Who Elects the President of United States?

The president of the United States is officially elected by the electoral college and not the popular vote of the people. Americans voters actually determine the electors for a given state during national elections, although state legislatures have the authority to appoint electors.

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History
- The 12th Amendment of the Constitution dictates the electoral procedures for the U.S. presidency and vice presidency, which mandates using the votes of the electoral college.
Identification
- Electors (members of electoral college) chosen by each state cannot exceed the number of representatives and senators representing it in Congress. Senators, representatives or federal officers are not eligible to become electors.
Function
- Electors meet in their states to cast the vote for president, but never meet as a collective body any other time.
Considerations
- Many people have argued that the electoral college is not democratic and have proposed to eliminate the college and replace it with the popular vote of the people, to no avail.
Summary
- The presidential candidate must receive a majority of the electoral votes (270 as of 2009) in order to win the presidency.

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Who Elects the President of United States?

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