Final answer:
The Electoral College is a unique method used in the United States to select a president. It is possible for a candidate to win the popular vote and still lose the election. Critics argue that the Electoral College can depress voter turnout and fail to represent the popular will.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Electoral College is a unique method used in the United States to select a president. Instead of directly electing the president, voters choose electors who are pledged to vote for a certain candidate. The number of electors each state has is based on the number of senators and representatives it has in Congress.
One controversial aspect of the Electoral College is that it is possible for a candidate to win the popular vote and still lose the election, as seen in the 2000 and 2016 elections. This is because the electoral votes are allocated on a state-by-state basis, and the candidate who wins a state's popular vote receives all of its electoral votes.
The Electoral College has been the subject of debate and calls for reform. Critics argue that it can depress voter turnout and fail to represent the popular will. The system also favors smaller states, as individual votes there count more than in larger states due to the mathematics involved in the distribution of electors.