The Electoral College 12/22/2017
True or False? The candidate with the most votes is elected president. Answer: Not necessarily. Ask Al Gore. 12/22/2017
The 2000 Election The Popular Vote The Electoral Vote Al Gore 50,996,039 George W. Bush 50,456,141 The Electoral Vote George W. Bush 271 Al Gore 267 12/22/2017
Historical Background The framers of the Constitution disagreed on how to elect a president Congressional selection…why not? direct popular election…why not? The electoral college was a compromise combining features of both approaches. 12/22/2017
The Electoral College and Federalism The electoral college also reflects the federal nature of the Constitution Ensures that the states have a role in selecting the president. 12/22/2017
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 Wisconsin: 8 House members plus 2 senators = 10 electoral votes Total: 435 House members 100 senators 3 electors for the District of Columbia = 538 electoral votes 12/22/2017
How are electors chosen? Two groups of electors are chosen: Republican electors and Democratic electors. Whichever candidate has the most popular vote in each state wins the electoral votes from that state. When you are voting for a Presidential candidate you are also voting for a group of electors, too.
Who are the Electors? Individuals selected in each state to officially cast that state’s electoral votes. Wisconsin selects 10 electors to cast the state’s 10 electoral votes. Framers anticipated that electors would be state leaders who would exercise good judgment. Today, party leaders select electors who are typically long-time party activists. Electors almost always vote for their party’s candidates. 12/22/2017
Delegate Votes Divided Each state determines the manner of selection All but two states use a winner-take-all delegates statewide election system Nebraska Maine Everyone else (Including Wisconsin) If Candidate A gets the most votes in a state, Candidate A gets all of the delegates. 12/22/2017
Voters and Electors Therefore, A Wisconsinite who votes for Obama is really voting for a 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 about 600 votes. 12/22/2017
The Real Election In December of election year In January 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. 12/22/2017
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. The Senate selects the vice president from the top two vice- presidential candidates. 12/22/2017
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 12/22/2017
Criticisms of the Electoral College The popular vote winner may lose the presidency. 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. 12/22/2017
Strategic consequences of the Electoral College Candidates focus on big states with lots of Electoral Votes Candidates focus on swing states, where money and face time might make a difference
Sure things Total: 169 Total: 147 REPUBLICAN STATES: DEMOCRATIC STATES AL: 9, AR: 3, AK: 6, GA: 15, ID: 4, KS: 6, KY: 8, LA: 9, MS: 6, MT: 3, NE: 5, ND: 3, OK: 7, SC: 8, SD: 3, TX: 34, UT: 5, WY: 3. Total: 147 DEMOCRATIC STATES CA: 55, CT: 7, DE: 3, DC: 3, HI: 4, IL: 21, ME: 4, MD: 10, MA: 12, NJ: 15, NY: 31, RI: 4, VT: 3 Total: 169
The purple states The West: The Midwest: Border states: Arizona: 10 EV, Colorado: 9 EV, Nevada: 5 EV, New Mexico: 5 EV, Oregon: 7 EV, Washington: 11 EV The Midwest: Minnesota: 10 EV, Iowa: 7 EV, Missouri: 11 EV, Ohio: 20 EV, Pennsylvania: 21 EV, Michigan 17 EV, Indiana 11 Wisconsin: 10 EV, Border states: Tennessee: 11 EV, West Virginia: 5 EV, Virginia 13 The South: Florida: 27 EV, North Carolina, 15 The North: New Hampshire: 4 EV
Review Question North Carolina has 13 U.S. representatives. How many electoral votes does the state have? 12/22/2017
Review Question Who are electors? 12/22/2017
Review Question Does it matter whether a candidate carries a state by a few votes or a lot of votes? 12/22/2017