READY SET VOTE THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION On November 8 2016 American voters went to the polls across the country More than 128 million people voted in this general election Most people thought they were voting to choose the next president and vice president of the United States But in fact voters were choosing members of the Electoral College What is the Electoral College Read on to find out Donald Trump shown here on March 11 2016 during his election campaign went on to be the 45th president of the United States 4
Presidential Elections in the United States U S elections for president and vice president are held every four years The date may vary from one election to the next But ever since Congress passed a federal law in 1845 they are always held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November Voting is not required by law in the United States unlike some countries U S citizens aged 18 and older are eligible to vote but they can choose whether they do so or not fast fact Some countries hold their presidential elections on the weekends to make it easier for people to get to the polls 5
WHAT IS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE The Electoral College is not somewhere young adults go to school In fact it’s not a place at all It is actually a process The word college just refers to an organized group of people who are engaged in a shared task What is the Electoral College’s task To elect a president and vice president for our country The people who are part of the Electoral College are called electors Electors are chosen by political parties States have different processes for choosing electors Electors are a very diverse group of people They come from all walks of life 6
COLLEGE ELECTORS The Electoral College has 538 members This number might seem random but there is a reason for it This total is equal to the number of members of the House of Representatives 435 plus the number of senators in the U S Senate 100 plus three members from the District of Columbia Although Hillary Clinton won the popular vote Donald Trump won the electoral vote This poll shows Trump in the lead for electoral votes 538 the number of representatives in the U S House of Representatives 435 the number of senators in the U S Senate 100 members from the District of Columbia 3 fast fact Washington DC which is not an actual state has no representatives in Congress But as the capital of the country it does have three electoral votes 7
