The Electoral College Process June 3, 2019 American Government The Electoral College Process

WARM UP HSA Questions of the Day   1. The popular vote is an example of what kind of democracy? The popular vote = Direct Democracy.

WARM UP HSA Questions of the Day   2. The electoral vote is an example of what kind of democracy? The electoral vote = Representative Democracy.

How American Elections Work Three types of elections: Select party nominees (primary elections) Select officeholders (general elections) Select options on specific policies

How American Elections Work Referendum: voters approve proposed laws or to add state constitutional amendments. Initiative petition: process permitted in some states, voters can get policy on the ballot through petition

The Electoral College A system of INDIRECT ELECTION where the President and Vice President are chosen Written in to the US Constitution by the Framers to protect smaller states

November 9, 2016 – Electoral College http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/Images/2016ECMapLarge.jpg

The Electoral College The amount of “electors” each state has equals the total numbers of members in Congress (House + Senate) Example: Maryland has 2 Senators and 8 Representatives (House) – How many electors do we have? MD has 10 electoral votes

Maryland Electoral Votes 8 Congressional Districts = 8 US House of Rep. Members 8 US House Members + 2 State Senators = 10 Electors

The Electoral College There are 538 electoral votes across the country The Candidate MUST win a majority of 270 votes to be President If a majority is not reached the election goes to the House of Representatives

November 9, 2016 – Electoral College http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/Images/2016ECMapLarge.jpg

The Electoral College Each state has as many votes as it does House of Representatives members and Senators. Winner of the state’s popular vote typically gets all the Electoral College votes for that state.

The Electoral College Electors meet in December, votes are reported by the vice president in January If no candidate gets a majority (270 electoral votes), the House of Representatives votes for president, with each state casting one vote.

2012 Electoral College Results http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/Images/2016ECMapLarge.jpg

2016 Electoral College Results http://www.c-spanclassroom.org/Images/2016ECMapLarge.jpg

The Electoral College Technically an Elector can vote for whomever they want, but in 48 states Electors are pledged to one ticket. Candidates that win the popular vote get all of that state’s electors. Nebraska and Maine allow for split votes, but this is rare.

Maryland Election Results – By County Hillary Clinton 60.30% 1,677,928 Donald Trump 33.90% 943,169 Gary Johnson 2.87% 71,107 Jill Stein 1.29% 31,839

Electoral Congress Usually, the popular vote matches electoral count Only 5 have lost the Presidency while winning the popular vote: Andrew Jackson (1824) Samuel Tilden (1876) Grover Cleveland (1888) Al Gore (2000) Hillary Clinton (2016)

Electoral College Reason for: Keeps the ideals of Federalism and gives more power to smaller states Criticism: Too often the election relies on two or three “swing-states” Confusing, antiquated, not very democratic