The electoral college is the mechanism established by the U.S. Constitution for electing the President and Vice President. Voters in each state cast ballots for a slate of electors pledged to a candidate; these electors then formally cast votes on behalf of their state. Each state’s number of electors equals its total congressional representation. A candidate needs a majority of the electoral votes (at least 270) to win the presidency. This system can lead to situations where a candidate wins the popular vote yet loses the election due to discrepancies in state-level voting, impacting perceptions of democratic legitimacy.