When the people of America cast their
votes in the presidential election,
they're actually voting for a group of
people called Electors, who are usually
party leaders or members. A total of 538
electors form the electoral college.
But what is the Electoral College?
In its simplest form the electoral college is a
group of officials appointed by each
state to formally elect the president
and vice-president of the United States.
The number each state gets is equal to
its total number of senators and
representatives in Congress.
In all but two states electoral votes are
winner-takes-all.
In Maine and Nebraska two 
electoral votes are allocated to the state
and one vote to each congressional district.
The candidate who wins 270
votes or more wins the presidency.
In the 2016 election although Hillary Clinton
won the popular vote, Donald Trump was
elected president as he received 306
electoral votes to Clinton's 232.
