
One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.
Voters in 2012 might think they are casting their ballots for President Barack Obama, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or a third party candidate, but they will actually be selecting a presidential elector for their state.
Each political party chooses electors for each state, according to the U.S. Archives website. The process of nominating electors varies across the country, but many are nominated during their political party's state political convention.
Individual votes do matter, because when a candidate wins the popular vote in an individual state, that candidate's Electoral College representatives are pledged to cast their votes in favor of their candidate (though they are not required to.