The Electoral College was established by Article II of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 as a compromise between a direct popular vote and a vote by Congress.
538 electors are distributed across the 50 states and Washington, D.C. — a candidate needs 270 to win the presidency.
Five U.S. presidents have won the presidency while losing the national popular vote: John Quincy Adams (1824), Rutherford B. Hayes (1876), Benjamin Harrison (1888), George W. Bush (2000), and Donald Trump (2016).
Supporters argue the system protects the influence of smaller states and forces candidates to build geographically broad coalitions. Critics argue it can override the popular will and concentrates campaign attention on a handful of swing states.
Abolishing the Electoral College outright would require a constitutional amendment — ratification by two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and three-fourths of state legislatures. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an alternative path that does not require amendment.