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The Electoral College, explained: summary

The Electoral College, explained

Vox · Oct 31, 2020 · about 8 min

Uploaded Oct 31, 2020 · 8.4M views (as of Oct 30, 2026)

Good value given

Each state gets electoral votes equal to its House seats plus two for its senators, so small states get more votes per person.
Almost every state gives all of its electoral votes to whoever wins the most votes there, even by 1%.
That makes a few swing states the real battleground, and candidates spend most of their time there.
The design came partly from the three-fifths clause, which gave slave-holding states extra electoral votes.
Which party the system helps has changed over time, and its defenders have usually been the people it helps.

Why does the US still use the Electoral College?

Vox argues the system has lasted because it has always helped some voters more than others, and the people it helps have blocked every attempt to replace it. Congress tried to switch to a popular vote in 1816 and came close in 1969, passing it in the House, but senators from states that benefited stopped it both times.

Worth watching?Good value given. Eight minutes that cover how the votes are counted, why swing states get all the attention, and where the system came from. Clear charts and a strong history section.

ActionableLessons

Actionable

Look up how many electoral votes your state has and whether it's a swing state.
During the next election, compare national polls with swing state polls and see which predicted the result.
Read your state's rules for how it awards electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska split theirs.

Lessons

Rules about how votes are counted can matter as much as the votes.
A system can stay in place because the people with power to change it are the ones it benefits.
Who a rule favors can shift over decades, so people's positions on it shift too.

Quick answer

Vox posted this video on Oct 31, 2020. Here's our summary in our own words: the answer to the title, a verdict, 5 takeaways, and Actionable and Lessons tabs.

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Watch the video

Watch on YouTube: The Electoral College, explained

Channel: Vox. Published Oct 31, 2020. About 8 minutes.

What the video covers

The video starts with why national polls don't decide who wins, then walks through how electoral votes are assigned using Texas and Vermont as examples.

The second half covers the history, from the three-fifths clause to the failed attempts to replace the system in 1816 and 1969.

If you want to follow an election the way this video suggests, watch the polls in the handful of swing states instead of the national polls, since those states decide where the electoral votes go.

Quotes from the video

“The US is the only country that picks its president using something called the Electoral College.”
“If they win the state by 1%, they win 100% of the electoral votes.”
“Swing states are where the election actually takes place.”

A note on this summary

This page reports what the video says, in our own words. Quotes are copied word for word from the video's transcript. Views are as of Oct 30, 2026.

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FAQ: questions people ask

How does the Electoral College work?

Each state gets electoral votes equal to its members of Congress. Nearly every state gives all of them to the candidate who wins the most votes in that state, and 270 wins.

Why are swing states so important?

Because a state's electoral votes go to one candidate as a block, the states that could go either way decide the election, so candidates focus there.

Is the video worth watching?

Good value given. It's short, clear and covers the history most explainers skip.