The Electoral College How we elect our president

E.C. Basics  Article II (the Executive Branch) covers the process for electing the President & VP.  The number of E.C. votes a state has is determined by adding the number of Senators & Representatives. Therefore…

E.C. Basics What is the fewest number of Electoral Votes a state could have? Three—Each state has at least one Representative and two Senators. Doing some quick math…

E.C. Basics Therefore, the states with small populations are only going to have three E.C. votes. Random: the states with three votes are Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming (D.C. which is not a state also has 3)

E.C. Basics In contrast, the states with large populations have a large chunk of E.C. votes and therefore get a ton of attention, especially if they are thought to be a “toss up” state. Random II: the ten states with the most E.C. votes are (in order) California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia & North Carolina.

E.C. Basics On election day, a candidate concentrates on how he/she does within each state, not the nation overall. In other words, candidates worry about winning individual states (like the toss ups and the states in which their party always does well).

E.C. Basics There are 538 Electoral Votes total. House of Reps= 435 US Senators= Washington DC 3 (Thanks to the 23 rd Amendment, as they have no reps in Congress) _____________ Total 538

E.C. Basics In order to win an election, a candidate needs at least 270 E.C. votes. ½(538)=269, so 270 is one more than half.

Before Election Day 1.Each party that appears on each state’s ballot submits a list of potential Electoral College voters who will cast a ballot if their party wins the state. Who are these people? Donors, workers, party VIPs 2.In all 50 states, there are lists of Democrats & Republicans. The Third Parties submit lists only in states in which they appear on the ballot. For example, if the Green Party is on 17 states’ ballots, they will submit their own list of electors for those states. If they win a state, their 17 people become the ones to vote in the E.C.

After Election Day 1.When each state’s popular vote winner is declared, the submitted list of E.C. voters will go to each state capitol to officially cast their ballots. 2.Each state’s popular vote winner gets ALL of that state’s E.C. votes. The system is “winner take all.” 3. On the first Monday in January, the E.C. votes are taken to the US Senate, where they are officially counted and a winner is officially declared.

After Election Day Overly simplistic example: 1.On election day, 11 Michiganders vote. 2.Six vote for the Republican candidate & five vote for the Democrat. 3.Because the Electoral College is winner take all, the Republican wins ALL 16 E.C. votes from Michigan.

Interesting E.C. Scenario #1 I know the 1 st thing that just popped into your head: “What happens if no candidate gets 270 Electoral Votes?” The House of Reps decides the election. Each state would get one vote to determine the president. This occurred in 1800 (Jefferson vs. Burr), 1824 (J.Q. Adams vs. Jackson—the Corrupt Bargain!!), and 1876

Interesting E.C. Scenario #2 I know the 2 nd thing that just popped into your head: “Can a candidate win the popular vote & still lose the election? How is this possible?” A candidate can win the popular vote & still lose overall if he/she does not win the right states. The national popular vote does not matter. This happened four times: 1824, 1876 (Hayes vs. Tilden), 1888 (Harrison vs. Cleveland) & 2000 (Bush vs. Gore).

Other crazy E.C. stuff Two states (Maine & Nebraska) vote by congressional district instead of winner-take-all Election: McCain received 4 electoral votes, Obama received 1 About half of the states require by law that the E.C. Voters cast their ballots to match that state’s popular vote. Therefore, there are half of the states that don’t have such a law. Add up the E.C. votes for the top ten states. Guess what number you get?

270!270!