Who are the 538 people who directly elect the US president?

(Dan Tri) - Americans will not directly elect the winning candidate in the presidential election, but will elect 538 Electors and these are the people who will choose the new leader every 4 years.

The Electoral College system originated in the US Constitution in 1787, which established rules for indirect, single-round presidential elections.

Most electors are local elected officials or party leaders, but their names do not appear on ballots, and their identities are largely unknown to voters.

The Constitution leaves it up to states to decide how their electors will vote. In theory, in most states, except Nebraska and Maine, the candidate who wins the popular vote also wins all of that state's electoral votes.

The Electoral College allows a presidential candidate to lose the popular vote but still win the election. Five US presidents have won in such situations, including Donald Trump in 2016.

When a presidential candidate wins a state, this means that the electors of the winning political party in that state are obligated to vote for that candidate as president.

If some states require electors to respect the popular vote, but they don't, they are called "faithless electors" and will be subject to a fine if they don't vote for the popular vote winner.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/538-nguoi-truc-tiep-bau-ra-tong-thong-my-la-ai-20241018144354879.htm