Electoral College.
More than 100 million Americans will vote in nationwide U.S. elections. But only 538 men and women will elect the next president of the United States. And the votes to elect the next president will be cast by members of the Electoral College in 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C., on December 17.
Photo: New Jersey's 15 presidential electors are sworn in December 15, 2008, before casting their ballots for Barack Obama. ©AP Images
ed.ted.com/lessons/does-your-vote-count-the-electoral-college-explained-christina-greer
Photo: New Jersey's 15 presidential electors are sworn in December 15, 2008, before casting their ballots for Barack Obama. ©AP Images
ed.ted.com/lessons/does-your-vote-count-the-electoral-college-explained-christina-greer
Task.
Read 'Electoral College' and complete the questions.
The people and the states.
This indirect election system, called the Electoral College, was devised in 1787 by the framers of the U.S. Constitution. The framers wanted to ensure that power was shared by both the national government and by the states. So to elect the president of the United States, citizens in each state vote for “electors” who pledge to support a particular candidate. After the citizens of each state vote for president in November, the electors cast their votes for the candidate they had promised to support. A few times in history electors failed to vote for the candidate they pledged to support, but none of them changed the outcome of an election. The presidential election is not final until the electors – the 538 members of the Electoral College – have voted.
Map: A conventional map of the United States. Vincent Hughes.
270 NEEDED TO WIN!
Map: A conventional map of the United States. Vincent Hughes.
270 NEEDED TO WIN!
Each state is allocated a number of electors equal to the sum of its two U.S. senators and the number of its U.S. representatives, which is based on a population census conducted every 10 years. In 2012, the populous state of California has 55 electors while less populated states such as Alaska and Delaware each have three. The Electoral College is made up of 538 electors, one for each of the 435 members of the House of Representatives and the 100 senators plus three for the national capital, Washington, D.C. To be elected president, a candidate has to get a majority of 270 electoral votes.
Map: The United States reflecting each state’s Electoral College votes. Vincent Hughes.
Map: The United States reflecting each state’s Electoral College votes. Vincent Hughes.
The electors.
A month after the popular election in November, the electors from each state meet to cast their votes for president in their respective state capitals. They never meet together as one single national body. All but two states have winner-take-all rules. In other words, if a candidate wins a majority of the popular vote in a particular state, that candidate will get all of that state’s electoral votes. An election strategy follows logically from the Electoral College system. Presidential candidates pay less attention to campaigning in states that are reliably Democratic and Republican. Instead they focus attention and resources on getting citizens’ votes and elector votes in narrowly divided states such as Florida and Ohio.
Two party system.
The framers of the Constitution did not conceive of a political party system and certainly did not design the Electoral College to promote one. But over time, the Electoral College has strengthened the national two-party system of Democrats and Republicans.
First, in a winner-take-all system, a party must be strong enough to win the popular vote in a state, not just get a noticeable percentage. Second, the Electoral College makes it necessary for parties to win states in multiple regions of the country. A candidate could not gain a majority by winning just the South or the Northeast.
Image: The elephant, symbol of Republicans, faces off against the donkey, symbol of Democrats. ©iStockPhotos
In the event of an Electoral College tie, the 12th Amendment to the Constitution says the U.S. House of Representatives must select the president. Each state delegation has one vote to cast for one of the three candidates who received the greatest number of electoral votes. The House of Representatives has decided only two presidential elections, in 1800 (when the House elected Thomas Jefferson) and 1824 (when it elected John Quincy Adams).
First, in a winner-take-all system, a party must be strong enough to win the popular vote in a state, not just get a noticeable percentage. Second, the Electoral College makes it necessary for parties to win states in multiple regions of the country. A candidate could not gain a majority by winning just the South or the Northeast.
Image: The elephant, symbol of Republicans, faces off against the donkey, symbol of Democrats. ©iStockPhotos
In the event of an Electoral College tie, the 12th Amendment to the Constitution says the U.S. House of Representatives must select the president. Each state delegation has one vote to cast for one of the three candidates who received the greatest number of electoral votes. The House of Representatives has decided only two presidential elections, in 1800 (when the House elected Thomas Jefferson) and 1824 (when it elected John Quincy Adams).
Task.
Read the 'Election process' and then we will complete a flow chart.
Task.
Using 'The pro's and con's of the Electoral College' create a table with the advantages and disadvantages of this system.