The people have votedbut Election 2004 isn't over yet. Now the Electoral College takes center stage. Do you have questions about how this 'college' works? Do you realize that the election isn't official until the electors make their choices? Read on for answers to some frequently asked questions.

Q. What is the Electoral College?
A. Good question! It's a group of people, called electors, who meet in their state capitals in December to vote for president.

Q. But wasn't the election over on November 2?
A. Not exactly. When voters cast their ballots on Election Day, they're not voting directly for the president. Instead, they vote for a group of presidential electors pledged to support whichever candidate wins the popular vote.

Q. How many electoral votes does a candidate need to win the presidency?
A. The total number of votes cast by the electors is 538. To be elected president, a candidate must win at least 270 electoral votes.

Q. Does every state have the same number of electors?
A. No. The number of electors is equal to the number of senators and representatives in Congress who represent that state. Every state has two senators and at least one representative, so every state has at least three electoral votes (and the District of Columbia always has three electoral votes). However, the number of representatives from each state changes as that state's population shrinks or grows. The most populous states have more electoral votes than less populated states.

Q. Can the electors vote for any candidate they want?
A. Yes, but Traditionally, electors cast their ballots for the candidate who wins their state's popular vote. Although some state laws require this, the U.S. Constitution does not. However, in the history of the United States, electors have voted for the candidate who won their states' popular vote 99 percent of the time. Very rarely does an elector decide not to cast a ballot for the candidate who won the popular vote in their state. That happened most recently in 2000, when one of the District of Columbia's electors decided to abstain.

Q. What happens if the results in a particular state are very close on Election Day?
A. In most states, it doesn't make any difference. The Electoral College is a winner-take-all system. Even if a candidate were to win by just a few hundred votes, all the Electoral College votes would go to the winner. The loser gets none.

Q. Are there any exceptions to this rule?
A. Yes, Maine and Nebraska are two states that don't have a winner-take-all system. Maine and Nebraska give each congressional district one electoral vote. Each vote goes to whichever candidate wins that district. The remaining two electoral votes go to the statewide winner.

Q. Is it possible for a candidate for president to win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote?
A. Yes. In fact, that happened in 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore got 500,000 more votes nationwide than George W. Bush. However, Bush won states that had a greater number of Electoral College votes. As a result, Bush won 271 electoral votes, and Gore won 266 electoral votes. (One elector from the District of Columbia abstained.) Whoever wins the Electoral College vote wins the presidency.

Q. What happens if there's a tie?
A. Ties happen rarely. However, when the electoral vote is tied, the U.S. House of Representatives chooses the president. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr each received 73 electoral votes. The House decided to make Jefferson president and made Burr vice president.

Q. Why was the Electoral College established?
A. The framers of the U.S. Constitution worried that large states, or a power-hungry leader, would unfairly dominate presidential elections in a popular vote. To avoid this, some people suggested that Congress should select a president. But not everyone thought that Congress should have so much power. The Electoral College was established as a compromise.

Q. Has anyone ever suggested getting rid of the Electoral College in favor of a popular vote?
A. Yes. In fact, there have been debates about whether or not the Electoral College should be abolished almost since it was established. Thomas Jefferson hated the Electoral College system. He called it "the most dangerous blot in our Constitution." Over the past 200 years, more than 700 proposals to change or eliminate the Electoral College have been introduced to Congress. Its supporters, on the other hand, say that the system has worked well for 200 years and that it should not be changed.