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PresidentialElectionsandtheElectoralCollege
TrueorFalse?
2
Thecandidatewiththemostvotesiselectedpresident.
TrueorFalse?
3
Thecandidatewiththemostvotesiselectedpresident.
Answer:NotNecessarily—AskHillaryClinton
TotalPopularVotein2016Election:
Trump 62,979,636totalvotes(46.1%)
306ElectoralVotes
Clinton 65,844,610totalvotes(48.2%)
232ElectoralVotes
HistoricalBackground
TheframersoftheConstitutiondisagreedonhowtoelect presidentMajorConcerns:
*GeneralPublicuneducatedandUninformed*IntensecandidatepopularityinONEareacouldswayelection
OPTIONS:CongressionalselectionORDirectpopularelectionTheelectoralcollegewasacompromisecombiningfeaturesofbothapproaches.
3
Thereareatotalof538electoralvotes
Inorderforacandidatetowinalltheelectoralvotesofastate,acandidatemustwinamajorityofthepopularvote!
270ElectoralVotesareneededtowinthePresidency
ByTheNumbers:
RedStatesandBlueStates48 outofthe50 stateshavea“winnertakesall”method
Candidatesmaywinstatesbylopsidedornarrowmargins.
NebraskaandMainedivideuptheirvotesbasedonhowspecificcongressionaldistrictsvoted
Whatifnoonereceivesamajority?Ifnocandidatehasamajority:� theHouseofRepsselectsthepresidentfromamongthecandidateswiththemostelectoralvotes.
� Ifthishappens,eachstatehasonevote.�Happenedonlyonce!�1824
� TheSenateselectsthevicepresidentfromthetoptwovice-presidentialcandidates.
PopularVotev.theElectoralVote• Inacloserace,thepopular
votewinnermaynotwintheelectoralcollege.
• Electoralvotewinnerswholostthepopularvote:
– TrumpoverClinton2016
– BushoverGorein2000
– BenjaminHarrisonoverGroverClevelandin1888
– RutherfordB.HayesoverSamuelTildenin1876
BattlegroundorSwingStates
StatesbyPerCapitaElectoralCollegeVotes
ELECTORALCOLLEGE
PROSCONS• Resultsmorecertainwith
ElectoralCollege• Nosingleregiondominates
withElectoralCollege• Facilitatestwo-partysystem
stability• Directsmorepowerto
statesasvitalpartofsystem• Greaterinfluencetorural
areas,interestgroups,andminorities
• Undemocratic—majorityofUSmaynotfavorwinner
• Outdated—basedonelitistpoliticalconsiderations
• Swing/BattlegroundStatesgetalltheattention
• Maydiscouragevoting• Hinderschancesof3rd party
candidates• Smallstatesgetmorepower
percapita
In1992,RossPerotwonalmost19percentofthepopularvotebutnotonevoteintheElectoralCollege.
ProposalsforReform
• Eliminateelectorsbutstillcountelectoralvotes.• SplitElectoralVotesviacongressionaldistrictsasMaine
andNebraskado• Choosethepresidentbydirectpopularelection.
ShouldtheElectoralCollegebeAbolished?
