Why should the US get rid of the Electoral College?
The small towns in the United States, along with all of the rural areas, would become marginalized if this system were to be entirely abolished. 7. Getting rid of the Electoral College would radicalize politics. The political game in the United States would change dramatically without the Electoral College present.
Why we should abolish the Electoral College?
The Electoral College votes are the only ones with value. Another reason the Electoral College should be abolished is that Americans have much more knowledge in the topic than they did in 1789. One of the reasons the Electoral College
Why do we need to fix the Electoral College?
Well the point is simple, the Electoral College exists to prevent pure and direct democracy in our country and to eliminate, or at least minimize, the possibility for mob rule or dictatorship. The foundation of this system is something that is not hardly taught anymore these days. It is federalism.
Why do some people support the Electoral College?
Reasons to Keep the Electoral College The Founding Fathers thought it was the best way to choose the president. The U.S. Constitution should be amended only rarely. It safeguards against uninformed or uneducated voters. It prevents states with larger populations from having undue influence.
What is the function of the Electoral College today?
The Electoral College is how we refer to the process by which the United States elects the President, even though that term does not appear in the U.S. Constitution. In this process, the States (which includes the District of Columbia just for this process) elect the President and Vice President.
What was the original function of the Electoral College?
The Electoral College was created by the framers of the U.S. Constitution as an alternative to electing the president by popular vote or by Congress.
Has the Electoral College ever changed the outcome of an election?
Yes. Despite legal oversight, there have been 167 electors who have not cast their votes for the candidates who they were designated to represent. However, no elector has ever changed the outcome of an election by changing or abstaining from their designated vote.
When did they try to get rid of the Electoral College?
The proposed constitutional amendment sought to abolish the Electoral College and to have every presidential election determined by a plurality of the national vote. It was introduced by US Representative Gene Green (D-Texas) on January 4, 2005.
Does Electoral College still exist?
The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. Your State has the same number of electors as it does Members in its Congressional delegation: one for each Member in the House of Representatives plus two Senators.
What was the original purpose of the Electoral College quizlet?
What was the original purpose of the Electoral College? The original purpose was to keep misinformed/poorly educated people from making a mistake and choosing the wrong president.
What could replace the Electoral College?
Direct Popular Election The direct election alternative would abolish the electoral college, substituting a single nationwide count of popular votes. The candidates winning a plurality of votes would be elected President and Vice President.
How many times has the Electoral College tried to be abolished?
Since 1800, over 700 proposals to reform or eliminate the system have been introduced in Congress.
Has Electoral College ever voted different than the popular vote?
As of the 2020 election, there have been a total of 165 instances of faithlessness, 90 were for president and 75 were for vice president. They have never swung an election, and nearly all have voted for third party candidates or non-candidates, as opposed to switching their support to a major opposing candidate.
What does the Constitution say about Electoral College?
Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, ...
Does the Electoral College have to follow the popular vote?
There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their States. Some States, however, require electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote.
Has the Electoral College ever been challenged?
Congress Decides: 1877 The contested 1876 presidential election between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio and Democrat Samuel J. Tilden of New York was the last to require congressional intervention. Tilden won the popular vote and the electoral count.
How does the Electoral College affect elections?
When citizens cast their ballots for president in the popular vote, they elect a slate of electors. Electors then cast the votes that decide who becomes president of the United States. Usually, electoral votes align with the popular vote in an election.
What year was the tie in the Electoral College how was it resolved?
On February 17, 1801, the House of Representatives, breaking a tie in the Electoral College, elected Thomas Jefferson president of the United States. Jefferson's triumph brought an end to one of the most acrimonious presidential campaigns in U.S. history and resolved a serious Constitutional crisis.
What happens if the Electoral College fails to produce a winner?
If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the Presidential election leaves the Electoral College process and moves to Congress. The House of Representatives elects the President from the 3 Presidential candidates who received the most electoral votes.
What is the electoral college?
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution, in part, as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. However, the term “electoral college” does not appear in the Constitution. Article II of the Constitution and the 12th ...
How many proposals have been made to reform the electoral college?
