The Electoral College Process

Why an Electoral College?

• The Founding Fathers felt an EC was necessary for a few reasons:

• First, they questioned whether the electorate was capable of selecting an adequate leader for the nation if the people chose the “wrong” President, the EC could override the vote.

Why an Electoral College?• Second, voters had very little knowledge of

candidates outside of their local area or state voting was based primarily on REGION

Step 1: Popular Vote

• On election day, voters choose who they want to be President & Vice President

• What we’re actually choosing are ELECTORS who represent the political party of the candidate we like

• These electors are then supposed to vote for the candidate that wins the popular vote in a given state

Step 2: “Winner Take All”

• The EC system is “winner take all.”• That is, the candidate with the most

popular votes gets ALL of the electoral votes (except in Maine and Nebraska where the electoral votes can be divided)

Step 3: Counting the Votes• The electors then meet in

the State capitol to cast votes for the candidate they represent (Monday after the 2nd Wednesday in December).

• Those votes are then sent to the president of the Senate in DC

• The president of the Senate counts the votes on January 6 (this is done before Congress)

Step 3a: What if There Is A Tie (or if no one wins)?

• If no Presidential candidate gets 270 electoral votes, the US House of Representatives takes a vote to determine the winner (this happened in 1800 & 1824)

• If no Vice Presidential candidates receives enough votes to win, the Senate takes a vote to decide who the winner is (this happened in 1837).

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Senate_Elects_A_Vice_President.htm

Richard M Johnson

Flaws of the Electoral College

#1: It’s possible to win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote

• 1824 Andrew Jackson (41.3% of the popular votes, John Quincy Adams 30.9% of the popular vote)– Jackson received 99 of 261 electoral votes

more than any other candidate but not enough to win

1876

• Samuel J. Tilden– 4,288,546 popular votes– 184 electoral votes

• Rutherford B Hayes– 4,034,311 popular votes– 185 electoral votes

1888

• Grover Cleveland– 5,534,488 popular votes– 168 electoral votes

• Benjamin Harrison– 5,443,892 popular votes– 233 electoral votes

2000

• Al Gore– 50,992,335 popular votes– 266 electoral votes

• George W Bush– 50,455,156 (537,179 votes

less)– 271 electoral votes

• Florida was decided by only 537 votes!

#2: Electors Don’t Have to Do What We Tell Them To

• Electors have refused to vote for their party’s nominee

– 1796– 1820– 1948– 1956– 1960– 1968– 1972– 1976– 1988– 2000– 2004 an elector from MN voted for John Edwards (twice, Pres

& VP)

#3: The contest could be decided by the House

• Problem: The voting is not done by members of the House but by state.

• Why is that a problem?• A state could lose its votes if no candidate

received a majority• If a 3rd party candidate were involved, the

vote could be divided and no one would be declared winner by January 20