Electoral College
The body of electors that formally chooses the U.S. president, with each state allocated electors based on its congressional representation.
Explanation
The Electoral College is the mechanism by which the United States elects its president. Each state is allocated a number of electors equal to its total congressional representation (House seats plus 2 senators). In most states, the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state receives all of its electoral votes (winner-take-all). A candidate needs 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win the presidency. This system means a candidate can win the presidency while losing the national popular vote — as happened in 2000 (Bush) and 2016 (Trump). The Electoral College gives disproportionate weight to small states and concentrates campaign attention on competitive "swing states."
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