Most Americans are reminded every four years that the president is not elected directly by the people. Instead, an indirect process called the Electoral College is used as a compromise between direct election, which some of the founders wanted, and presidential election by members of Congress, favored by other founders.
The rules for the Electoral College were written in the 18th century to accommodate that era's technology and customs. Although the election was on October 4th, members of the Electoral College didn't meet until December 15th to cast their votes for president and vice president. Finally, last Thursday, January 8th, Congress met in a joint session to formally count the electoral votes. If you have half an hour, you can watch the whole fascinating and tedious ritual on this YouTube video.
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