Electoral college meaning for US election: Swing states, wetin to know about 2020 America vote

Di US presidential election go happen on 3 November. But e dey possible for di candidate wey get votes pass from di public not to be di winner.

Dis na because wetin dem dey call electoral college na im dey choose president, and no be who voters choose directly.

So di Americans come dey vote for?

When Americans go vote for presidential elections, wetin dey really happen be say dem dey vote for group of officials wey form di electoral college.

Di word "college" for here just mean say na joinbodi wey get on common job to do. Dis pipo na im be di electors and dia job na to choose di president and vice-president.

Di electoral college dey meet every four years, few weeks afta di election day, to do dia job.

Wetin be electoral college work?

Di number of electors from each state relate to di population of that state. Each state get di same number of electors as di lawmakers wey dem get for US Congress (representatives for di House and senators).

California na im get electors pass - 55 - while states wey no too get plenty pipo like Wyoming, Alaska and North Dakota (and Washington DC) get di minimum of three.

In total, na 538 electors dey US.

Each elector represent one electoral vote, and one candidate need to gain majority of di votes - 270 or more - to win di presidency.

Generally, states go give all dia electoral college votes to anybody wey win dey poll of ordinary voters for di state.

For example, if one candidate win 50.1% of di vote for Texas, dem go give dat pesin all di 38 electoral votes for di state. Also, candidate fit use very high number to win ballot and still pick up di same number of electoral votes.

So e dey possible therefore make one candidate become president if he/she win tight race inside some states, even if im no gada normal votes reach dat of di opponent for di whole country.

Na only two states (Maine and Nebraska) wey dey divide dia electoral college votes according to di proportion of votes each candidate get.

Dis na why presidential candidates target places wey dem dey call "swing states" - dis na states wia di vote fit go any direction - instead of di method to try and win plenty plenty votes as possible across di country.

Every state dem win go move dem closer to di 270 electoral college votes dem need.

Candidate don ever lose public vote but become president?

Yes. In fact, two out of di last five elections na one wey candidates wey get less votes from di general public than dia rivals.

E dey possible for candidates to be di most popular candidate among voters nationally, but still now win enough states to gain 270 electoral votes.

For 2016, na almost three million votes na im Hillary Clinton take gap Donald Trump, but oga Trump win di presidency because di electoral college give am di majority.

In 2000, George W Bush win with 271 electoral votes, although Democrat candidate Al Gore use over 500,000 of popular vote take pass am.

Only three oda presidents don dey elected even though dem no win popular vote, all of them happun for di 19th Century: John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B Hayes and Benjamin Harrison.

Why dem choose dis?

When dem dey write di US constitution for 1787, e dey impossible to chose president based on national popular vote. Dis na because of di size of di kontri and di how take difficult to communicate dat time.

At di same time, pipo no too like di idea say na lawmakers for di capital Washington DC go dey choose who go be president.

So, di pipo behind di constitution create wetin be di electoral college.

Di system favour small-small states because e give dem more power pass national popular vote, to decide di president.

Di electoral college also favour southern states, wia slaves form big number of di population. Even though slaves no vote, dem count dem inside di US census (as three-fifths of one person).

Since na di population of state dey determine di number of electoral votes wey e go get, southern states dey get more influence to elect president pass wetin direct public vote fit give dem.

Shey electors need vote for di candidate wey win?

For some states, electors fit vote for any candidate dem like, whether voters support am or not. But normal-normal, electors dey always vote for di candidate wey win di most votes for dia state.

If one elector vote against wetin im state voters pick for president, dem go call dat pesin "faithless". For 2016, dem cast seven electoral college votes dis way, but e no get any result wey faithless electors don manage change.

Wetin go happen if no candidate get majority?

Di House of Representatives, wey be di lower house of US lawmakers, go then vote to elect di president.

Dis don happun only one time for 1824 when four candidates split di electoral vote, to make sure say none of dem carry di majority.

As na two party dey dominate di US system now, e no likely say dis fit happun today.