Reference sources indicate that over the past 200 years more than 700 proposals have been introduced in Congress to reform or eliminate the Electoral College. There have been more proposals for Constitutional amendments on changing the Electoral College than on any other subject.
Which amendments do not refer to electoral colleges?
Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment refer to “electors,” but not to the “electoral college.”. Since the Electoral College process is part of the original design of the U.S. Constitution it would be necessary to pass a Constitutional amendment to change this system.
Does Maryland have voting records?
This website lists links to State websites relating to the presidential election. Maryland has posted the names and voting records of its electors on the web.
Is the electoral college part of the original design of the Constitution?
Constitution it would be necessary to pass a Constitutional amendment to change this system.
What is the electoral college?
Constitution, the Electoral College is the formal body which elects the President and Vice President of the United States. Each state has as many "electors" in the Electoral College as it has Representatives and Senators in the United States Congress, and the District of Columbia has three electors. When voters go to the polls in a Presidential election, they actually vote for the slate of electors who have vowed to cast their ballots for that ticket in the Electoral College.
When was the electoral vote count changed?
The date of the count was changed in 1957, 1985, 1989, 1997, 2009, and 2013.
What happens when you go to the polls?
When voters go to the polls in a Presidential election, they actually vote for the slate of electors who have vowed to cast their ballots for that ticket in the Electoral College.
How to object to a vote in Congress?
15 has set the method for objections by Members of Congress to electoral votes. During the Joint Session, lawmakers may object to individual electoral votes or to state returns as a whole. An objection must be declared in writing and signed by at least one Representative and one Senator. In the case of an objection, the Joint Session recesses and each chamber considers the objection separately for no more than two hours; each Member may speak for five minutes or less. After each house votes on whether to accept the objection, the Joint Session reconvenes and both chambers disclose their decisions. If both chambers agree to the objection, the electoral votes in question are not counted. If either chamber opposes the objection, the votes are counted.
What happens after each house votes on whether to accept the objection?
After each house votes on whether to accept the objection, the Joint Session reconvenes and both chambers disclose their decisions. If both chambers agree to the objection, the electoral votes in question are not counted. If either chamber opposes the objection, the votes are counted.
What is faithless elector?
During the nineteenth century, “faithless electors”—those who broke their pledge and voted for someone else —were rare, but not uncommon, particularly when it came to Vice Presidents. In the modern era, faithless electors are rarer still, and have never determined the outcome of a presidential election.
How many electors does the District of Columbia have?
The District of Columbia has had three electors since the Twenty-third Amendment was ratified in 1961. There have been other attempts to change the system, particularly after cases in which a candidate wins the popular vote, but loses in the Electoral College.
Why was the electoral college created?
Not only was the creation of the Electoral College in part a political workaround for the persistence of slavery in the United States, but almost none of the Founding Fathers’ assumptions about the electoral system proved true.
What Is the Electoral College?
The system calls for the creation, every four years, of a temporary group of electors equal to the total number of representatives in Congress. Technically, it is these electors, and not the American people, who vote for the president. In modern elections, the first candidate to get 270 of the 538 total electoral votes wins the White House.
How many electoral votes did the first candidate get?
In modern elections, the first candidate to get 270 of the 538 total electoral votes wins the White House. The Electoral College was never intended to be the “perfect” system for picking the president, says George Edwards III, emeritus political science professor at Texas A&M University. “It wasn’t like the Founders said, ‘Hey, what a great idea! ...
What did the 18th century voters think?
First, they thought 18th-century voters lacked the resources to be fully informed about the candidates, especially in rural outposts. Second, they feared a headstrong “democratic mob” steering the country astray. And third, a populist president appealing directly to the people could command dangerous amounts of power.
Which states have passed laws to give all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the state's popular vote count?
The assumption was that each elector’s vote would be counted. But over time, all but two states (Maine and Nebraska) passed laws to give all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the state’s popular vote count. Any semblance of elector independence has been fully wiped out.
Who decides the election?
The Founders also assumed that most elections would ultimately be decided by neither the people nor the electors, but by the House of Representatives. According to the Constitution, if no single candidate wins a majority of the electoral votes, the decision goes to the House, where each state gets one vote.
When was the Constitution signed?
