Electoral College

Electoral College Today Voters cast ballots on Tuesday after the first Monday in November They are voting for their candidate’s electors in their state Each party nominates candidates for electors in each state Winner-take-all: The party whose candidate wins the popular vote in a state wins all of that state’s electoral votes We usually know on election night who the winner is. The electors meet in their state capitols on the same date The Monday after the second Wednesday in December They cast their votes for President and Vice President Votes are sealed and sent to Washington, D.C.

Electoral College Today Formal election of President and Vice President takes place on January 6 President of Senate opens and counts votes from each state before a joint session of Congress Candidate who receives a majority of the electors’ votes is declared the new President If no candidate wins a majority (270 electoral votes) the election is thrown into the House of Representatives This has happened in 1800 and 1824 The House chooses a President from among the top three candidates in the electoral college Each state delegation has one vote A candidate needs a majority to win (26 votes)

Criticisms Does not reflect the will of the people In some states electors are not legally bound to the decision of the voters Electors could change their votes and elect a candidate who lost the election A candidate’s electoral votes may not accurately reflect his share of the popular votes 1960: Kennedy won the electoral vote 303 to 219. Yet the difference in the popular vote was only 112,000 Winner-take-all system: millions of people who voted for the losing candidate in a state are not represented in the electoral college

Criticisms Can elect a president who lost the popular vote – has happened four times Any election might have to be decided by the House Some states have many more electoral votes than others Candidates focus on big states and small ones are overlooked

Proposed Reforms Direct Election District Plan Everyone’s vote would have equal weight The people support it but it would require a constitutional amendment Small states oppose it because they fear they would lose influence District Plan Choose electors the same way members of Congress are chosen Two electors would represent the entire state Others selected from each congressional district

Proposed Reforms Proportional Plan Plurality Plan National Bonus Plan Eliminate electors but keep electoral votes Each candidate receives the same share of a state’s electoral votes as he received of that state’s popular vote Plurality Plan Ends electors but keeps state basis for voting Candidate that wins the most states is elected National Bonus Plan National pool of 102 electoral votes awarded to winner of the popular vote If no candidate earns a majority, there would be a run-off election between the top two vote-getters

The Founding Fathers created the electoral college because the were “afraid of direct Democracy,” according to FactCheck.org. In fact, Alexander Hamilton thought the electors would make sure “the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.”