How electors are selected for the electoral college:

(KOAM) - Voters head to the polls on November 5th to decide the next president. But on election day, are you really voting for a candidate or are you voting for a party?

"When we vote in November, we will be voting to decide which party gets to choose our president. This is what really happens," says Jay Ashcroft, Missouri Secretary of State .

Some states, such as Missouri and Kansas, list only the presidential candidates on their ballots.

Others, like Oklahoma , make it clear that voters are technically selecting the electors who participate in the electoral college. Voters are not truly voting for the next Commander-in-Chief.

Those electors were selected by their political party in each state, whether it be Democrat, Republican or Independent.

"If you vote for Kamala Harris, then what you're really doing is you're voting to allow the Democrat presidential electors from Missouri to vote," explains Ashcroft. "If you vote for Donald Trump, then you're really voting to allow the Republican presidential electors to vote."

To win, a presidential ticket must receive 270 votes from the electors.

Arkansas and Kansas both have six votes. Oklahoma has seven and Missouri gets 10 electoral votes .

All four are winner-take-all states. This means all their electoral college votes will go to the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state.

The electoral college will meet December 17th to select the next President and Vice-President of the United States of America.

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