NEW ORLEANS — As laid out in Article Two of the United States Constitution, the Presidential race is not decided by the national popular vote. It’s decided by the Electoral College.
Each state has a certain number of electors, totaling 538.
A candidate needs 270 to win the White House.
The number of electors in each state is based on the size of a state’s congressional delegation. That means Louisiana has eight because there are six House and two Senate members from Louisiana.
More populous states have more electors, but each state has at least three.
And here’s how they’re chosen:
The political parties in each state put forth a slate of potential electors, who are typically people who serve their party in some way and support its candidates.
On Election Day, you’re not only voting for a presidential candidate but also the slate of electors of that party. In all but two states, the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote also wins all of the electoral votes for that state.
Now – typically – we have a projected winner on election night in November. But the electors won’t officially cast their votes until mid-December when they convene for the Electoral College. Then, their votes go to the President of the Senate and Archivist, and then to Congress.
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