that results only arrive gradually due to the time difference in the individual states is one of several peculiarities that characterize the presidential election in the USA. The two candidates standing for election have already prevailed in the primaries against competitors from their own party. On election day, voters do not cast their votes directly to the candidates, but instead to voters. The number of voters per state depends on its population: from a minimum of 3 voters in low-population states such as Montana to 55 in the most populous state, California. Important: In almost all states, a basic principle applies: “The winner takes it all” – the winner gets everything. What does that mean? Suppose a state has 10 voters. One of the candidates receives 70 percent of the vote in this state, the other only 30 percent. Now the winner wins not 7 but 10 voters. The loser goes away completely empty-handed. This principle means that in some states the distribution of voters can be predicted before the vote is cast. Namely in states where a party traditionally has a very large base of voters. Because even if the smaller party catches up, as long as it receives less than half of the votes, it will come away empty-handed. Other states, on the other hand, are wavering and can tip the scales. These states are called swing states. In other words, states that in the past have sometimes voted for the Democrat and sometimes for the Republican. In such states there is a particularly large amount of election advertising. That’s why there is a lot of election campaigning in the swing states. There are a total of 538 electors. These form the Electoral Collage. Whoever has at least 270 on their side becomes president.


What role do the electors play in the US election? And can a candidate win a majority of the vote and still lose? The electoral college at a glance.

The future of the USA lies in the hands of around 244 million people. This is how many Americans are called on November 5th to cast their vote for the candidate of their choice.

It is not yet possible to say whether the winner will be decided on election day. So far, it’s looking like an extremely close race: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are neck-and-neck in the important swing states.

But why are these so important? And what actually happens in a stalemate?

A look at the crucial electoral college.

What role do the electors play?

In the USA, the head of state is elected indirectly through electors, so-called “electors”. Each state sends a fixed number of electors depending on its population size. The minimum number is three (e.g. North Dakota and Washington, DC), and in California, the largest state, there are 55 electors up for grabs. In total, the Electoral College consists of 538 delegates. Electors vote 41 days after the presidential election, this year on December 14th. Whoever wins more than half of them (270) becomes president. The winner is scheduled to be sworn in on January 20, 2025.

What does “the winner takes it all” mean?

So the candidates are actually fighting to win in the individual states, because the winner gets all the electors that are available, while the loser comes away empty-handed. The “winner takes it all” principle applies in 48 out of 50 states.

An example: If Donald Trump were to win Florida with 50.1 percent of the vote, he would get the votes from all 29 voters, and Kamala Harris would come away completely empty-handed.

Are there exceptions?

Yes, the U.S. states of Maine and Nebraska rely on congressional districts to divide electoral votes approximately proportionally. The winner of the majority of votes receives two electoral votes. One vote is awarded to the winner per congressional district.

Which are the hotly contested “swing states”?

This year, Pennsylvania is considered the jackpot: with 19 voters, it is one of the most important battleground states. Harris and Trump are neck and neck in the polls here. Behind them are the traditional “battleground states” or “swing states”, i.e. those states that sometimes vote for a Republican and sometimes for a Democrat. In the rural Midwest, these include Michigan (15) and Wisconsin (10), as well as the “sunshine states” Georgia (16), Arizona (11) and Nevada (6). An open race is also emerging in North Carolina (16).

Can a candidate miss a majority of the vote but still win the election?

Yes, because of the indirect electoral system, it is possible for a candidate to win the most direct votes but still lose the election. This was the case in 2016, for example. At that time, more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton, but Trump was able to secure a majority of the electorate through the states he won.

Can there be a draw?

Yes, a tie is possible as there are currently an even number of electoral votes. If this happens in the Electoral College, the decision goes to the newly installed House of Representatives, with each state voting as a unit. If a U.S. state’s delegation has a tie, it does not count. A presidential candidate needs at least 26 votes to win.

What happens if an Elector breaks his oath?

People call them “faithless electors.” In 2016, seven electors – five Democrats and two Republicans – broke their promise and did not vote for their party’s nominee. However, that didn’t change the result.

Whether electors should be able to change their positions is a duty that has long been hotly debated. In 2020, the Supreme Court subsequently ruled that states can require electors to keep their promise to support a particular candidate.

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