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A majority of Americans want to move away from the Electoral College, a system that was created by the Founding Fathers more than 200 years ago. Sixty-five percent of adults in the U.S. say they prefer switching to the popular vote, according to a Pew Research Center poll. So, how does the Electoral College work? And why do we still use this system?What is the Electoral College? The Electoral College consists of 538 electors — the same number as members of Congress. 435 for members of the House of Representatives, 100 for the Senate and three for the District of Columbia. In order to win the White House, a presidential candidate needs 270 of those votes. How are electors selected? Each presidential candidate has their own group of electors in each state — a group referred to as a slate.These slates are typically political insiders nominated by a state's Democratic and Republican parties. Most states have a "winner-take-all" system that awards all electors to the presidential candidate who wins the state's popular vote.However, two states — Maine and Nebraska — divide their electors by their congressional district. Many have criticized whether the Electoral College system should continue to hold this much power over the presidential seat. Why do we still have the Electoral College? The Electoral College system was created as a compromise for the Founding Fathers, as some wanted popular elections for president and others wanted to have Congress decide. But this was more than 200 years ago. So, why does the Electoral College still exist?Some say the Electoral College forces political parties to pay attention to the whole country. Without it, candidates could just target highly populated cities and skip over rural America when campaigning and building policies.For more explanations like this about the election process, tune in to the special news program Commitment 2024: Get the Facts. Check your local listings for air dates or stream for free on the Very Local app.