The Electoral College will pick America's next president on Monday. Here's how it works.

(Image credit: AP/YouTube)

last updated 15 December 2016

"The Electoral College is a process, not a place," says the National Archives. And on Monday, the 538 electors in this "college" who will formally pick the next president of the United States will meet in their own states to cast their ballots. The winning candidate needs half of the electoral votes plus one, or 270 votes. Since Donald Trump won a majority in states with 306 electoral votes, and most states legally oblige their electors to vote for the candidate who won the state, Trump will almost certainly get the nod.

Fewer than 1 percent of electors in U.S. history have gone rogue, The Associated Press notes, casting their ballots for a candidate who didn't win their state. No elector has ever been prosecuted for not voting as pledged, though some are saying this year they will risk jail to vote against Trump. Things have not always run smoothly in the Electoral College — there has been one tie, two presidencies decided in the House, one settled by a special electoral commission, and five cases where the Electoral College winner lost the popular vote, as happened this year.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox