How the President is elected Electoral College How the President is elected Obama

#1. The presidential election happens in November on the first Tuesday after the first Monday. The Primary Election- During the Spring, political party members elect candidates from their party to run against the other parties candidates in November. A candidate is someone running for office. The General Election- All registered voters (18) place their vote for *electors* that will elect the president and vice president. (II,1,4) Registered voters in Ohio: residence for 30 days prior

#2 Electors elect the president Each state is assigned a number of electors The number of electors are equal to the number of Representatives and Senators each state has (II,1,2) The minimum number of electors a state can have is three The number is recalculated every 10 years according to the census (I,2,3) The 23 Amendment gave DC three electors In 1961. total = HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SENATE 435 100

Not all electors are equal California -1/704,566 Ohio- 1/723,031 Wyoming-1/568,300 Average- 1/710,767

#3 The electoral college A group of electors whose job is to elect the president of the USA. Historical reason: Average citizens wouldn’t follow politics or be well traveled. Practical reason: To promote fairness between the small and large states. Theoretical reason: Electors chosen would be the most traveled and enlightened citizens and would make the most informed choice.

#4 originally and currently Originally elected by each individual state’s legislative branch. ( Ohio General Assembly) Currently every political party elects their own from their membership.

INTENT OF OUR FOUNDERS 1.Each state would employ the district system of allocating electors. 2.Each presidential elector would exercise independent judgment when voting. 3.Candidates would not pair together on the same ticket with assumed placements toward each office of President and Vice President. 4.The system as designed would rarely produce a winner, thus sending the election to Congress.

#5

They have taken a pledge to their party #6 What do they do? They cast their ballots for the President based on who won the popular vote in their state. They seal them and send them to DC. They have taken a pledge to their party Depends on what state they live in (fines and or imprisonment) Branded FAITHLESS ELECTORS

INTERESTING There has been one Faithless Elector in each of the following elections: 1948, 1956, 1960, 1968, 1976, and 1988. A blank ballot was cast in 2000. The District of Columbia and 26 states “bind” their electors to vote for their promised candidate, via a number of methods including oaths and fines. Sitting Vice Presidents Richard Nixon (1961), Hubert Humphrey (1969), and Al Gore (2001) all announced that they had lost their own bid for the Presidency

#7 a majority is needed to win 270 is the majority needed to win the presidency. THE HOUSE chooses the president THE SENATE chooses the vice president (II,1,3) 12th amendment was added to elect them on the same ballot

http://www. archives. gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html#no270 Election of 1796 Adams and Jefferson of different political affiliations won first and second place. Federalist president and Democratic Republican was Vice President. Election of 1800 *Jefferson and Burr tied with 73 votes a piece ( !2th Amendment in 1803 was added to fix this system error) The House choose Jefferson Election of 1824: *John Q Adams and Andrew Jackson – Jackson won the popular vote but neither attained the majority needed. Adams was selected by the House of Representatives Election of 1836, the election for Vice President was decided in the Senate. Martin Van Buren’s running mate, Richard M. Johnson, fell one vote short of a majority in the Electoral College. Vice Presidential candidates Francis Granger and Johnson had a “run-off” in the Senate under the 12th Amendment, where Johnson was elected 33 votes to 17.

#8 Each state decides WINNER TAKES ALL- The person receiving the majority of popular votes in any state receives ALL of the electoral votes . 48 states use this system Maine and Nebraska use something different Two states use the Congressional District Plan

THE DISTRICT PLAN Maine- 4 electoral votes Nebraska-5 electoral votes

The district plan Maine *Has two districts *Each district is assigned an electoral vote *The candidate that receives the majority of popular votes in that district receives that electoral vote *The popular vote winner of the state receives 2 at large electoral votes Nebraska *Has three districts *Each district is assigned an electoral vote *The candidate that receives the majority of popular votes in that district receives that electoral vote *The popular vote winner of the state receives 2 at large electoral votes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Nebraska,_2008

#9 Some people don’t like the electoral college 1. SOME STATES HAVE MORE People And so have much more influence over the election. 2. A 3rd party candidate such as someone from the Independent party could take enough votes away from each of the two major parties so that no one gets a majority 3. A candidate may win the POPULAR vote and still NOT become president because they loose the ELECTORAL Vote Four times a candidate has won the popular vote and lost the election. Andrew Jackson in 1824 (to John Quincy Adams); Samuel Tilden in 1876 (to Rutherford B. Hayes); Grover Cleveland in 1888 (to Benjamin Harrison); Al Gore in 2000 (to George W. Bush).

Wisconsin – 10 electoral votes # 10. ALTERNATIVES 1. Abolish the electoral college and let the president be chosen by the people (WOULD REQUIRE A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT) The closest Congress has come to amending the Electoral College since 1804 was during the 91st Congress (1969–1971). H.J. Res. 681 proposed the direct election of a President and Vice President, requiring a run off when no candidate received more than 40 percent of the vote. The resolution passed the House in 1969, but failed to pass the Senate 2. The proportional plan: The candidate receives the proportion of electoral votes equal to the popular vote Ex: A state has 10 electoral votes Christie gets 80% of the votes so he would receive 8 electoral votes Hillary receives 20% of the votes so she would get 2 electoral votes National Bonus Plan: Extra credit to the popular vote winner. Wisconsin – 10 electoral votes

Inauguration has been moved from March 4th to January 20th Amendment 20 Inauguration has been moved from March 4th to January 20th

Election resources- interactive http://www.270towin.com/ http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/red-state-blue-city-how-the-urban- rural-divide-is-splitting-america/265686/2/ http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/countymap2000.htm