(Business Insider)
Since the 18th century, the United States has used the Electoral College, made up of 538 individual electors from 50 states and the District of Columbia who vote on behalf of their states instead of the national popular vote, to elect its presidents.
Every state except Maine and Nebraska uses a "winner take all" system that pledges all the state's Electoral College votes to the candidate that earns more than 50% of the vote. A presidential candidate needs a majority of 270 Electoral College votes to win.
In the past 20 years, the "winner take all" structure of the Electoral College has come under scrutiny after Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump were elected by the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote.
While supporters of the Electoral College, including 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang, say that it ensures smaller states get adequate representation and aren't ignored in national campaigns, its opponents argue the system has led to un-democratic outcomes. Read more
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