Democracies can be of two kinds: direct or representative. In both the forms, offices of the President, Vice President, or Prime Minister are filled upon elections. If it is a direct election, an office holder is elected directly by the people, and if it is an indirect election, office holders are elected on behalf of the masses. Then, how does one of the world's oldest democracies, the United States, conduct elections for its President and Vice President's post? The system of electoral college given by the U.S. Constitution is the key here. Thus, the concepts of popular vote and electoral vote stemming from this system are important in understanding the working of the American democracy. It is the vote of all the enfranchised population or registered citizen-voters of a country. This decides who would be the representatives of the people (generally state-wise). It is the vote only of the elected representatives, or the electors chosen by the citizens, who in turn elect further office holders on behalf of the common people. The first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month of November is the day of Presidential elections in the United States. On the day of election, the voters cast their vote for the desired presidential candidate, and thus also choose their electors (whose votes determine the winning President). The name of the electors may or may not appear on the ballot paper, which is up to each state's procedure. The winning candidate in every state is awarded all the electors (or electoral vote share of that state), except in Maine and Nebraska. The electors further, in the second phase of elections, cast their votes (usually based on results of the popular votes in the state). Thus, the President is not chosen by the popular vote. It is rather the electoral vote that determines the winner. The number of electoral votes a state has depends upon its population. Thus, it changes due to the reapportionment after a census. For example, currently the number of electoral votes are California (55), Florida and New York (29), Vermont and Wyoming (3), Maryland and Wisconsin (10), etc. These are the numbers after the 2010 census. The District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) is always granted 3 electoral votes, it being the least populous state according to the 23^rd amendment to the Constitution. All the 48 states, except Maine and Nebraska, follow the "winner-take-all" method of awarding the polled votes to the presidential candidates. As per this method, if a candidate secures the majority of the popular votes in a state, he becomes entitled to all the electors (or the entire share of that states' electoral votes). The states of Maine and Nebraska have a "congressional district" method. The winner of each congressional district receives one elector, and the winner of the popular vote receives two electors. The electors are not constitutionally obliged to vote according to the popular vote in their state; however, some states are bound by the State law or by pledges to political parties, and thus, they vote according to the state popular vote results. Also, due to the political affiliation, 99% of electors in the country's history have voted as pledged.