On this day in 1789, America's first presidential election was held.
Voters cast ballots to choose state electors; only white men who owned property were allowed to vote.
George Washington won the election and was sworn into office on April 30, 1789.
As it did in 1789, the US still uses the Electoral College System established by the US Constitution which today gives all American citizens over the age of 18 the right to vote for electors, who in turn vote for the president.
The president and vice president are the only elected federal officials chosen by the Electoral College instead of by direct popular vote.
During a presidential election year, on Election Day (the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November), the electors from the party that gets the most popular votes are elected in a winner-take-all-system, with the exception o Maine and Nebraska which allocate electors proportionally. In order to win the presidency, a candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes out of a possible 538.
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