Yesterday was the presedential election however today I have heard a lot of confusion so I figured I'd give a quick rundown and hopefully help you out for next time!
There are 3 branches of Government:
1. Legislative Branch: Headed by Congress, which includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. The main task of these two bodies is to make the laws. Its powers include passing laws, originating spending bills (House), impeaching officials (Senate), and approving treaties (Senate). There are 2 Senators per state and 435 total members of the House of Representatives. Each states is designated a number of House of Representatives based on population. Here is a link for a list of the Representatives broken down by state and district.
2. Executive Branch: Headed by the president. The president carries out federal laws and recommends new ones, directs national defense and foreign policy, and performs ceremonial duties. Powers include directing government, commanding the Armed Forces, dealing with international powers, acting as chief law enforcement officer, and vetoing laws.
3. Judicial Branch: Headed by the Supreme Court. Its powers include interpreting the Constitution, reviewing laws, and deciding cases involving states' rights.
Electoral Vote: The electoral vote is based on the vote of the electoral college. Representatives from each state are allowed a vote, the bigger the state the more the representatives. The representatives are expected to vote in a way that represents the overall wishes of their state. Want to know who this electoral college is made up of? Click here for additional detail on the Electoral College.
There is a LOT more to know than this. But I figured this can get you started with a few basics. Hope this helps!
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