Make sure you have all the information you need to vote in November!
In Virginia, the lists of candidates for the November Elections (other than President) will be posted in July. The Presidential candidates list will be posted in September.
Election Concepts
The Electoral College
According to the National Archives, "The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The Founding Fathers established it in the Constitution, in part, as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens."
When you vote for President, you are actually voting for your State's electors. Which means that you are telling your State which candidate you want your State to vote for at the meeting of electors. The States use these general election results (also known as the popular vote) to appoint their electors. Most States just have a majority wins policy, meaning the majority vote determines the winning political party of electors. However, Maine and Nebraska each use “proportional representation.”
There are a total of 538 electors in the United States, and each state has a number of electorates to match the state's population, which means each state has the same number of electors as it does Members in its Congressional delegation: one for each Member in the House of Representatives plus two Senators.
The presidency is determined by getting a majority of electorate votes, which is at least 270.
In short, your vote does matter and is needed to determine who should be president.
Learn more by visiting the website for the National Archives.
Popular Vote
The term "popular vote" refers to the number of votes by individuals throughout the country. This may or may not match the results of the Electoral College.