The Electoral Collegeor

The Real Way We Elect Our President

Creation

• 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

Major Changes Through the Years

• 12th Amendment-1804-Separated the candidacy of the President and the Vice-President• Introduction of Popular Election of

electors by states in the 1820’s & 30’s

The 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 of the total state votes or 270.

• Each state is represented in the EC according to their total number of members of Congress.

The Mechanics Cont’d• Kentucky has 2 senators and 6

representatives. This means that Kentucky has 8 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

The Mechanics Cont’d• 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 always works when there are only two candidates

The Mechanics Cont’d

• If there are more than two candidates, the system might not work

• If the system does not work, the House elects the President and the Senate elects the Vice-President. This has not happened since 1824.

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

Disadvantages of the Electoral College System

• Complex and confusing• The person with the most popular

votes may not win• Gives smaller states too much say

Advantages

• Preserves the federal system-winning individual states is important. 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

Conclusion

• The system is not likely to change because of the difficulty of amending the Constitution

• Why fix it if it is not broken?