The Electoral College is a process that began as part of the original design of the U.S. Constitution. It was established by the founding fathers as a compromise between election of the President by Congress and election by popular vote. The people of the United States vote for the electors who then vote for the President, depending on the popular vote from their state.
The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. Your state's entitled allotment of electors equals the number of members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two for your Senators.