Which system determines the final decision on who will be the president of the United States?

The electoral college system is the mechanism established by the United States Constitution for electing the president and vice president. When citizens cast their ballots for president during an election, they are technically voting for a slate of electors pledged to vote for their chosen candidate, rather than voting directly for the candidate themselves.

This system consists of 538 electors, and a majority of 270 electoral votes is required to win the presidency. Each state is allocated a number of electors based on its congressional representation, which is determined by the number of Senators (always 2) and Representatives in the House.

When citizens vote, they influence the electors in their state, and the winner of the majority of that state's votes typically receives all of its electoral votes (though Maine and Nebraska use a proportional allocation). This process ensures that the final decision regarding the presidency reflects both the population’s choice and the representation of states across the union.

In contrast, the other systems mentioned, such as direct democracy, where citizens vote on issues directly, and majority rule, which relies solely on the simple majority regardless of state representation, do not apply to the U.S. presidential election. Additionally, the parliamentary system is more associated with a different form of governance, like that