How the US Electoral College works

The US election is extremely complex and even at times it bewilders American citizens. It is a two-tier electoral system in which citizens vote with each presidential candidate gunning to win as many states as possible to attain the elusive 270 electoral votes.

The Electoral College,  a group of 538 people appointed by each party, ultimately decides who gets to go to the White House.

Here is how the mysterious Electoral College works:

Electoral College: Group of people appointed by each party

Total electors: 538 people, equal to the number of members in Congress

States: Each state gets electors based on its population.

Candidates: Each candidate gets all electoral votes for every state s/he wins popular votes

Example: If Clinton wins popular vote in New York, she gets all 29 electoral votes

Winner: The goal is to get 270 electoral votes, about more than half of 538 total electoral votes

Source: CNN www.cnn.com