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While the electoral college may sound like some mysterious star chamber, this voting system is actually fairly straightfoward. Here's how it works: The candidate who receives the most votes in your state wins all of that state's electoral votes. How many electoral votes does your state have? Just add the number of senators to the number of representatives. Larger states like California (54) and Florida (25) have more electoral votes and thus receive added attention from candidates. In order to win the election, a candidate must receive 270 electoral votes out of a possible 538. The number 270 is simply the lowest majority possible -- but it's the number to watch on election night, as the votes are being tallied. Check out the electoral
college calculator to stay on top of the electoral votes as they are tallied, or see how previous presidential elections shook out. For more details on the process, check out the federal government's Electoral College page.
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