but it does decide if you get to be President of the United States.

但是如果你想要當美國總統，確實能夠決定你可不可以當上

In the United States, citizens over the age of 18 can vote in Presidential elections.

超過18歲的美國公民能夠在總統大選時投票

This is called the popular vote.

這稱為「普選」

But it's the electoral college that actually chooses the president.

但是其實是由選舉人團來選出總統

And you need 270 electoral votes to become president.

而且要成為總統，至少必須得到270票選舉人票

The founding fathers created the electoral college

美國開國元勳創立了選舉人團的制度

because they worried states with smaller populations might not get fairly represented.

因為他們擔心人口數較少的州沒有辦法公平的表示他們的支持

They also didn't think the common man was informed enough to choose a suitable president.

他們也不認為一般知道總統大選的社會大眾有辦法選出一位適合的總統

So they created the electoral college.

所以他們才創立了選舉人團的制度

Today it has 538 members.

現在的選舉人團有538位選舉人

That’s one for every member of the House of Representatives and Senate, representing all 50 states.

選舉人數量和參議院及眾議院的國會議員是一樣的，分別代表著50個州

In addition, Washington DC has three electoral college members.

此外，華盛頓特區另外有3位選舉人團成員

To win the presidency, you must win at least 270 electoral votes.

要贏得總統大選，你一定要至少贏得270張選舉人票

And to win electoral votes, for the most part you need to win the popular vote in each state.

而且要贏的選舉人票，基本上你就需要贏得各州的普選

By winning California’s popular vote and you take home the state’s 55 electoral votes.

贏下加州的普選，那就代表你贏下了該州55張選舉人票

And if you win the popular vote in Texas and you win that state’s 38 electoral votes.

而且如果你贏得德州的普選，你就得到了德州的38張選舉人票

This is called the winner-take-all system.

這就是所謂「贏者全拿」的體系

But sometimes, a candidate wins the popular vote nationally but doesn’t amass enough electoral votes.

但是有時候，一位贏的全國普選的候選人，但是卻沒有贏得足夠的選舉人票

This happened in 2000. Democratic candidate Al Gore won the popular vote nationwide,

這在2000年的總統大選即發生過。民主黨總統候選人艾爾·高爾贏的全國這地的普選

yet Republican George W. Bush won Florida in a close contest.

然而共和黨的布希以非常小的差距贏下佛羅里達州

That was enough to give him the electoral vote victory.

也就讓他足夠贏下選舉人團的勝利

Only four times in America’s history has the popular vote been different from the electoral vote.

在美國史上只有四次的總統大選，普選結果和選舉人票結果不一樣