Every four years, on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, millions of American citizens go to their local voting booths and cast their vote for the next president and vice president, as well as other officials, of the United States. The votes are counted and recorded, and a winner is announced. The result of the popular vote, however, does not guarantee a winner; The Electoral College must cast its vote to decide.
             The Electoral College is a controversial process that was a compromise among the nation's Founding Fathers included the U.S. Constitution. At the time, some wanted Congress to choose the president, while others wanted a direct popular vote. Politicians contended that a popular vote would be too reckless, and others argued that allowing Congress to decide would give them too much power.
             The compromise set up the Electoral College system, where each state's presidential votes are awarded to electors, who would then cast their vote for a candidate that actually selects the president. This is described in Article II, section I of the U.S. Constitution. All but two states, Maine and Nebraska, award their electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis.
             The entire election process begins with the primaries, a stage in which voters cast their ballots for their preferred candidate or delegate who represents that candidate. The outcome of a primary indicates to party leaders, the media, and the public the probability of each candidate to be elected. Primaries are the main way to nominate a candidate. After the caucuses and primaries, the major parties nominate their candidates for president and vice president in their national conventions. Third parties and independent candidates follow different procedures according to the individual State laws. The names of the nominated candidates are submitted to each State's election official so that they might appear on the general election ballot.
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