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The Electoral College in US Election Process

Learn how the Electoral College works, its origin in the Constitution, and debates around it. Discover the pros and cons, historical elections, and its significance in the US presidential election.

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The Electoral College in US Election Process

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  1. Essential Questions • Where is the Electoral College found in the Constitution? • How many total electors? And how do we arrive at this number? • How many to win? • How many states minimum to win? • What is a faithless elector?

  2. 270 to WIN?

  3. The Election of the President of the U.S. The Electoral College Is it a necessary evil or an outdated institution????

  4. Washington 191

  5. 289 total 144 to win Buchanan(D) v. Freemont (R) 167 122

  6. Electoral College “We elect the folks who elect the folks”

  7. What is the Electoral College? GO TEAM! At first you may think that the Electoral College is a school somewhere where people learn about politics, but that isn't the case. The Electoral College isn't even a place, it's the process that elects the president of the United States. 

  8. Where does the Electoral College Come From? • Article II, Section 1 lays out the manner in which the Framers wanted to elect a president. • WHY did they create this? • Afraid of mob rule • Uneducated voters

  9. Don't the citizens of the U.S. elect the president? Well, not directly. When people vote for president they are really voting for an elector from their state. Each state has a certain number of electors. These electors then vote for president. 

  10. How many electors does each state get? HOR + Senate = Electors That is one for each member from the state in the House of Representatives (which is based on the population of the state) and two more for the state's two senators. For example, California gets 55 electors, North Carolina 15, and Wyoming 3, and Tennessee 11. 

  11. How do states choose their electors? Each state has its own rules on how electors are chosen. Usually, the political party of the presidential candidate who won the state chooses the electors. 

  12. Who can be an elector? Pretty much anyone who can vote can be an elector. The only people prevented from being electors are certain political leaders like Senators and Representatives. Most electors are people who have been loyal and dedicated members of their political party for a long time. 

  13. Do electors have to vote a certain way? This depends on the state. In some states there are laws requiring that electors vote the same as the people who voted for them. Most of the time electors vote as expected, but in rare cases they have changed their vote and voted for a different candidate than the people who voted for them. They are called Faithless electors.

  14. All or Nothing In most states all the electors are awarded to one candidate. Even if one candidate won by a single popular vote, they would get all the electoral votes. So it is possible that one popular vote in California could make the difference of 55 electoral votes. There are two states, Maine and Nebraska, that split up the electors proportionally between the candidates. 

  15. Pros and Cons of the Electoral College Today, many people think that the Electoral College should be abolished and that the total popular vote should determine the president. Here are some of the arguments for and against the Electoral College: 

  16. PRO: • The current process protects state's rights. The United States is a republic of states and each state should be able to apportion its electors as it sees fit. • The Electoral College keeps high population states and regions from deciding the presidency. Without the Electoral College, a huge popular margin in one state (like California or Texas) could decide the entire election.

  17. CON: • It is possible that the winner may not receive the most popular votes. This has happened five times. • Some votes count more than others. In 2012 there were less than 200,000 people per electoral vote in Wyoming, but more than 700,000 people per electoral vote in Texas. • It causes the elections to focus on swing states such as Florida and Ohio.

  18. Interesting Facts about the Electoral College • There are 538 total electors. • The District of Columbia has 3 electors. • Which amendment? • A total of 270 electoral votes is needed to win the presidential election. • What are the minimum number of states needed to win? • The electoral votes are officially counted in a joint session of Congress. 2-3: DC get 3

  19. The Electoral College WHY HAVE IT? -Gives power to small states -Check upon illiterate people WHAT IS IT? •Every state is allotted votes based upon # of Representatives and Senators. This vote actually chooses the President. HOW DOES IT WORK? •State Electors are to vote for the candidate which wins the state Exception: “Faithless Elector”- most states (26) have laws against •Candidates who win the state win the whole allotment of votes (except in Maine & Nebraska)= “Winner Take All •270 electoral votes to win (if no winner, election to the House)

  20. Historical Elections- Problems w/ the Electoral College Election of 1800-Jefferson vs Burr- No majority-Election goes to the House-Result: 12th Amendment Election of 1824J.Q. Adams vs Andrew Jackson-No majority -Election goes to the House Election of 1888, 2000, 2016Benj. Harrison, George W Bush, & Donald Trump become President even though they lose popular elections Election of 1876Sam Tilden (D) 4,284,020Rutherford Hayes (R) 4,036,572 How did he win? Tilden- 203Hayes- 166 How did he win? Congressional review of election (3 states-19 Elec votes) Committee- 9 Rep vs 8 Dem Committee agrees to change outcome in each state

  21. California- 55 electoral votes-10.2% of electoral votes-12% of population Texas- 34 electoral votes-6.3% of electoral votes-7.4% of population New York- 31 electoral votes-5.8% of electoral votes- 6.7% of population Florida- 27 electoral votes- 5% of electoral votes- 5.7% of population Illinois- 21 electoral votes- 3.9% of electoral votes- 4.4% of population Alaska -Delaware-DC-Montana-North/South Dakota-Vermont All have 3 electoral votes (.6% of the electoral votes) But make up only .2% of the population Is the Electoral College Fair?

  22. GA 16 CA 55 FL 29 IL 20 OH 18 NC 15 PA 20 NJ 14 MI 16 TX 38 NY 29

  23. Essential Questions • Where is the Electoral College found in the Constitution? • How many total electors? And how do we arrive at this number? • How many to win? • How many states minimum to win? • What is a faithless elector?

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