US electoral college - can someone explain ?

[Kissthepastrychef]

Please could someone explain it ? I've finally grasped how the HoR and senate (ie senator being the state representative) differs and that each state has electors but I don't really get it. Is the elector a person ? Eg State X has 15 electors each worth a vote for the POTUS. BUT what happens after ? Do they sit in some house somewhere and if so where ? Why have this system rather than just counting votes ?

Think of the states as constituencies, but some have more electors than others.
The electors are generally the senators or reps from that state, but it doesn't really matter as state law (except in Nebraska and Maine) requires them to go along with the popular vote in that state. So if Trump gets 50.1% in Pennsylvania, he gets all 23 electoral college votes.

Why was the system set up that way? The Founding Fathers didn't want the city majority populations to dominate smaller states, so each state gets two senators regardless of population, and a number of EC votes that was somewhat adjusted for population, bearing in mind black people and women didn't count...

But the result is that the votes of around 250 million people are pointless just like in safe seats here, as only the half-a-fozen swing states really matter.

Can you access podcasts OP? This one is great and explains it all:

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736?i=1000495647037

I'm not sure if that worked. The podcast is The Daily and the episode is called A Peculiar Way to Pick a President. Well worth a listen. I'm American and it cleared up points I wasn't sure on.

And yes, what the poster above said is true. I've voted all of my adult life knowing that my vote doesn't really matter. It's a system in need of reform for sure

Do they sit in some house somewhere and if so where ? Why have this system rather than just counting votes?

The meeting of electors takes place on 14th December this year. The meetings take place in a government building in the State Capitol for each, eg the secretary of state's office.