In the United States, the president is both the head of state and government.) Germany uses an electoral college system based on the makeup of its legislative body, the Bundestag, to elect its president. The chancellor — the leader of the government ...

Every four years, U.S. citizens cast their votes in favor of the next commander in chief; however, while every vote counts, it is ultimately the Electoral College that determines who will be the next U.

The Electoral College ensures that even the most sparsely populated states have an effect on the final result (Wyoming, Vermont, and Alaska come in at the three least populous US states, respectively), and that the most populous states don’t have an outsized say in the matter.