1. Executive Branch Unit: Ch. 13-15
Executive Branch Unit: Ch Power point #1: Pathways to the Presidency
Party Candidates Debates: Oct.2015-March 10, 2016
State party caucuses/primaries
Feb June 14,2016
Determine state delegates to national party conventions
National Party Conventions: July18-21 Rep./July Dem.
a. Nominate party candidates
b. Create party platform
4. General Campaign: August–Nov. 8
5. National Popular Election (Choose electors for states): Nov. 8
6. Electoral College Votes: Dec. 13, 2016
7. Inauguration: Jan. 20, 2017

2. The Electoral College

3. True or False? Answer: Not necessarily. Ask Al Gore.
The candidate with the most popular votes is elected president.
Answer: Not necessarily.
Ask Al Gore.

4. The 2000 Election
The Popular Vote Al Gore 50,996,039 George W. Bush 50,456,141 The Electoral Vote George W. Bush 271 Al Gore 267 (Florida critical state: 25 electoral votes)

5. The 2000 Election
Bush won Florida by 363 votes 6 million total= less than .001%
Gore wants a recount
Katherine Harris (Rep Sec. of State) authorizes Bush victory
Gore v Bush goes to Supreme Court Dec. 11, 2000
Supreme Court decides 5-4 accept Florida results
Republicans select 25 Florida
electors ALL vote for Bush
Bush wins electoral college

6. Historical Background
The framers of the Constitution disagreed on how to elect a president
Congressional selection (Federalists)
direct popular election. (Dem/Rep)
The electoral college was a compromise
combining features of both approaches.
Popular election
Final decision by “electors” who do NOT have to follow the popular vote.

7. The Electoral College and Federalism
The electoral college also reflects the federal nature of the Constitution
Ensures that the each state has a role in selecting the president.

8. State Electoral Votes
Each state is entitled to as many electoral votes as the sum of its representation
U.S. House of Representatives (?)
U.S. House of Senate (2)
Wa.: 10 House members plus 2 senators = 12 electoral votes
Total:
435 House members
100 senators
3 electors for the District of Columbia
= 538 electoral votes

9. Who are the Electors?
Individuals selected in each state to officially cast that state’s electoral votes.
Washington selects 12 electors to cast the state’s 12 electoral votes.
Framers anticipated that electors would be state leaders who would exercise good judgment.
Today, the state party leaders nominate electors who are typically long-time party activists.
Electors almost always vote for their party’s candidates

10. Delegate Votes Divided
Each state determines the manner of selection
All but two states use a winner-take-all delegates statewide election system
Nebraska ( 3 districts +2 for total)
Maine (2 districts + 2 for total)
48 states “winner takes all”
If Candidate A gets the most votes in a state, Candidate A’s political party gets the ALL of the electors

11. Voters and Electors Therefore,
A Washingtonian who voted for Obama really voted for an elector pledged to cast the state’s electoral votes for Obama.
Remember:
In 2000, Bush won all of Florida’s 25 electoral votes because the final official vote tally showed him ahead of Gore by less than 600 votes.

13. The Real Election Tuesday January 5, 2016
In December of election year (Dec. 13, 2016)
The electors gather in their respective state capitols to cast ballots for president and vice president.
In January
Congress comes into session
They open the ballots received from each state
They announce the official outcome.
January 20, 2017 Next President inaugurated

14. What if no one receives a majority?
To win, a candidate needs a majority,
270 electoral votes.
If no candidate has a majority
the House of Representatives selects the president from among the three presidential candidates with the most electoral votes.
If this happens, each state has one vote.
Happened only once!
1824 Congress chose John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay.

15. Popular Vote v. the Electoral Vote
In a close race, the popular vote winner may not win the electoral college.
One candidate may win states by lopsided margins while the other wins states by narrow margins.
Electoral vote winners who lost the popular vote
Bush over Gore in 2000
Benjamin Harrison over Grover Cleveland in 1888
Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel Tilden in 1876

16. Criticisms of the Electoral College
The popular vote winner may lose the presidency.
“Winner take all” not fair
Electors may vote for persons other than their party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates.
If no candidate receives a majority, Congress will pick the president and vice president.

17. Proposals for Reform
Eliminate electors but still count electoral votes. Candidate who wins the popular vote in the state automatically receives all electors.
“Winner take all” changed to proportional representation (40% of popular vote=40% of the electors
Choose the president by direct popular election.

22. The 2008 Presidential Election

23. 2012 Presidential Election Obama (Blue) 303 Romney (Red) 235

24. Review Question #1
Washington has 10 U.S. representatives. How many electoral votes does the state have?

25. Answer #1
12 electors

26. Review Question #2
Who are electors?

27. Answer #2
They are individuals selected in each state to officially cast that state’s electoral votes. Electors are typically long-time party activists who are selected by their state party organization as a reward for their loyalty to the party. Although electors almost always vote for the party choice they CAN vote for anyone that they want.

28. Review Question#3
Does it matter whether a candidate carries a state by a few votes or a lot of votes?

29. Answer #3
No. A candidate receives all of a state’s electoral votes whether the candidate carries the state by one vote or a million votes. In every state except Nebraska and Maine, the race is winner take all.

30. Review Question #4
What is the small state bias?

31. Answer #4 (Video: “What’s the Trouble with the Electoral College”)
The electoral college has a small state bias because every state gets at least three electoral votes regardless of its population. As a result, small states such as Alaska, Wyoming, and South Dakota enjoy a greater percentage of electoral votes than they would merit based strictly on population.
(Video: “What’s the Trouble with the Electoral College”)