As in every presidential election, Americans will not be voting for presidential candidates tomorrow.
Technically, they will be voting for "electors" of the Electoral College.
The winner of each state's popular vote gets all its electoral votes, equal to the number of senators and representatives in its delegation to Congress. (With two U.S. senators and eight members of the House of Representatives, Maryland has 10 of the 538 electoral votes.)
The next president will be the person who wins a majority of the Electoral College - at least 270 votes.
Win the key states possessing the largest number of electoral votes, and you can be president, even if your main opponent wins a larger number of popular votes. It has happened: In 1876, Samuel J. Tilden beat Rutherford B. Hayes by 4.3 million votes to 4 million. But Hayes prevailed in the Electoral College, 185 votes to 184.
In case of an Electoral College tie, the House of Representatives decides the election, with each state casting one vote. That too has happened: Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr deadlocked in 1800 with 73 votes apiece. The states chose Jefferson in the House on the 36th ballot.
In 1992, Bill Clinton won 370 electoral votes (and 43 percent of the popular vote). President George Bush (father of Texas Gov. George W. Bush) received 168 electoral votes (and 37.4 percent of the popular vote). Businessman Ross Perot received no electoral votes (but 18.9 percent of the popular vote).
In 1996, Clinton won 379 electoral votes (and 49.25 percent of the popular vote); Dole, 159 electoral votes (and 40.7 percent of the popular Vote); Perot, no electoral votes (but 8.4 percent of the popular vote).
