Voting and the Electoral College

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Voting and the Electoral College

Right to Vote is actually NOT defined in the Constitution When the country was founded,

in most states, only non-Negro men with real property-usually of at least 50 acres- (land) or sufficient wealth for taxation were permitted to vote

Today, anyone over 18 can vote

The Electorate (voting population) has increased several times: 1850: 14th Amendment = Gave

Black men the right to vote. 1920: 19th Amendment = Gave

women the right to vote 1924: Native Americans got right

to vote 1964: 24th Amendment made Poll

taxes illegal 1965: Voting Rights Act of ’65

made literacy tests illegal 1971: 26th Amendment reduced

voting age to 18

States can set own Voting policies Registration Residency Mental Competency (patients)

can not vote Criminal Convictions (felons)

can not vote

Who Votes? Education: More

education = more likely to vote. (Most important Factor)

Age: Older = more likely to vote

Race: Caucasian = more likely to vote.

Gender: Females = more likely to vote

Who Votes?

Marital Status: Married = more likely to vote.

Union Membership: Union member = more likely to vote.

Traits are cumulative - possessing several adds up.

How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizen's Decisions Party Identification

People generally vote for a party they agree with.

Rise of candidate-centered politics has changed this view.

Now many voters are individualistic. Characteristics of each candidate have

become more important than party.

Franklin Roosevelt (Pres. 1933-1945) hid the fact that he had Polio. Why?

Candidate-Centered Politics = Candidate is the focus, not so much his politics/views on issues

Election of 1960: John Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon 1st true example:

JFK had more appeal Younger Better looking Beautiful wife Much better Speaker (didn’t sweat

while speaking)

Little known Senator from Illinois vs. Conservative, former Prisoner of war Vietnam Vet.

Largest Black Voter turnout in history. Why? Why did McCain select Palin as VP running

mate? Some felt she brought in younger votes She brought in female votes

Election of 2008

Traditionally Whites voted in larger percentages.

Which group has surpassed Whites in Voter turnout?

Does this mean there are more of them voting than Whites?

Voting Trends

Religion: Protestants =

Republican Catholics =

Democrat Jews = Democrat Other (Muslim) =

Democrat

Voting Trends

Ethnicity: How do Blacks Vote? How do Hispanics Vote? How do Whites vote? Which group is hurting the White vote for

both parties?

Voting Trends

Regionally: East and West Coasts tend to vote Democrat. Why? South strongly Republican. Why?

Urban vs. Rural Big cities tend to vote Democrat. Why? Rural areas (farmland, small towns) tend to vote Republican.

Why? Suburbs tend to vote republican. Why?

Voting Trends

What do the following four men all have in common?

A. Andrew Jackson B. Samuel Tilden C. Grover Cleveland D. Al Gore

The Answer

They all won the popular vote in a Presidential election but did not become President.

1824 Popular Vote

Andrew Jackson 43%John Q. Adams 30.5%

Electoral VoteJackson 99 votes

Adams 84

* Adams elected by House of Representatives when Jackson did not receive a majority of the Electoral votes

1876 Popular Vote

Samuel Tilden 51%R. B. Hayes 48%

Electoral College Tilden 184Hayes 185

Winner: Hayes

1888 Popular Vote

Grover Cleveland 48.5 %Benjamin Harrison 47.8 %

Electoral CollegeCleveland 168Harrison 233

Winner: Harrison

2000 Popular Vote

Albert Gore 48.7%George W. Bush 48.5%

Electoral CollegeGore 266Bush 271

Winner: Bush

Why?

Because we do not pick our President by direct ballot. Technically, we only select electors. These electors form what is called the Electoral College and are the people who officially elect the President.

Why was it Created? People (then) were

not knowledgeable enough to select a President.(poor communications)

This was a check that gave the states a voice in choosing the President

To maintain regional balance (fairness in the areas)

What are the drawbacks to the Electoral College?

Encourages low voter turnout Diminishes third party influence Person with most popular votes

may not win Leads to tactical, insincere voting If there is no majority winner in

the Electoral College, the election goes to the H.o. R and there is a loss of separation of powers

Why low voter turnout?

The Electoral College is a winner take all system of deciding who receives a states electoral votes. Consequently, if a person gets 50.1% of the popular vote (in a two man race), he get 100% of the electoral votes. Therefore, many people feel that their vote does not matter and choose to not vote.

Third Parties The Electoral College discourages 3rd

parties because a candidate must have a broad based, national platform to have a chance to gain the highest office. Rarely are 3rd parties financially and politically able to do this.

Tactical Voting

Voters often resort to tactical voting in Presidential elections because the person they truly support cannot win the all of the electoral votes. For instance, many people would have preferred Ralph Nader in the 2000 Presidential election but knew that he was not going to win. Instead, they often voted for Al Gore because he was the major candidate with the platform closest to Nader.

Electoral College

Electoral College actually elects the President - founders wanted him chosen by the elite of the country

States choose the electors Winner-Take-All system gives bigger

emphasis to more populated states

How it works today: Each state has as many votes as it

does Representatives and Senators.

Winner of popular vote typically gets ALL the Electoral College votes.

Candidates need 270 Electoral college votes to win

Electors meet in December, votes are reported by the vice president in January.

If no candidate gets 270 votes (a majority), the House of Representatives votes for president, with each state getting ONE vote.

Election of 2012: 332 Obama 206 Romney

-How did the Southern states vote?-How did the East Coast states vote?- How did the West Coast states vote?

Electoral College Facts: Could win only 11 states and become

President! CA has most Electoral Votes NM has picked the winner of every

election except 1 since 1912 No Republican has won election w/o

winning Ohio