To elect is to choose.

God chose Abram (later to become Abraham) and promised to make of him a great nation so that through him all nations would be blessed. See Genesis 12:1-3 on that.

We might then say that God chose Abram so that he could choose all of mankind. Remember the time Jesus spoke of how God “so loved the world”?

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves in understanding election. God chose Israel, Abram’s grandchildren. But the most important part of their election was conditional:

“The Lord did not make you His beloved nor choose you because you were greater in number than any of the peoples, since you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers……. Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His faithfulness to a thousand generations for those who love Him and keep His commandments…” Deuteronomy 7:7-9 (partial)

That was 3,5000 years ago, but nothing has changed. Jesus’ apostle wrote in the letter to the Romans about Israel:

“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Romans 10:8-13

In the proverbial nutshell, election has always been simple. God wants to save us, so if we elect (choose) God, he elects us.