Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, 2026 was Election Day in the United States. While this year did not have a presidential election, this is the perfect time to go over two things: what the Electoral College is, and why your vote matters.

The Electoral College is the group of people chosen by each state to vote on behalf of the state in presidential elections. Each state is given two votes, one per senator, and an additional vote for every representative from that state. Under the 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, D.C. is given electoral votes, but no more than the state with the fewest, which is currently 3 in Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, and Alaska. With 435 representatives from each state, 100 total senators, and 3 electoral votes given to the capital, there are 538 total electors that decide who will become president of the United States. When a US citizen votes in presidential elections, they do not vote for the president. Instead, they vote for an elector nominated by the state that has pledged to vote for a specific candidate.

As states have been added and grown in population, these electors have grown in number, but the original purpose of the electoral college has now diminished. When the Electoral College was established, it was the first and often final step of presidential elections— the popular vote was not something proposed by the founders of the United States. Under the 12th Amendment, whoever won a simple majority in the Electoral College became president. If no person received more than half of the electoral votes, the top three candidates would be presented to the House of Representatives, and each state would receive one vote. This process has not occurred in over 200 years.

In 2026, there are 48 states with laws that give all of their electoral votes to the presidential candidate that wins the state. In the other two states, electoral votes are split. Maine and Nebraska have laws giving each congressional district one electoral vote, with the other two electoral votes given to the winner of the state. In both winner-take-all states and the two congressional district states, the winner of the state is determined by plurality, not majority: the winner is the person with the most votes, not more than half. For this reason, it is possible for a candidate to win an election even if most people vote against them. It’s even possible for a candidate to win the national popular vote but still lose the electoral election.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote for president, but lost to Donald Trump in the Electoral College, resulting in the inauguration of Trump the following January. This has led to controversy, with many people arguing the Electoral College should be abolished. It has also led to voter suppression, with many people believing their vote doesn’t matter because of the Electoral College. However, as mentioned previously, every state has a law that grants its electoral votes based upon the popular vote. Not only is participating in the democratic process a liberty, it’s a duty. One individual vote may not mean much, but when millions of voters are abstaining every year, both in presidential and local elections, important input is lost. If you are registered, go vote!