The Electoral College

Why Does It Exist? Founders wanted to protect interests of small states Founders felt it was necessary to have educated & literate voters, direct popular vote= reckless*

Solution: The Electoral College Compromise created by Alexander Hamilton Some people wanted Congress to control the Presidency Others supported a popular vote by citizens Hamilton’s solution indirect voting by the people for the President*

How It Works… When people vote, they are actually voting for a slate (group) of electors NOT candidates Each party has its own slate of electors Electors pledge support to candidates of their party The candidate with the most popular votes in a State, wins all of that State’s electoral votes winner-take-all system* (48 states practice this: Maine & Nebraska divide their electoral votes based on winners of congressional districts)

Selecting a Winner Electors meet in state capitals in Dec. & cast votes Congress counts the electoral vote on Jan. 6th & declares a winner The elected President is sworn in on Jan. 20th*

In the Case of an Unclear Winner… If no candidate receives the majority of all the electoral votes—then the House of Representatives selects the President Each state then receives 1 vote (small states=large states)* This happened in 1801 between Thomas Jefferson & Aaron Burr (the House voted 36 times to break the electoral college tie)

Electoral College By the #’s… 538 Total 435 Representatives + 100 Senators + 3 (D.C.) Majority= 270+ of the total 538 Must earn 270+ (Magic #) to win Presidency*

Determining Electoral Votes How many electoral votes does each state receive? Each state & the District of Columbia have electoral votes (based on population) Calculating Electoral Votes… A state’s electoral votes= # of Representatives in the House + # of Senators Ohio= 20 electoral votes (18 reps + 2 sens.) Washington, D.C. has 3 electoral votes*

How Are Electors Selected? No exact process across the board (all states) 2 Main Ways Exist… #1. The elector is nominated by his or her state party committee #2. The elector "campaigns" for a spot and the decision is made during a vote held at the state's party convention* #1 Method: (perhaps to reward many years of service to the party).

Elector Qualifications There are no real qualifications to be an elector Electors can be from any political party Electors are usually politically active & are sometimes connected to candidates Electors only have 1 responsibility: to select the President & Vice President*

Elector Qualifications Con’t. He or she cannot be a Representative or Senator He or she cannot be a high-ranking U.S. official in a position of "trust or profit" He or she cannot be someone who has "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the U.S.* There are some “can’t be” restrictions…

Problems With the System The electoral college system is widely criticized/debated 3 Main Problems Exist…*

Problem #1 The winner of the popular vote may not become President—unfair A candidate could win narrowly in big states & lose many small states yet still win the electoral majority needed to win the Presidency This situation has occurred 4 times in U.S. history & almost in several other elections Largest disparity occurred in 2000 election* 1824: John Q. Adams 1876: Rutherford B. Hayes 1888: Benjamin Harrison 2000: George W. Bush George W. Bush lost popular vote by about 540,000 votes, but won the Presidency by a margin of 4 electoral votes (271 total)

Problem #2 Nothing requires a State’s presidential electors to vote for the candidate who wins that State’s popular vote—no law/rule exists Unlikely, yet possible problem* Since each party chooses its own electors, it is highly unlikely that they would vote for another candidate

Problem #3 A strong third party candidate could put an election to the House of Representatives Spoiler role*

Other Minor Problems… Votes for losing candidate don’t count Certain states are ignored by candidates because of their small impact, while other states are focused on more Some large states are ignored because they are predominately considered to favor either the Democratic or Republican parties* California & Texas are seen as lost causes

Proposals For Reform There have been more than 700 attempts to change the Electoral College system Difficult to change—requires Constitutional Amendment There are 4 main proposals regarding changing the electoral college system*

Direct Popular Election The voters directly elect the President Get rid of the system all together! Proposed by Jimmy Carter in ’77 Big states would have more control than less-populated states—would receive more attention Forever changes the federal system*

The District Plan Electors would represent congressional districts & support the popular vote winner in their district 2 votes/state + 1 vote/district Eliminates winner-take-all system Still possibility to lose popular vote & win election*

The Proportional Plan Each candidate would receive the same share of the State’s electoral vote as he/she received from the popular vote Win 60% popular vote, receive 60% of electoral votes Eliminates winner-take-all system Eliminates chance of electors voting for someone they aren’t pledged to support Enlarges chance of a minor party messing up an election Complicates elections Creates greater chance of sending to the House of Representatives*

National Bonus Plan Adds to the current electoral system plan by adding bonus electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote The plan is not well-known or understood Has little public support*

Close