The signing of the Constitution of the United States at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. For starters, there were no political parties in 1787. The drafters of the Constitution assumed that electors would vote according to their individual discretion, not the dictates of a state or national party.
What is the electoral college?
When Americans vote for President and Vice President of the United States, they are actually voting for presidential electors, known collectively as the Electoral College. It is these electors, chosen by the people, who elect the chief executive. The Constitution assigns each state a number of electors equal to the combined total of the state’s Senate and House of Representatives delegations; at present, the number of electors per state ranges from three (District of Columbia) to 55 (California), for a total of 538. To be elected President of the United States, a candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes.
Why do electors assemble in their respective states?
In order to forestall partisan intrigue and manipulation, the electors assemble in their respective states and cast their ballots as state units, rather than meet at a central location. At least one of the candidates for whom the electors vote must be an inhabitant of another state.
How many electoral votes do you need to be president?
The Constitution assigns each state a number of electors equal to the combined total of the state’s Senate and House of Representatives delegations; at present, the number of electors per state ranges from three (District of Columbia) to 55 (California), for a total of 538. To be elected President of the United States, a candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes.
When do the electors assemble?
Electors assemble in their respective states on Monday after the second Wednesday in December. They are pledged and expected, but not required, to vote for the candidates they represent. Separate ballots are cast for President and Vice President, after which the Electoral College ceases to exist for another four years.
How many electors does each state have?
Allocation of Electors and Electoral Votes. The Constitution gives each state a number of electors equal to the combined total of its Senate membership (two for each state) and House of Representatives delegation (currently ranging from one to 55, depending on population).
What was the Committee of Eleven on Postponed Matters?
Late in the convention, the matter was referred to the Committee of Eleven on Postponed Matters, which devised the Electoral College system in its original form. This plan, which met with widespread approval by the delegates, was incorporated into the final document with only minor changes.
Why is a majority of electoral votes necessary?
A majority of electoral votes is necessary to elect, a requirement intended to insure broad acceptance of a winning candidate, while election by the House was provided as a default method in the event of Electoral College deadlock. Finally, Congress was empowered to set nationwide dates for choice and meeting of electors.
When did the term "electoral college" start?
The term “electoral college” began to appear shortly after presidential elections began, but it was not written into federal law until 1845. Gouverneur Morris, the chairman of the Committee on Style ...
What are the opponents of the electoral college?
Opponents of the Electoral College can usually be categorized into three different groups: (1) those who believe more liberal candidates would do better under a direct, popular vote process; (2) those who simply do not understand why the president would be selected by some method other ...
Why was the 12th amendment necessary?
The 12th Amendment became necessary after the 1800 election because, although Jefferson edged out Adams in the electoral vote, he tied with his own party’s running-mate, Aaron Burr. Jefferson’s Republican Party (not the same as the modern party by that name, begun in 1854) was so organized that all 71 Republican electors voted for both Jefferson and Burr on every ballot. The Constitution originally provided that each elector vote for two candidates: The top vote-getter would become president and the person with the second-highest votes would become vice-president. When Burr refused to “step aside” for Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Jefferson’s political enemy, urged the Federalist Party members (Hamilton’s party and the party of President Adams) to abstain, and let the Republican members of Congress make the decision between the two Republicans. While Hamilton did not agree with Jefferson, he publicly called Burr a man “unfit” for the office. History records that Burr later killed Hamilton in a duel.
How many electors does each congressional district select?
They had apparently assumed that each congressional district would select one elector, with the other two chosen directly by the state legislature. Hamilton even suggested that the Constitution be amended to require that each state allot its electoral votes by district.
Why did the Framers expect the election to be determined in the House?
Because political parties or “tickets” were not anticipated, and because it was expected that no single candidate could receive a majority of the electoral votes, the Framers also expected that the election would often be determined in the House.
How did the Founders determine the number of electoral votes?
Therefore, it was decided that the number of electoral votes would be determined by combining the number of representatives of each state in the House, along with every state’s two senators. This way, the larger states would have more say, ...
Why was the direct popular election not considered?
Using direct popular election in selecting the president was not seriously considered, as there were simply too many problems with that idea. Under the federal system established by the Constitution, such a process was simply unworkable. After all, no other officer in the new general government would be chosen by a national election.
