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ELECTORAL COLLEGE

Who Gets to Be President?. ELECTORAL COLLEGE. Adapted from http://www.rcsdk8.org/ourpages/auto/2013/3/13/52247803/Electoral%20College.ppt. True or False?. The Presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes is elected President. Answer: Not necessarily. Historical Background.

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ELECTORAL COLLEGE

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  1. Who Gets to Be President? ELECTORAL COLLEGE Adapted from http://www.rcsdk8.org/ourpages/auto/2013/3/13/52247803/Electoral%20College.ppt

  2. True or False? The Presidential candidate who wins the most popular votes is elected President. Answer: Not necessarily.

  3. Historical Background • The framers of the Constitution disagreed on how to elect a president. • Congressional selection • direct popular election • The Electoral College was a compromise. • combining features of both approaches

  4. United States Constitution • The United States Constitution outlines how the President is to be elected. • The two main sections that deal with electing the President are: • Article I Section II: Census • Article II Section I: Electoral College

  5. The Electoral College and Federalism • The electoral college also reflects the federal nature of the Constitution. • ensures the states have a role in selecting the president

  6. When you vote for the President you are actually voting for an ELECTOR to vote for you. Each state has a determined number of electors.

  7. A state’s number of electors is the total number of that state’s Senators and Representatives in the House. North Carolina 2 Senators + 13 Representatives Total 15 Electors California 2 senators + 53 representatives Total 55 electors

  8. There are a total of 538 electoral votes (the District of Columbia is not a state but is given 3 electoral votes).

  9. Who are the Electors? • Electors are individuals selected in each state to officially cast that state’s electoral votes. • The Framers anticipated that electors would be state leaders who would exercise good judgment. • Today, party leaders select electors who are typically long-time party activists. • Electors almost always vote for their party’s candidates.

  10. 48 out of the 50 states have a “winner takes all” method. In order for a Presidential candidate to win all the electoral votes of a state, a candidate must win a majority of the popular vote!

  11. 2 states are different and can divide up their votes based on congressional district - Nebraska and Maine.

  12. The Election Timeline • In November of a Presidential election year, the general election is held and the popular vote is determined. • In December, electors gather in their respective state capitols to cast ballots for President and Vice President. • In January, Congress comes into session and they open the ballots received from each state. At this time, they announce the official outcome.

  13. A candidate must have 270electoral votes to win the Presidential election.

  14. If no single candidate gets the required 270 electoral votes then the U.S. House of Representatives votes to decide the President.

  15. What if no one receives a majority? • To win, a candidate needs a majority– 270 electoral votes • If no candidate has a majority • the House of Representatives selects the President from among the three presidential candidates with the most electoral votes • If this happens, each state has one vote. • Happened only once! 1824: Congress chose John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay • The Senate selects the VicePresident from the top two vice-presidential candidates.

  16. It is possible to get more votes overall in the election from the entire country and NOT be elected President!

  17. Total Popular Vote in 2000 Election: Bush 50,461,092 total votes (47.9%) 271 Electoral Votes Gore 50,994,086 total votes (48.4%) 266 Electoral Votes Nader 2,882,728 total votes (2.7%) 0 Electoral College Votes

  18. 2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

  19. 1984 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

  20. Benefits of the Electoral College System • the system requires a distribution of popular support (not just sufficient support) and thus contributes to national unity • enhancement/protection of minority interests • encourages a two-party system and thus national stability within the government; • maintains a federal system (gives the states a role) Thus, smaller/less populous states, the two major parties, and minorities should favor the Electoral College system.

  21. Criticisms of the Electoral College The popular vote winner may lose the presidency. Electors may vote for persons other than their party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates. If no candidate receives a majority, Congress will pick the president and vice president.

  22. Proposals for Reform Eliminate electors but still count electoral votes. Choose the president by direct popular election.

  23. THE END

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