> carlos levi corea wrote:
> >Can someone explain to me what the electoral college is? Is that true that
> >is not the popular vote the one electing the president but the electoral
> >college? If it is true, What is the function of the popular vote? I'm sorry
> >for asking a question so off the subject, but I am not an American and I
> >find interesting to find out more about the American system. Thank you.
>

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Per your request:

The Electoral College in Brief
http://ps.ucdavis.edu/ApproachingDemocracy/Chapters/proceed.html

Or

http://www.nara.gov/nara/fedreg/ec/proced.html


The Electoral College was established by the founding fathers as a
compromise between election of the president by Congress and election by
popular vote. The electors are a popularly elected body chosen by the
States and the District of Columbia on the Tuesday after the first Monday
in November (November 5, 1996). The Electoral College consists of 538
electors (one for each of 435 members of the House of Representatives and
100 Senators; and 3 for the District of Columbia by virtue of the 23rd
Amendment). Each State's allotment of electors is equal to the number of
House members to which it is entitled plus two Senators. The decennial
census is used to reapportion the number of electors allocated among the
States.

The slates of electors are generally chosen by the political parties.
State laws vary on the appointment of electors. The States prepare a list
of the slate of electors for the candidate who receives the most popular
votes on a Certificate of Ascertainment. The Governor of each State
prepares seven original Certificates of Ascertainment. The States send one
original, along with two authenticated copies or two additional originals
to the Archivist of the United States at the National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA) by registered mail, which must be received by the
first Monday after the second Wednesday in December (December 16, 1996).
The Archivist transmits the originals to NARA's Office of the Federal
Register (OFR). The OFR forwards one copy to each House of Congress and
retains the original.

The electors meet in each State on the first Monday after the second
Wednesday in December (December 16, 1996). A majority of 270 electoral
votes is required to elect the President and Vice President. No
Constitutional provision or Federal law requires electors to vote in
accordance with the popular vote in their State.

The electors prepare six original Certificates of Vote and annex a
Certificate of Ascertainment to each one. Each Certificate of Vote lists
all persons voted for as President and the number of electors voting for
each person and separately lists all persons voted for as Vice President
and the number of electors voting for each person.

If no presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, the 12th
Amendment to the Constitution provides for the presidential election to be
decided by the House of Representatives.  The House would select the
President by majority vote, choosing from the three candidates who
received the greatest number of electoral votes. The vote would be taken
by State, with each State delegation having one vote. If no Vice
Presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, the Senate
would select the Vice President by majority vote, with each Senator
choosing from the two candidates who received the greatest number of
electoral votes.