What kind of voting system does the Electoral College use for presidential elections?

The Electoral College employs an indirect voting system. In this system, citizens cast their votes for electors rather than directly for the presidential candidates. These electors then convene and officially cast their votes for president. This process establishes a layer of representation where electors, typically pledged to support the candidate who wins the popular vote in their respective states, ultimately decide the outcome of the election.

This indirect mechanism indicates that while the populace's choice influences the electors' decisions, the actual selection of the president is made by these elected representatives. The indirect nature of the Electoral College contrasts with direct voting, where citizens vote directly for their preferred candidates, and with proportional voting, which would allocate votes in proportion to the number received. Plurality voting, where the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of whether they achieve a majority, is also not the system in use since the Electoral College operates on a different principle where electors play a key role in the final decision.