Does your vote really count on election day? — What you should know
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Many voters question whether or not their vote really matters in elections and what happens the day after results are announced.
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During election night, voters often hear about the numbers from the popular vote but these national polls don't actually tell you who's going to win.
The United States is the only country who selects its president using something called the electoral college.
The electoral college is a group of people appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States.
Doctor Tom Hoffman, who has been teaching on this subject since 2007 at Spring Hill College, explained what you are really voting for on Nov. 5.
"When they chose that, they are actually not choosing the candidate that they think their voting for on the ballot, their choosing a set of electors who are promised to vote for that candidate and who are usually the strongest supporters of that candidate," said Associate Professor at Spring Hill College, Dr. Tom Hoffman.
Hoffman told WKRG if a candidate wins in a particular state, they receive the state's electoral votes. A candidate needs 270 votes to win the election. This is what is seen on election night – candidates securing electoral votes for particular states.
"The reason that it was done was to protect the and the authority and sovereignty of the states, to give the states some sovereignty and to sort of underline the fact that the union is a union of states," said Dr. Hoffman.
There is still work to be done after the results are in on election day.
"We vote in November, the electoral college communicates the votes in mid-December, and the first week of January the congress will meet in D.C. to basically take in the tabulations," said Dr. Hoffman.
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The electoral process reflects the popular will but there's been a few instances in U.S. history where the popular vote was different than the electoral college vote.
