Creation of the Electoral College The Electoral College was created at the Constitutional Convention by the Founding Fathers It was the last of many plans adopted in 1787 in Philadelphia

Why was it Created? People (then) were not knowledgeable enough to select a President.(poor communications) This was a check that gave the states a voice in choosing the President To maintain regional balance

Mechanics The Presidential Election should be viewed as 51 separate elections each with a “winner take all” system To win a candidate must get a majority of 538 votes or 270 Each state is represented in the EC according to their total number of members of Congress

Electoral Votes The total electoral vote of 538 is based on 100 senators, 435 representatives for the 50 states. The 23rd Amendment gave Washington, DC 3 electoral votes The candidates compete in 50 states and DC for electoral votes and the winner must have at least 270 The Electoral College almost always works when there are only two candidates

Electoral Votes Ohio has 2 senators and 16 representatives. That means Ohio has 18 Electoral Votes. California, the most populous state, has two senators and 53 representatives. This gives California 55 electoral votes Wyoming, the least populous state, has two senators and 1 representative. This gives Wyoming 3 electoral votes http://www.270towin.com/

What is the lowest number of states needed to win the Electoral College? 11, California, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina = 271 Electoral Votes

Major Changes Through the Years 12th Amendment-1804-Separated the candidacy of the President and the Vice- President Popular election of electors in the 1820’s & 30’s 23rd Amendment- 1961- Washington DC gains 3 electoral votes.

What the Individual Vote Means Individual votes count only in the state where they are cast When all states have voted, the candidate with the most votes in each state gets all the electoral votes of that state In December, following the November Election, the winning electors in each state go to their respective state capitals and cast their votes and send them to Congress

Electoral College Delegates The delegates are chosen by the political parties in each state Historically, the delegates have been 99.9% loyal to their party After the combined votes in 50 states and DC are counted by a joint session of Congress, the election is official

What do the following four men all have in common? A. Andrew Jackson B. Samuel Tilden C. Grover Cleveland D. Al Gore

The Answer They all won the popular vote in a Presidential election but did not become President.

1824 Popular Vote Andrew Jackson 43% John Q. Adams 30.5% Electoral Vote Jackson 99 votes Adams 84 * Adams elected by House of Representatives when Jackson did not receive a majority of the Electoral votes

1876 Popular Vote Samuel Tilden 51% R. B. Hayes 48% Electoral College Winner: Hayes

1888 Popular Vote Grover Cleveland 48.5 % Benjamin Harrison 47.8 % Electoral College Cleveland 168 Harrison 233 Winner: Harrison

2000 Popular Vote Albert Gore 48.7% George W. Bush 48.5% Electoral College Gore 266 Bush 271 Winner: Bush

Why? Because we do not pick our President by direct ballot. Technically, we only select electors. These electors form what is called the Electoral College and are the people who officially elect the President.

What are the drawbacks to the Electoral College? Encourages low voter turnout Diminishes third party influence Person with most popular votes may not win Leads to tactical, insincere voting If there is no majority winner in the Electoral College, the election goes to the House of Representatives and there is a loss of separation of powers. The occasional “faithless elector”

Why low voter turnout? The Electoral College is a winner take all system of deciding who receives a states electoral votes. Consequently, if a person gets 50.1% of the popular vote (in a two man race), he gets 100% of the electoral votes in that state. Therefore, many people feel that their vote does not matter and choose to not vote.

Third Parties The Electoral College discourages 3rd parties because a candidate must have a broad based, national platform to have a chance to gain the highest office. Rarely are 3rd parties financially and politically able to do this.

Tactical Voting Voters often resort to tactical voting in Presidential elections because the person they truly support cannot win all of the electoral votes. For instance, many people would have preferred Ralph Nader in the 2000 Presidential election but knew that he was not going to win. Instead, they often voted for Al Gore because he was the major candidate with the platform closest to Nader.

Advantages of the Electoral College Preserves the federal system-winning individual states is important and it helps small states remain more relevant. Without the EC, state lines mean nothing Preserves the two party system Keeps our politics moderate-extreme parties have little chance of winning any state

Advantages of the Electoral College Protects minorities-they form the balance of power in most states and can’t be ignored. Ensures the inclusion of small town America There has only been four times when it has gone against the popular vote.

Should we Keep it? Scrap it? Tweak it?