How are electoral votes allocated?
In 48 states, electoral votes are apportioned on a winner-takes-all basis, while Maine and Nebraska allocate electoral votes by congressional district , with two additional votes reserved for the statewide winner. It is important to note that the electoral college is not a place but a process.
How many electoral votes does a president have?
If a presidential candidate has received 270 or more electoral votes, the sitting vice president, acting as president of the Senate, then declares that person to be the president-elect, thus concluding the electoral college process.
How many electoral votes does the House of Representatives have?
If no candidate wins at least 270 electoral votes, the House of Representatives, choosing from among the top three electoral college finishers, elects the president by simple majority vote. Although the electoral college result has typically been in alignment with the national popular vote, there have been some very notable outliers.
When will the electoral college meet again?
When the Electoral College meets again in January 2020 for the 59th time in American history, they will be casting the only official vote for President. This body of 538 electors will “be acting as the most powerful political institution in the world.” In 48 states, electoral votes are apportioned on a winner-takes-all basis, while Maine and Nebraska allocate electoral votes by congressional district, with two additional votes reserved for the statewide winner.
Why did the electorate have a second primary?
The second primary reason for the Electoral College was to strengthen the powers of the states with smaller populations. The thinking was that if a direct voting process were in place the Presidential candidates would simply focus all of their campaigning on the larger states, and completely ignore the smaller ones.
What amendment does the Electors meet in?
By Dr. David Childs, Ph.D. Northern Kentucky University. XII Amendment to the United States Constitution. “The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots ...
How many electors do states have?
States can gain and lose the number of Electors they have based on their population, but the total number is always 53 . Some states require Electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote, also political parties in certain states have rules that govern how Electors vote.
Which amendment outlines the process of electing the President and Vice President?
The Twelfth Amendment (Amendment XII) to the United States Constitution is the amendment that outlines the procedure and process for electing the President and Vice President. Our most recent president Donald J. Trump won the Electoral College but lost the popular vote.
Does the Constitution require a voter to vote according to the popular vote?
Having said that, the Constitution or federal law does not require Electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their states. It is also important to note that no Elector has ever been prosecuted for failing to vote as pledged (Occasionally some Electors deviate from political party mandates).
Is the US a direct democracy?
Direct Democracy versus Representative Democracy. Citizens in the US do not actually vote directly for the president, as the country does not function on a national level as a direct democracy. In fact, the United States can be better described as a representative democracy.
Why do we have an electoral college?
We have an Electoral College because that’s what the founders added to the Constitution at the last minute.
What is the problem with the electoral college?
The main problem with the Electoral College today is not, as both its supporters and detractors believe, the disproportionate power it gives smaller states. Those states do get a boost from their two Senate-based electoral votes, but that benefit pales in comparison to the real culprit: statewide winner-take-all laws. Under these laws, which states adopted to gain political advantage in the nation’s early years, even though it was never raised by the framers — states award all their electors to the candidate with the most popular votes in their state. The effect is to erase all the voters in that state who didn’t vote for the top candidate.
How did Donald Trump win the 2016 election?
In 2016, Donald Trump won the White House by earning a majority of electoral votes, even though almost three million more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton. It wasn’t the first time a president won by losing or the second or even the fourth.
Why do we have swing states?
The reason we even have swing states is because almost all states award their electoral votes using a winner-take-all system. If a candidate wins the popular vote in a state, even by a single vote, they get all of that state’s electoral votes.
How many times have presidential candidates won more votes than their opponent lost the election?
American democracy isn’t just quirky — it’s also unfair. Five times in our history, presidential candidates who have won more votes than their opponent have still lost the election. Why? Our 230-year-old jerry-built system for picking the president, known as the Electoral College.
How many people are ignored in every election?
This means that every election, 80 percent of American voters, roughly 100 million people, get ignored. Think about it. If you live in a state where you’re in the political minority, your vote is effectively erased. There are millions of Republicans in deep-blue states, like Massachusetts and California.
What is democracy in the United States?
Democracy is, at its core, about fair, equal representation — one person, one vote. But if you’re a voter in the United States, there’s a really good chance your vote doesn’t count the way you think it does.
