The Electoral College
What is the Electoral College Simple way of thinking about it: The States Elect the President.. Even though we can tally up a national popular vote, there are really 50 separate elections taking place through the Electoral College to decide our President (1 in each state) Check out this video on the electoral college
Basics of the Electoral College Each State is given a certain number of electors based on its population Number of electors the same as the number of representatives in Congress (# of house representatives + # of senators) Bigger the State = More electors (Proportional Representation) Example California electoral votes 53 representatives + 2 sentators = 55 total Example Alaska electoral votes 1 representative = 2 senators = 3 total 23 rd Amendment gave Washington DC 3 electors (same as smallest state) 538 possible electoral votes currently 535 in House/Senate plus 3 for Washington DC = 538
Who are the Electors? The way electors are chosen can vary by state.. But the Constitution provides for the following rules Electors may not be current elected/appointed federal officials Usually are trustworthy people who will vote with the wishes of the state, however no requirement that they have to do so Electors are typically voted on during election day based on the presidential candidate being voted on (in most states) Usually electors are preselected from each political party in the summer by state officials, then the electors from the winning party in the state s popular election will be invited to the capital to officially vote for the state as an elector in December.
Basics of Electoral College President needs to receive a majority of the electoral votes to win Currently 270 votes required to be elected President (538 possible electoral votes available) In most states the candidate that wins the popular vote receives ALL the electoral votes, only Maine and Nebraska split up electoral votes Electors do NOT have to vote based on state results, but in all but a few cases, have historically voted based on their state s wishes
Step 1 Popular Vote (Nov.)
Step 2 (Dec.) Electors from each state vote (based off popular vote)
Step 3 (Dec.) State officially sends its electoral results to Congress
Step 4 (Jan) US Congress officially counts the electoral votes for President to determine winner of the election
Mock Election Candidate A. Free Kit-Kats for Everyone! Candidate B. Free Reeses Peanut Butter Cups for Everyone!
Mock Election Electoral Votes State/# of Electoral Votes Candidate Winning Election Popular Votes 1. 20 Reeses Reeses wins 8-7 2. 16 Kit Kat Kit Kat wins 10-2 3. 12 Reeses Reeses wins 5-4 4. 9 Kit Kat Kit Kat wins 6-1 5. 6 Kit Kat Kit Kat wins 5-2 6 3 Kit Kat Kit Kat wins 4-1 7. 14 Reeses Reeses wins 9-8 Elecoral Vote: Reeses wins 46-34 Popular Winner: Kit Kat wins 44-28
Why Create the Electoral College? Some reasons why the Founding Fathers created the Electoral College Give smaller states more voting power, so candidates can t ignore smaller states Candidate cannot just campaign at large population centers, but also must be successful in rural areas and suburbs Electors were educated and could make the best possible choice The electors could make a different decision than the general population Keep in mind much of the general population in 1790 didn t have much information about candidates, many lived without access to TV, Internet, and other sources of media Logistically, very difficult to accurately determine a nationwide vote in 1790 Maintain Federalism give each state the power to choose its electors and vote for who it wants to be President
Negatives of the Electoral College Some people believe the Electoral College system should be changed or abolished: The Electoral College gives smaller states more voting power since all states get a minimum of 3 electoral votes The winner take all system means that candidates can lose the popular vote but still win the electoral vote People who live in a state where their candidate is unpopular may feel like their vote does not count, and thus won t show up to vote. The electors can change their votes and not vote the way the state wanted them to (faithless electors) Candidates may only focus on a few bigger swing states that can decide an election.