An electoral system, also known as a voting system, refers to a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. These rules govern various aspects of the voting process, including when elections occur, who is allowed to vote, who can stand as a candidate, how ballots are marked and cast, how the ballots are counted, how votes translate into the election outcome, limits on campaign spending, and other factors that can affect the result.
Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, and they can also be applied in non-political elections in business, non-profit organizations, and informal organizations. Political electoral systems are defined by constitutions and electoral laws, are typically conducted by election commissions, and can use multiple types of elections for different offices. There are various types of electoral systems, including proportional representation, plurality voting, two-round runoffs, and ranked choice voting.
In the United States, the presidential election process involves the Electoral College, which consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. Each state has the same number of electors as it does members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two Senators. The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress.
Overall, an electoral system is a crucial component of the democratic process, as it determines how individuals are elected to public office and how their representation is determined.
