1. 2000 Presidential Election
Popular Vote
Al Gore (D) 51,003,926 (48.38%)
George W. Bush (R) 50,460,110 (47.87%)
Electoral Vote
George W. Bush (R) (50.4%)
Al Gore (D) (49.4%) (*1 “faithless elector”)
Lost the Popular Vote But Won Anyway…
2000 (Bush), 1888 (Harrison), 1876 (Hayes), (Adams)

2. The 538 People Who Actually Elect the President…Yeah, seriously.
The Electoral College
The 538 People Who Actually Elect the President…Yeah, seriously.

3. How It Works
Electors: Each state has electors equal to number of senators and number of representatives. These electors are chosen by the Republican and Democratic parties of each state.
Pennsylvania: 2 senators + 18 reps. = 20 electors
Most Electoral Votes: California (55)
Least Electoral Votes: all states with 3 (ND, DE, etc.)
A presidential candidate must win a majority of the 538 electoral votes, which is 270.
This system is in the Constitution. WHY?
Founders didn’t trust the regular people to elect the President.
It was 1789 (no internet, etc.): could regular people really make an informed decision?
Federalism: give small states a voice.

4. Electoral Votes after the 2010 Census

5. For Example… 2008 Pennsylvania: Obama: 53% McCain: 46%
ALL of Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes went to OBAMA.

6. Flaws/Defects Isn’t this a democracy?
Winning the popular vote does not ensure winning the electoral vote (and thus the presidency). (4 times)
If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, then the House of Representatives chooses the President from the top 2 candidates. (2 times)
The “Faithless Elector”? (Are you serious?)
Electors do NOT have to follow the popular vote of their state. (10+ times)

7. Possible Alternatives
Keep the Electoral College, BUT…
The District Plan: elector from each congressional district must follow the popular vote of the district.
The National Plan: states would force their electors to vote for the winner of the NATIONAL popular vote.
Direct Popular Election: voters directly elect the president. (DUH?!)
This would require a constitutional amendment to get rid of the Electoral College.

8. A Look at the District Plan
Republicans in the state are pushing for this type of plan (instead of the winner-take-all system we currently have):