The Path to Presidency: How the Electoral College Plays a Crucial Role in Elections

Sky Nguyen, Assistant Features Editor

With voting ballots cast across the nation, the focus shifts to the Electoral College process, where electors will meet in the capital of Washington, D.C. to determine the presidential and vice presidential race winners.

With the countrywide presidential elections on Nov. 5, the American electorate will exercise its right to vote and go through the process of the Electoral College involving selected electors representing each state and district that come together to vote for the future president and vice president. After the general election, each state’s electors meet in December to cast their votes, which are then sent to Congress in the legislative branch.

The electors’ job is to come together to vote for who they think is the best candidate and are primarily inclined by their state’s popular vote, according to social studies department chair and teacher Jon Resendez. These delegates are organized by state with each state having a number of electors that’s equal to their number of representatives and senators.

There are 538 electors, corresponding to the 100 U.S. senators and 435 House of Representatives members as allocated by the 23rd Amendment, according to the National Archives. The remaining three electors are dedicated to Washington, D.C. In order to secure the presidency, a candidate must secure a majority of at least 270 electoral votes.

When voting in an election, registered voters are rather voting for representatives that will elect the president, according to University of California, Irvine student and Portola High alumnus Gabe Mutsvangwa. These electors go to the country’s capital of Washington, D.C., discuss with other electors and consider whether their choice aligns with the views of their corresponding state constituents before making a decision.

Most states have a “winner-take-all” rule, where the candidate with the highest popular vote in that state receives all its electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska use a proportional system that allocates split votes based on their total five congressional districts together, according to USA Today.

Members of Congress will certify these votes and current Vice President Kamala Harris will officially announce the winner on Jan. 6. The president-elect will then be inaugurated and take office on Jan. 20.

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About the Contributor

Sky Nguyen, Assistant Features Editor

Sky Nguyen is the Assistant Features Editor and a Social Media Manager for her second and final year on the Portola Pilot. In her free time, she loves to explore food places around the county and watch movies in the theater. Outside of reading for her psychology class, she’s training and performing in aerial arts! Lastly, she loves to go out with her family and friends and watch Hugh Jackman movies. She’s so excited to write with and help her team members this year (and take her routine after-school naps)!