Electors
Procedure
- With the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution (and starting with the 75th Congress in 1937), the electoral votes are counted before the newly sworn-in Congress, elected the p...
- The date of the count was changed in 1957, 1985, 1989, 1997, 2009, and 2013.Sitting Vice Presidents John C. Breckinridge (1861), Richard Nixon (1961), and Al Gore (2001) all announ…
- With the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution (and starting with the 75th Congress in 1937), the electoral votes are counted before the newly sworn-in Congress, elected the p...
- The date of the count was changed in 1957, 1985, 1989, 1997, 2009, and 2013.Sitting Vice Presidents John C. Breckinridge (1861), Richard Nixon (1961), and Al Gore (2001) all announced that they had...
Objections
- Objections to the Electoral College votes were recorded in 1969, 2005, and 2021. In all cases, the House and Senate rejected the objections and the votes in question were counted.
Amending The Process
- Originally, the Electoral College provided the Constitutional Convention with a compromise between two main proposals: the popular election of the President and the election of the President by Congress. 1. Prior to 1804, electors made no distinction between candidates when voting for president and vice president; the candidate with the majority of...
Contingent Elections
- In the case of an Electoral College deadlock or if no candidate receives the majority of votes, a “contingent election” is held. The election of the President goes to the House of Representatives. Each state delegation casts a single vote for one of the top three contenders from the initial election to determine a winner. 1. Only two Presidential elections (1800 and 1824) have been de…
How The Electoral College Works
The Electoral College in The U.S. Constitution
- The original purpose of the Electoral College was to reconcile differing state and federal interests, provide a degree of popular participation in the election, give the less populous states some additional leverage in the process by providing “senatorial” electors, preserve the presidency as independent of Congress and generally insulate the election process from political manipulation…
The Electoral College Today
- Notwithstanding the founders’ efforts, the Electoral College system almost never functioned as they intended, but, as with so many constitutional provisions, the document prescribed only the system’s basic elements, leaving ample room for development. As the republic evolved, so did the Electoral College system, and, by the late 19th century, the f...
Allocation of Electors and Electoral Votes
- The Constitution gives each state a number of electors equal to the combined total of its Senate membership (two for each state) and House of Representatives delegation (currently ranging from one to 55, depending on population). The 23rd Amendment provides an additional three electors to the District of Columbia. The number of electoral votes per state thus currently ranges from th…
Popular Election of Electors
- Today, all presidential electors are chosen by voters, but in the early republic, more than half the states chose electors in their legislatures, thus eliminating any direct involvement by the voting public in the election. This practice changed rapidly after the turn of the nineteenth century, however, as the right to vote was extended to an ever-wider segment of the population. As the e…
The Electors: Ratifying The Voter’s Choice
- Presidential electors in contemporary elections are expected, and in many cases pledged, to vote for the candidates of the party that nominated them. While there is evidence that the founders assumed the electors would be independent actors, weighing the merits of competing presidential candidates, they have been regarded as agents of the public will since the first decade under th…
How The Electoral College Works in Each State
- Nomination of elector-candidates is another of the many aspects of this system left to state and political party preferences. Most states prescribe one of two methods: 34 states require that candidates for the office of presidential elector be nominated by state party conventions, while a further ten mandate nomination by the state party’s central committee. The remaining states us…
Joint Tickets: One Vote For President and Vice President
- General election ballots, which are regulated by state election laws and authorities, offer voters joint candidacies for President and Vice President for each political party or other groups. Thus, voters cast a single vote for electors pledged to the joint ticket of the party they represent. They cannot effectively vote for a president from one party and a vice president from another unless t…
General Election Day
- Elections for all federal elected officials are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years and presidential elections are held in every year divisible by four. Congress selected this day in 1845; previously, states held elections on different days between September and November, a practice that sometimes led to multiple voting across stat…
The Electors Convene
- The 12th Amendment requires electors to meet “in their respective states…” This provision was intended to deter manipulation of the election by having the state electoral colleges meet simultaneously, but keeping them separate. Congress sets the date on which the electors meet, currently the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. The electors almost alway…