Post on 17-Dec-2015
transcript
Page 1
The Electoral College
Page 2
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*
Page 3
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*
Page 4
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*
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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*
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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)*
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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*
Page 8
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*
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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*
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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*
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Elector Qualifications Con’t.
• There are some “can’t be” restrictions…
• 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.*
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Problems With the System
• The electoral college system is widely criticized/debated
• 3 Main Problems Exist…*
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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*
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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*
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Problem #3
• A strong third party candidate could put an election to the House of Representatives– Spoiler role*
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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*
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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*
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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*
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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*
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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*
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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*
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