The Electoral College is a group of representatives from each U.S. state who formally elect the President and Vice President. Each state has a certain number of electors based on its population, totaling 538 electors nationwide. To win the presidency, a candidate must receive a majority of these electoral votes, which is at least 270. When citizens vote in a presidential election, they are actually voting for a slate of electors pledged to their chosen candidate. These electors then cast their votes in December, officially determining the outcome of the election. This system was established in the U.S. Constitution to balance the influence of populous states with less populous ones.