Remembering all the complex details of how the electoral college works is not exactly easy. And just when you’ve mastered how it all adds up, you probably won’t need to think about it again for another four years — hardly a formula for cementing something in your brain.

Aaron Blake, host of The Campaign Moment, makes an appearance on the first episode of The Washington Post’s “Try This” podcast’s three-part series on the electoral college. He explains how the system works, the complicated way electoral votes are assigned and awarded, and what happens between Election Day and Inauguration Day. Aaron is joined by Amy Gardner and “Try This” host Cristina Quinn to make the whole thing so accessible that your high school civics teacher would be proud.

Here are some resources if you’d like to dive deeper into the electoral college:

• An explainer on how the electoral college votes
• How the electoral college works, in visuals 
• How fair is the electoral college?
• Mapping paths to victory in 2024 

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The election is just four days away. Tens of millions of Americans have already voted. What do the final polls tell us ahead of the election?

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with Amy Gardner, who covers early voting for The Post, about what early voting data can and can’t tell us right now about the election results. They also talk about whether looking at polls this weekend is helpful, and what to make of burned ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington. 

Today’s show was produced by Eliza Dennis. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair. 

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Election Day is one week away. As the Harris and Trump campaigns make their final pitch to voters, could racist comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at a Trump rally on Sunday push Latino voters toward Harris?

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with national political columnist Philip Bump about why the Trump campaign and other GOP candidates are distancing themselves from Hinchcliffe’s comments, whether Bad Bunny’s Harris endorsement could move the needle, and what the Harris campaign is doing to capitalize on the moment.  

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair. 

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Subscribe to Philip’s newsletter, How To Read This Chart, here.

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Over the past few months, Elon Musk has heavily invested in the Trump campaign. Musk is hosting rallies in swing states, giving out million-dollar checks to registered voters in those states and organizing canvassers. Billionaires donating to presidential campaigns is nothing new, but Musk is putting much more than money into the race. 

Elahe Izadi speaks with technology reporter Trisha Thadani and national political reporter Michael Scherer about Musk’s political influence.

Today’s show was produced by Eliza Dennis and Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. 

The Campaign Moment newsletter is here.

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Democrats tend to vote early in droves, but early returns this year show signs that GOP voters are hearing their party’s message to cast votes however they can. As of Monday afternoon, nearly 1.5 million Georgia voters had cast their ballots. In North Carolina, the number is over 1 million. And in Nevada, more Republicans are voting early than Democrats.

Senior politics reporter Aaron Blake chats with Amy Gardner, national reporter covering voting, about what these returns tell us about enthusiasm this cycle and why it's significant that Republicans are turning to early voting despite years of false messaging from former president Donald Trump that this method is subject to fraud.

Catch up on other big campaign stories mentioned in the episode here, here and here.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Allison Michaels and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

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“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with national political reporter Marianne LeVine about the peculiar moments that she’s observed on the campaign trail this week with former president Donald Trump. From a music listening session on stage, to some eyebrow-raising interviews with both candidates, “The Campaign Moment” crew digs into the Trump and Harris campaigns’ final sprints before Election Day. 

Today’s show was produced by Eliza Dennis. It was edited by Reena Flores and Mary Jo Murphy. It was mixed by Sam Bair. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

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A majority of Black voters support Democratic candidates, but the percentage has shrunk in recent years, with the steepest decline among Black men. So, the Harris campaign has launched a round of targeted interviews, deployed prominent Black surrogates and released policy papers aimed specifically at winning back these voters.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with White House reporter Cleve R. Wootson Jr. about what’s driving some Black men away from the Democratic Party and whether Harris’s last-minute appeals are likely to work.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Renita Jablonski and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

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Democrats want to retake control of the House of Representatives. Vice President Kamala Harris goes on a media blitz. And elected officials wade through destruction and misinformation after another hurricane made landfall this week.

“Post Reports” co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake talk with Congressional reporter Marianna Sotomayor about whether Democrats will succeed in flipping the House and which voters Harris wanted to reach with her flurry of interviews on podcasts and TV this week. They also dig into the political aftermath of Hurricane Milton. 

Today’s show was produced by Eliza Dennis. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

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Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign is outraising former president Donald Trump’s by wide margins. And if you go to one of her rallies, you can tell. 

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with national political reporter Maeve Reston about how the Harris campaign is spending cash on the campaign trail and on the airwaves in key battleground states. They also look at the risks the Trump campaign might face due to its heavy reliance on outside political groups to bolster ad spending and expand the GOP’s ground game. 

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

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The devastation of Hurricane Helene, the escalating tensions in the Middle East and other recent events are casting a shadow over the campaign trail. 

Read more:

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks with The Post’s chief correspondent Dan Balz about the political impact of past natural disasters on campaigns and how a slow recovery process could sway the presidential election. They also look at whether Iran’s strikes on Israel this week and new details from an unsealed court filing about former president Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election could be sticking points for voters.

Today’s show was produced by Eliza Dennis. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Sam Bair. 

Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. 

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.