The Election/Electoral College 13-5

The Electoral College Today People vote for Presidential Electors, not the POTUS Each state has as many electors as members of Congress Today they are “rubber stampers” All states except for ME and NE give winner all votes If no candidate wins a majority (270) election is decided in H.O.R.

2016 Electoral College Map

First Major Flaw Winner of the popular vote not guaranteed to win Allotment of electoral votes does not match state population Candidates spend more resources in battleground states then many populous ones In 2000 Gore got 500,000+ more popular votes then Bush who got 271 electoral or 2016 when Clinton won popular vote by almost 3 million & lost electoral

Second Major Flaw Nothing requires electors to vote for candidate they are suppose to Electors have broken pledges only 11 times Potential of faithless electors influencing election exist

Third Major Flaw Possibility of H.O.R. determine winner Exist any year in which there is a strong 3rd party Voting is done by states, not indiv. members If majority in state do not agree state loses vote Need majority of states to pick one candidate Due to gerrymandering House not true reflection of voter demographics

Proposed Reforms District plan- electors would be determined same way as members of Congress Proportion Plan- Candidate would get same percentage of electors as they did of popular vote Direct popular election- one person =one vote National Bonus Plan- Keep electoral college, give popular vote winner extra 102 electors Pro electoral college minority