Electoral College

in the United States, a body of men intrusted with the selection of a president and a vice-president. The United States Constitution provides that the voters of the different states shall choose electors, who shall in turn select a president and a vice-president. It was the intent of the framers of the Constitution that these electors should exercise their own judgment; but, as a matter of fact, they are pledged customarily to the support of particular candidates. Each state chooses as many electors as it has representatives and senators in Congress. The number cannot, therefore, fall below three. Nevada has three. New Jersey has three. New York has thirty-nine. Though called an electoral college, the term is a misnomer, for the electors never meet in one body. Those for each state meet at a place designated by the state legislature, usually at the capital, on the second Monday in January to cast their ballots for president and vice-president. They make three certified copies of the result. One is deposited with the federal judge of the district, one is sent by mail to the president of the Senate, the other is sent to the same officer by an official messenger, usually one of their own number. For convenience, the electoral vote of each state is given in the table accompanying the article on CONGRESS. For the make-up of the college, see table in article on the UNITED STATES. See also PRESIDENT.