How does the United States elect a President through the Electoral College?What are the jobs of a President? How many electors does each state get?

Every four years the United States elects a President. The citizens in each state hold elections to choose a president, but the Electoral College has the job of deciding the winner. Is it still important to vote if electors will choose the President?

The President’s Job

The President is the CEO, the Chief Executive Officer, of the country. To be qualified to run for the Presidency the person must be a citizen of the United States. He must be at least thirty-five years old and have lived in America for at least fourteen years. The President’s job is to make certain that the laws of the country are faithfully executed (carried out, observed, or upheld). He must know the constitution and see that it is upheld. He must be someone who is educated and capable of protecting the rights of the people. He must know what to do in wars and big emergencies.

He must be able to give speeches called State of the Union Addresses, that report to Congress how the country is doing and what he thinks needs to be done. He tells his plans and discusses problems in the nation. He doesn’t actually make any laws, but it is his job to see that laws are enforced. He can veto laws that he disagrees with when Congress passes them.

The President has to know how to make treaties and agreements with foreign countries and he appoints ambassadors to represent Americans in other countries. He works with the Senators to do this. He has to be able to do many other jobs required of him while in office, including serving as the Commander and Chief of the Armed Forces and commissioner of the officers of the branches of service like the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, and the Air Force. He also nominates cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices and powerful officials to help him run the country.

What the Electors Do

The voters in each state choose electors that become the Electoral College. The number each state can have is equal to the sum of senators and state representatives each has. The Electoral College meets and chooses the President by a majority of votes. They usually vote for the person the voters chose in the general election, but if there are more than two candidates and none gets a clear majority of the votes, then the electors decide. They have to decide from the top three contenders for the job—the three who got the most votes. This guarantees that the people’s votes count in the election.

How Many Electors

The size of the state doesn’t determine how many electors it gets. The population of voters does. Notice how some big states have small a number of electors. Some small states with crowded population have many. How many electors does your own state have?

Alabama—9

Alaska—3

Arizona—8

Arkansas—6

California—54

Colorado—8

Connecticut—3

Delaware—25

Florida—13

Georgia—4

Hawaii—4

Idaho22

Illinois—12

Indiana—12

Iowa—7

Kansas—6

Kentucky—8

Louisiana—9

Maine—4

Maryland—10

Massachusetts--12

Michigan—18

Minnesota—10

Mississippi—7

Missouri—11

Montana—3

Nebraska—5

Nevada—4

New Hampshire—4

New Jersey—15

New Mexico—5

New York—33

North Carolina—14

North Dakota—3

Ohio—21

Oklahoma—8

Oregon—7

Pennsylvania—23

Rhode Island—4

South Carolina—8

South Dakota—3

Tennessee—11

Texas—32

Utah—5

Vermont—3

Virginia—13

Washington—13

Washington D.C.—3

West Virginia—5

Wisconsin—11

Wyoming—3

For more election year activities try a mock election and find other ideas in Election Learning Fun.