FAQ: The Electoral College

There's more to the election than the popular vote.

What Is the Electoral College? - You've reasearched the candidates and you're following the polls, but do you know anything about the Electoral College? BET.com takes a look at the often forgotten process that's the most important part of this year's presidential election. —Naeesa Aziz  (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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What Is the Electoral College? - You've reasearched the candidates and you're following the polls, but do you know anything about the Electoral College? BET.com takes a look at the often forgotten process that's the most important part of this year's presidential election. —Naeesa Aziz  (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

What Is the Electoral College? (Continued) - Put simply: The Electoral College picks the president. Every four years, 538 electors across the 50 states cast their vote for president. Each state is allotted a different amount of electors depending on the number of members in its Congressional delegation and a majority of 270 electoral votes is required to declare a winner.  (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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What Is the Electoral College? (Continued) - Put simply: The Electoral College picks the president. Every four years, 538 electors across the 50 states cast their vote for president. Each state is allotted a different amount of electors depending on the number of members in its Congressional delegation and a majority of 270 electoral votes is required to declare a winner.  (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

So, How Does My Vote Factor In?  - In most states, electoral votes are awarded based on the popular vote. So, if a candidate wins the popular vote in your state, he will likely win all of that state's electoral votes as well. This tricky distinction played out in 2000 when presidential candidate Al Gore challenged the electoral win of George W. Bush, who received the support of Florida’s electoral votes after a narrow popular vote win.

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So, How Does My Vote Factor In?  - In most states, electoral votes are awarded based on the popular vote. So, if a candidate wins the popular vote in your state, he will likely win all of that state's electoral votes as well. This tricky distinction played out in 2000 when presidential candidate Al Gore challenged the electoral win of George W. Bush, who received the support of Florida’s electoral votes after a narrow popular vote win.

What If No Candidate Gets 270 Electoral Votes? - If no candidate manages to gather the 270 electoral votes needed to win, the House of Representatives elects the president from the three candidates with the highest number of electoral votes. The Senate chooses the vice president from the two vice presidential candidates with the most electoral votes. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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What If No Candidate Gets 270 Electoral Votes? - If no candidate manages to gather the 270 electoral votes needed to win, the House of Representatives elects the president from the three candidates with the highest number of electoral votes. The Senate chooses the vice president from the two vice presidential candidates with the most electoral votes. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Has the Senate Ever Choosen a Vice President Before? - Yes, but only once in 1836. Vice President Richard M. Johnson was chosen by the Senate when Martin Van Buren fell one vote short of a majority in the Electoral College.(Photo: WikiCommons)

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Has the Senate Ever Choosen a Vice President Before? - Yes, but only once in 1836. Vice President Richard M. Johnson was chosen by the Senate when Martin Van Buren fell one vote short of a majority in the Electoral College.(Photo: WikiCommons)

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Will Republicans Take the Senate? - The GOP needs to pick up just six seats to win control of Congress' upper chamber. According to David Bositis, senior political analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, African-American voters are key to helping some senators keep their seats. They include North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagin and Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu.  (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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When Are Electoral College Votes Counted? - Electoral votes are counted on the 6th of January in the year following the meeting of the electors during a joint session of Congress.  (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Issues - The economy— the unemployment rate on the island is nearly 17 percent – is of premium importance to many in Puerto Rico, Gov. Fortuno told the Associated Press.(Photo: AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

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Can U.S. Territories Vote for President? - No, U.S. Territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa are not granted electoral votes and thus, citizens may not vote for president. Citizens from U.S. Territories that can claim official residency in a U.S. State or the District of Columbia may vote. (Photo: AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)