What is Electoral college procedure?

Answer 1

Electoral votes determine the President of the United States. Every state and DC are awarded a certain number of electoral votes with which to elect the President. The number is the total number of representative the state has in Congress in both houses total. Since every state has two senators and at least one representative to the House, every state has at least 3 electoral votes. The states choose as many electors as it has electoral votes and these electors elect the president. The electors are elected by popular vote in each state and each candidate for elector swears in advance whom he will vote for.

The entire electoral college does not meet together in one place. Electors meet in their respective state capitals (electors for the District of Columbia meet within the District) on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December, at which time they cast their electoral votes on separate ballots for president and vice-president. Each state then forwards the election results to the President of the U.S. Senate, the Archivist of the United States, the state's Secretary of State, and the chief judge of the United States district court where those electors met. A joint session of Congress takes place on January 6 in the calendar year immediately following the meetings of the presidential electors. The electoral votes are officially tabulated at the joint session of Congress and the winner of the election is officially declared.