Millions of Americans will vote Tuesday, November 6.

But after visits to the polling stations Americans will await word from the Electoral College to know who is president.

The college is a process, not a place; it’s a compromise between election of the president by a vote in congress and a popular vote of citizens.

The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. 

A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the president. Each state’s allotment of electors equals the number of members in its congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two for each of its senators.

Electoral College votes are allotted based on the popular vote in each state. A state has a certain number of electoral votes apportioned by population; the candidate who wins the popular vote in each state wins all of that state’s popular votes, except for Nebraska and Maine that allow split electoral votes.

The 538 electors is based on the total voting membership of the United States Congress (435 Representatives and 100 Senators) and three (3) electors from the District of Columbia. Under the 23rd Amendment of the Constitution, the District of Columbia is allocated three electors and treated like a state for purposes of the Electoral College.