The Electoral College and the Election of 1800

Presidential Elections In a presidential election, people do not vote directly for a candidate People are actually voting to elect presidential electors! – These are the people that will actually elect the president! Electors are expected to automatically vote for their parties candidate for both the president and vice president

The Electoral College When the framers set up the executive branch of government in the Constitution, there was a lot of debate about how the President should be elected Different ideas were discussed: Option 1: Congress could select the President Problem: President would then be too much under the legislative thumb Option 2: The President could be elected by the popular vote of the people Problem: People might not be able to make an informed decision

The Electoral College Option 3: The framers eventually decided to use an Electoral College made up of electors specifically chosen for electing the President Each state would receive the same amount of electors as it had members of Congress This special body of electors was expected to consist of the most enlightened and respectable citizens and would therefore chose the most qualified people to be president and vice president

Election of 1800 Originally, the Constitution said that each elector would cast two votes. The candidate with the majority of votes would become president The candidate with the second most votes would become vice president The rise of political parties forced a change in this system!

Election of 1800 The Election of 1800 broke down the way that the framers had originally intended for the Electoral College to work This was the first election where the electors were chosen on the understanding that their votes would be cast for their parties candidates! Since each elector casts 2 votes, the election resulted in a tie for president between the two Republican candidates, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.

Election of 1800 The Election of 1800 had to be decided by the House of Representatives Ultimately, this election led to the passage of the 12th amendment This amendment changed the Constitutional provisions regarding the electoral college From that point on, each elector would cast distinct ballots specifically for president and vice president

Choosing Electors The electors in the Electoral College are chosen by popular vote in every state Most states use the at-large system This means that whichever candidate receives the majority of the popular vote in each state will win all of that states electoral votes Maine and Nebraska Also known as the winner-takes-all system!

Counting Electoral Votes The 12th Amendment provides that “the electors shall meet in their respective states.” Electors meet at their state capitol to cast their votes for president and vice president The ballots / votes are then sent by registered mail to the President of the Senate in Washington D.C.

Counting Electoral Votes The formal election of the President takes place on January 6th when the President of the Senate opens the electoral vote before a joint session of Congress The candidate with the majority of votes (270) become president If no candidate receives a majority, the elections goes to the House of Representative The House can select the president from the top 3 candidates! Each state delegation is allowed to cast 1 vote A simple majority of 26 votes is all that is needed to win

Vice President If a candidate does not receive a majority for vice president, then the Senate can decide between the top 2 candidates!

Flaws in the Electoral College There are three big flaws in the Electoral College system 1) Winner of the popular vote does not necessarily win the presidency Has happened 4 times in history; most recently the 2000 election between Bush and Gore Bush = 50,456,062 (271) Gore = 50,996,582 (266) Other elections: 1824, 1876, & 1888

Flaws in the Electoral College 2) There is nothing in the Constitution or Federal Law that says that electors are required to vote for the candidate favored by the popular election in their state Some states have laws, but would likely not be held constitutional if challanged

Flaws in the Electoral College 3) It is always possible that the House of Representatives may pick the president In this case, every state despite population has equal say

Read pages 382-384 Read about the proposed reforms for the Electoral College and briefly describe them in the boxes provided on page 19 of your packet! Circle the plan that you think is best!