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Voting and the Electoral College
Right to Vote is actually NOT defined in the Constitution When the country was founded,
in most states, only non-Negro men with real property-usually of at least 50 acres- (land) or sufficient wealth for taxation were permitted to vote
Today, anyone over 18 can vote
The Electorate (voting population) has increased several times: 1850: 14th Amendment = Gave
Black men the right to vote. 1920: 19th Amendment = Gave
women the right to vote 1924: Native Americans got right
to vote 1964: 24th Amendment made Poll
taxes illegal 1965: Voting Rights Act of ’65
made literacy tests illegal 1971: 26th Amendment reduced
voting age to 18
States can set own Voting policies Registration Residency Mental Competency (patients)
can not vote Criminal Convictions (felons)
can not vote
Who Votes? Education: More
education = more likely to vote. (Most important Factor)
Age: Older = more likely to vote
Race: Caucasian = more likely to vote.
Gender: Females = more likely to vote
Who Votes?
Marital Status: Married = more likely to vote.
Union Membership: Union member = more likely to vote.
Traits are cumulative - possessing several adds up.
How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizen's Decisions Party Identification
People generally vote for a party they agree with.
Rise of candidate-centered politics has changed this view.
Now many voters are individualistic. Characteristics of each candidate have
become more important than party.
Franklin Roosevelt (Pres. 1933-1945) hid the fact that he had Polio. Why?
Candidate-Centered Politics = Candidate is the focus, not so much his politics/views on issues
Election of 1960: John Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon 1st true example:
JFK had more appeal Younger Better looking Beautiful wife Much better Speaker (didn’t sweat
while speaking)
Little known Senator from Illinois vs. Conservative, former Prisoner of war Vietnam Vet.
Largest Black Voter turnout in history. Why? Why did McCain select Palin as VP running
mate? Some felt she brought in younger votes She brought in female votes
Election of 2008
Traditionally Whites voted in larger percentages.
Which group has surpassed Whites in Voter turnout?
Does this mean there are more of them voting than Whites?
Voting Trends
Religion: Protestants =
Republican Catholics =
Democrat Jews = Democrat Other (Muslim) =
Democrat
Voting Trends
Ethnicity: How do Blacks Vote? How do Hispanics Vote? How do Whites vote? Which group is hurting the White vote for
both parties?
Voting Trends
Regionally: East and West Coasts tend to vote Democrat. Why? South strongly Republican. Why?
Urban vs. Rural Big cities tend to vote Democrat. Why? Rural areas (farmland, small towns) tend to vote Republican.
Why? Suburbs tend to vote republican. Why?
Voting Trends
What do the following four men all have in common?
A. Andrew Jackson B. Samuel Tilden C. Grover Cleveland D. Al Gore
The Answer
They all won the popular vote in a Presidential election but did not become President.
1824 Popular Vote
Andrew Jackson 43%John Q. Adams 30.5%
Electoral VoteJackson 99 votes
Adams 84
* Adams elected by House of Representatives when Jackson did not receive a majority of the Electoral votes
1876 Popular Vote
Samuel Tilden 51%R. B. Hayes 48%
Electoral College Tilden 184Hayes 185
Winner: Hayes
1888 Popular Vote
Grover Cleveland 48.5 %Benjamin Harrison 47.8 %
Electoral CollegeCleveland 168Harrison 233
Winner: Harrison
2000 Popular Vote
Albert Gore 48.7%George W. Bush 48.5%
Electoral CollegeGore 266Bush 271
Winner: Bush
Why?
Because we do not pick our President by direct ballot. Technically, we only select electors. These electors form what is called the Electoral College and are the people who officially elect the President.
Why was it Created? People (then) were
not knowledgeable enough to select a President.(poor communications)
This was a check that gave the states a voice in choosing the President
To maintain regional balance (fairness in the areas)
What are the drawbacks to the Electoral College?
Encourages low voter turnout Diminishes third party influence Person with most popular votes
may not win Leads to tactical, insincere voting If there is no majority winner in
the Electoral College, the election goes to the H.o. R and there is a loss of separation of powers
Why low voter turnout?
The Electoral College is a winner take all system of deciding who receives a states electoral votes. Consequently, if a person gets 50.1% of the popular vote (in a two man race), he get 100% of the electoral votes. Therefore, many people feel that their vote does not matter and choose to not vote.
Third Parties The Electoral College discourages 3rd
parties because a candidate must have a broad based, national platform to have a chance to gain the highest office. Rarely are 3rd parties financially and politically able to do this.
Tactical Voting
Voters often resort to tactical voting in Presidential elections because the person they truly support cannot win the all of the electoral votes. For instance, many people would have preferred Ralph Nader in the 2000 Presidential election but knew that he was not going to win. Instead, they often voted for Al Gore because he was the major candidate with the platform closest to Nader.
Electoral College
Electoral College actually elects the President - founders wanted him chosen by the elite of the country
States choose the electors Winner-Take-All system gives bigger
emphasis to more populated states
How it works today: Each state has as many votes as it
does Representatives and Senators.
Winner of popular vote typically gets ALL the Electoral College votes.
Candidates need 270 Electoral college votes to win
Electors meet in December, votes are reported by the vice president in January.
If no candidate gets 270 votes (a majority), the House of Representatives votes for president, with each state getting ONE vote.
Election of 2012: 332 Obama 206 Romney
-How did the Southern states vote?-How did the East Coast states vote?- How did the West Coast states vote?
Electoral College Facts: Could win only 11 states and become
President! CA has most Electoral Votes NM has picked the winner of every
election except 1 since 1912 No Republican has won election w/o
winning Ohio