How the Electoral College works

(CNN) – It’s Election Day, and you may remember from civics class that the popular vote doesn’t determine the outcome.

It’s determined by the electoral college, which is complicated and confusing to many people.

Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

• State political parties choose their electors.
• Each state gets the same number of electors as it has members in the House and Senate, and the District of Columbia gets three, for a total of 538.
• A candidate needs a majority, so at least 270, to win.
• On Election Day, votes go into a statewide tally, with 48 states using a winner-takes-all electoral vote system.
• A projected winner is typically announced on election night or soon after.

However, the Electoral College vote, when electors meet in their states to vote, is in mid-December.

The Constitution doesn’t require electors to vote for their party’s nominee, but they almost always do, and some states require it.