This essential and newly updated guide by AEI's John C. Fortier demystifies one of America's most misunderstood institutions, walking readers through the complex constitutional, legal, and political machinery that determines a president after votes are cast—covering the Electoral College, congressional procedures, state laws, and party rules—while breaking new ground with fresh analysis of public opinion and hotly debated proposals to reform or abolish the Electoral College altogether.

Now in its fourth edition, After the People Vote remains an indispensable concise guide to help students and all citizens understand this critical and controversial American political institution. The mechanisms that lead to the final selection of a president are complex. Some procedures are sketched out in the original Constitution and its amendments, and others in federal law, congressional rules and procedures, state laws, and political party rules. This new, expanded edition of After the People Vote—featuring new sections on public opinion on the Electoral College and proposals for amending the Electoral College system—explains how our system of electing a president works, especially the processes that kick in after the November general election date.