Changes

Under the Constitution, the members of the Electoral College meet on one day in December to elect the next president.  A total of 270 Electoral College votes are needed by a candidate to win the election.  If no candidate wins that many (as occurred in 1824), then the House of Representatives picks the next president.

Under the Constitution, the members of the Electoral College meet on one day in December to elect the next president.  A total of 270 Electoral College votes are needed by a candidate to win the election.  If no candidate wins that many (as occurred in 1824), then the House of Representatives picks the next president.

Nearly every State uses a winner-take-all system, such that the candidate who wins the popular vote in that State then receives all of its Electoral College votes.  It does not matter if the candidate wins by 51-49$ or 75-25%, the winner receives the same number of Electoral College votes for that State: all of them.

Nearly every State uses a winner-take-all system, such that the candidate who wins the popular vote in that State then receives all of its Electoral College votes.  It does not matter if the candidate wins by 51-49% or 75-25%, the winner receives the same number of Electoral College votes for that State: all of them.<ref>Maine and Nebraska are the exceptions.  Both states award two Electoral College votes to the candidate with the most votes statewide and one Electoral College vote to the winning candidate in each Congressional district.</ref>

The nationwide polls of which candidate has more overall support are almost irrelevant at this point.  What matters is who has more ''Electoral College'' support, and to calculate that number it requires looking at state-by-state polls.

The nationwide polls of which candidate has more overall support are almost irrelevant at this point.  What matters is who has more ''Electoral College'' support, and to calculate that number it requires looking at state-by-state polls.