The Electoral College is a process established by the United States Constitution for electing the president and vice president, where citizens vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for particular candidates.
It's like choosing a restaurant with your friends. You don't directly choose where you're going to eat; instead, you vote within your friend group, then those chosen friends make the final decision about where everyone will eat.
Popular Vote: The tally of each individual's vote within a given geographic area.
Swing State/Battleground State: A state in which no single candidate or party has overwhelming support, making it highly competitive in presidential elections.
Winner-take-all System: An electoral system where whoever gets most votes wins all electoral votes from that state.
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