1. Electoral College and Popular Sovereignty
Elections and Voting
Term Limits
Electoral College

4. Aim: Should elections be based on the popular vote?
Vocab
Electoral College
Electors
Plurality – the MOST
Majority – one more than half
Bicameral Legislature/Congress; House of Representatives (based on population, each state is divided into districts and allotted a House member per 700,000 people); Senate (equal representation, 2 per state)
Essential Questions:
Does the Electoral College go against the will of the people?
What have states done to limit the strength of the electoral college?
How does the Electoral College affect campaigning?

5. 3rd Party Candidate McKinney
Electors are chosen by each of the parties and called upon only if the highest number of state popular votes is for that specific party.  Then, the electors vote for President based on the popular vote.
EXAMPLE: New York State Vote
All of the votes of the electors for New York State would go to Obama, the Democratic candidate.  All of the electors of the Democratic Party would be called upon to cast their votes for this state.
2. Whoever wins 270 (or more) of the Electoral College votes (which means they get a majority) becomes the President! 
Republican Candidate
Romney
Democratic Candidate
Obama
3rd Party Candidate McKinney
(Green Party)
25% of the votes
(in the state)
45% of the votes
30% of the votes

6. DEVELOP A PLAN!

18. Voters on Election Day do not vote for president and vice president
Voters on Election Day do not vote for president and vice president. They vote for electors, who are authorized by the Constitution to cast ballots (votes) for president and vice president.
Electors are assigned to each state according to the size of its congressional delegation (number of representatives in Congress).
EXAMPLES:
Nevada, with 4 members in the House of Representatives and two Senators, has 6 electors.
California, with 53 members in the House of Representatives and two Senators, had 55 electors.
New York has 27 members in the House of Representatives and two Senators, has 29 electors.
Wyoming has 1 member in the House of Representatives and two Senators, has 3 electors!

19. ELECTORS ARE NOT ELECTED!
They are selected by each party, and then called upon if their party wins the plurality of popular votes of a state.
These delegates are chosen by the state legislature and not elected. Such delegates may not have an official government position/association.
The candidate who wins a plurality (highest number) of a state’s popular vote (cast by the people) wins all its electoral votes. Except for 2 states – Nebraska and Maine.
A state’s electors make up its electoral college. The electors cast ballots for president and vice president one month after the popular election but we announce a winner because we assume that the electors will vote along with the majority of their states’
popular vote. Almost always, electors cast their ballots for the candidate favored by the plurality of voters.
The state electoral votes are added up and the candidate who wins the majority of the electoral votes (270) or more becomes the President elect.

20. No Legal Requirement 
Electors in these States are not bound by State Law to cast their vote for a specific candidate:
ARIZONA ARKANSAS DELAWARE GEORGIA IDAHO ILLINOIS INDIANA IOWA KANSAS KENTUCKY LOUISIANA MINNESOTA MISSOURI NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW JERSEY NEW YORK NORTH DAKOTA PENNSYLVANIA RHODE ISLAND SOUTH DAKOTA TENNESSEE TEXAS UTAH WEST VIRGINIA

21. In Case there is NO WINNER?
No majority: If there are more than two major candidates and no one wins a majority (more than 50%) of electoral ballots (votes), the election is decided in the House of Representatives. Each state has one vote. The candidate who wins a majority of the House vote is elected president. 
If there was a tie, then the members of the House of Representatives immediately take a vote and that winner is the President.
If there was no tie, and no majority, then the top five vote-getters were voted on by the House as above.
When the vote devolves to the House, two-thirds of all states must have had at least one Representative present for the vote to proceed. The Representatives present from each state vote as a single state, only one vote for the state. The winner has to win by a majority of states.

22. What is the deal with these “electors?”
No constitutional provision or federal law requires electors to vote in accordance with the popular vote in their state. But some state laws provide that so-called faithless electors be subject ot fines or be disqualified for casting an invalid vote and be replaced by a substitute elector. The U.S. Supreme Court has not specifically ruled on the question of whether pledges and penalties for failure to vote as pledged may be enforced under the Constitution. No elector has ever been prosecuted for failing to vote as pledged.
Today it is rare for electors to disregard the popular vote casting their electoral vote for someone other than their party’s candidate.

