valitsijoiden

Valitsijat are individuals chosen to cast electoral votes in certain political systems, most notably in the United States presidential election. When citizens vote for a presidential candidate, they are technically voting for a slate of electors who have pledged to support that candidate. These electors then formally cast their votes in the Electoral College. The number of electors each state receives is equal to its total number of representatives in Congress, which is the sum of its senators (always two) and its representatives in the House of Representatives.

The process of selecting valitsijat varies by state. In most states, the political parties nominate slates of potential electors, and the winning slate is the one corresponding to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote in that state. Some states have laws that require electors to vote for the candidate who won the state's popular vote, while others do not have such binding laws, though electors rarely deviate from their pledged vote. The Electoral College, comprised of these valitsijat, then convenes to cast their votes, which are then sent to Congress to be officially counted. The candidate who receives a majority of the electoral votes wins the presidency.