With elections in the United States on the anvil, it’s notable how different its electoral system is from India’s. In India, citizens directly vote for Members of Parliament (MPs), and the party with the majority in the Lok Sabha selects the Prime Minister.

In the US, the process to choose a President involves the Electoral College. American citizens don’t vote directly for a President. Instead, they choose electors—representatives who cast the actual vote for the President. There are 538 electors, and to win, a candidate needs at least 270 votes from these electors.

In the US, when citizens vote, they’re essentially voting for electors pledged to their candidate, not the candidate directly. In most states, the candidate who wins the majority in that state gets all of that state’s electoral votes. This means a candidate can win the presidency without winning the national popular vote.

Compare this to India’s first-past-the-post system, where each constituency elects an MP directly, and the party with the majority of MPs takes control of the government. This way, power directly reflects the people’s vote in India.

The final step also differs. After the electors are chosen in the US, they meet 41 days later in December to formally cast the official votes, which Congress counts in January to declare the next president. In India, however, the Election Commission announces the results right after the count. The President then invites the majority party or coalition leader to become the Prime Minister. This makes India’s transition of power more direct, while the US relies on the Electoral College to make the final decision.

Related Topics