23. How Electors are Chosen
Article II, Section 1, Clause 2: provides that no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.
The process for selecting Electors varies throughout the United States. Generally, the political parties nominate Electors at their State party conventions. Each candidate will have their own unique slate of potential. Electors are often chosen to recognize service and dedication to their political party. They may be State-elected officials, party leaders, or persons who have a personal or political affiliation with the Presidential candidate.
On Election Day, the voters in each State choose the Electors by casting votes for the presidential candidate of their choice. The Electors’ names may or may not appear on the ballot below the name of the candidates running for President, depending on the procedure in each State. The winning candidate in each State is awarded all of the State’s Electors.
Nebraska and Maine have proportional distribution of electoral votes. The state winner receives two Electors and the winner of each congressional district receives one Elector. This system permits the Electors from Nebraska and Maine to be awarded to more than one candidate.

24. Electoral College in US HISTORY: A Series of Unusual Events!
What is unusual about each?
(1) Election of 1800: The vote was broken by the House of Representatives between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr who had an equal number of electoral votes (73). John Adams had 65 electoral votes as the incumbent.
The House of Representatives broke the tie, electing Jefferson.
(2) Election of 1824: Defeat of the Most Popular Candidate!
(3) Election of 1912: Three-way Race!
(4) Election of 2000: Defeat of the More Popular Candidate – Bush Vs. Gore
Candidate
Popular Vote
Electoral Vote
Woodrow Wilson
6,296,547
435
Theodore Roosevelt
4,118,571 88
William H. Taft
3,486,720 8
Candidate
Popular Vote
Electoral Vote
Andrew Jackson
153,544 99
John Quincy Adams
108,740 88
William H. Crawford
46,618 41
Henry Clay
47,136 37

31. PROS AND CONS
Opponents of the Electoral College point to Bush as a reason to get rid of the current system — he’s president even though he lost the popular vote. Since the distribution of electoral votes tends to over-represent people in rural states, opponents argue that the system fails to accurately reflect the popular will. This over-representation occurs because a state’s electors are based upon the number of representatives it has in the House (determined by population) plus the number of representatives it has in the Senate (two, no matter the state’s population, giving more weight to small states.) Some argue that the winner-take-all mechanism in 48 states discourages independent or third party candidates from running because it would be difficult for them to get many electoral votes.
Proponents of the Electoral College system like the fact that a president must have a wide geographic distribution of support to win, believing this contributes to the cohesiveness of the country. They think the College helps minority interests because their votes could make a difference in the state, whereas the national popular majority would probably dilute them in a direct election. Some like that the Electoral College encourages a two-party system, because it forces candidates to move to the center of public opinion to get elected. In a direct election dozens of political parties, many with extreme, fringe ideas, would be encouraged to crop up to prevent a candidate from winning a popular majority. One of these parties could win the run-off and we would have more radical changes in policies from one administration to the next.
After the 2000 election, there was a lot of talk about doing away with this system, but it's unlikely this will happen anytime soon. To do so, we would need an amendment to the Constitution, which requires a two-thirds vote from Congress and then ratification by three-fourths of the states for it to become law. Small, rural states probably wouldn't support any such amendment because it would give them less of a voice.
In the end, the system works pretty well. For the past two hundred years, the Electoral College has picked a president, most of the time without incident. While not without its faults, the College has withstood the test of time, allowing peaceful elections to continue through tumultuous world wars, the civil rights struggle and economic depressions. It’s a testament to the founding fathers' foresight that this ancient system of compromise continues to thrive.

32. Pros
Cons

33. Arguments Against the Electoral College
the possibility of electing a minority president who is not the candidate with the most popular support; its failure to accurately reflect the national popular will.
the risk of so-called "faithless" Electors, voting their conscience
the possible role of the Electoral College in depressing voter turnout
the development of a two party system, limiting political change

34. Arguments for the Electoral College
contributes to the cohesiveness of the country by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president
enhances the status of minority interests because a state can give all of its electors to the plurality of popular votes (a majority is not necessary)
contributes to the political stability of the nation by encouraging a two-party system
maintains a federal system of government and representation.

35. Hamilton wrote, in the Federalist Papers:
“It was equally desirable, that the immediate election should be made by men most capable of analyzing the qualities adapted to the [office of president], and acting under circumstances favorable to deliberation, and to a judicious combination of all the reasons and inducements which were proper to govern their choice. A small number of persons, selected by their fellow-citizens from the general mass, will be most likely to possess the information and discernment requisite to such complicated investigations. It was also peculiarly desirable to afford as little opportunity as possible to tumult and disorder. This evil was not least to be dreaded in the election of a magistrate, who was to have so important an agency in the administration of the government as the President of the United States. But the precautions which have been so happily concerted in the system under consideration, promise an effectual security against this mischief.”
Why did Hamilton argue that the Electoral College was a necessity?
Do you agree or disagree with Hamilton? Provide reasoning.