Presidential Elections

Vocabulary• Electoral College – the system that the Framers of the Constitution set

in place for Presidential Elections• Popular Vote – Each vote is counted. If there are 27 million votes, then

there are 27 million votes counted.• Majority Vote – a simple majority or who has the most votes. • Electoral Votes – used in the Electoral College. These votes are

assigned to States based on representation in Congress. • Faithless Electors – An Elector who does not keep the promise or

“faith” of the voters and votes as they wish or not at all. • Winner Takes All – part of the Electoral College. The winner of a

State’s popular vote will take all the Electoral Votes of that State. As an example, Pennsylvania is worth 21 Electoral Votes… if a presidential candidate wins the State, he/she takes all 21 elector votes.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Elections

• Presidential Elections are held every four (4) years in November – “the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every fourth year”. (Constitution, Article II, Section 1, Clause 2)

• The “Presidential Election” is held nationwide with all registered American voters allowed to participate.

• The Presidential Elections use Popular Vote and the Electoral College to determine a Winner!!!!

What is the Electoral College?

The Electoral College

• The Framers envisioned that the President would be elected through the Electoral College.

• The Framers believed that Educated Men would use their own good judgment in selecting a President.

• Each State was assigned a number of Electors, based on their representation in Congress and would vote for President without input from the majority of the American population.

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• The Framers originally did not trust that Americans could be educated enough to elect the President of the United States.

• The Framers also saw a huge problem with the actual election..– with the lack of technology to effectively

communicate yet alone ‘campaign’ for political office and…

– the great distances of a ‘rural’ and ‘wild’ 1700 -1800’s American.

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• Today, the Electoral College relies on the American voter to determine who is victorious in a “Winner Takes All” format for most States and the District of Columbia. How does it work?– The popular vote is counted in each State.– The candidate who “wins” the popular vote (gets the most

votes) in a State gets their political parties team of electors to cast ballots.

– The Electors meet in their State Capitals, as per Congress and the 12th Amendment, on the Monday after the second Wednesday of December to cast their vote… hopefully as the voters in their State have directed.

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• How do you WIN in the Electoral College!!!– There are a total of 538 Electoral Votes.– A Presidential Candidate needs to win by a simple

majority of 270 or more elector votes out of 538. – Ties or no candidate achieving the simple majority

or not reaching the magic number of 270 has happened in the past.

How many Electors are there?

• As mentioned before… there is a total of 538 Electors…House + Senate + Washington, DC = Electors

435 + 100 + 3* = 538 Electors

• Each State has a certain number of electors based on State population and representation in Congress (the number of Representatives and Senators)…

Pennsylvania<19 House + 2 Senate = 21 Electors>

California <53 House + 2 Senate = 55 Electors>

*Washington, DC has no representation in Congress but was allowed to participate in presidential elections as of the 23rd Amendment (1960).

Electors Continued

• The number of Electors changes every ten (10) years… why?– The United States Census or population count is

conducted every ten (10) years. • This count helps Congress, specifically the House of

Representatives, to determine how many “Seats” are apportioned (or assigned) in the “House” to each State.

• The House of Representatives has a maximum of 435 “Seats” which is divided among the States based on population.

• Each State is guaranteed a minimum of 3 representatives in Congress (1 House and 2 Senate) and therefore 3 Electors.

Presidential Election - Voting

• Today, when you vote in a presidential election you are not really voting for the President.

• You are voting for a group of “electors” in your State that vote for President.

• The Electors are supposed to be just “rubber stamps” in the presidential elections. Voting as the ‘people’ voted…. Or really??

Promise• Before an election each political party selects a

list of electors who promise to vote for the party’s candidate

• On election day, as people vote for the presidential candidate they want, they are actually voting for the electors that represent the candidate’s political party and therefore the candidate… or we hope so!– There is no law that requires electors to vote as

directed by the people. “Faithless Electors” have in the past either voted as they wished or did not vote at all.

What happens if there is a Tie?

• If there is a “tie” or no candidate receives the required 270 electors to win, the election is taken from the American people and given to the Congress.– The two (2) top candidates for President would then

be voted for in the House of Representatives. (435 Representatives)

– The two (2) top candidates for Vice President would be voted for in the Senate. (100 Senators +1 President of the Senate which is the current Vice President)

What happens if there is a Tie?

• What problems can you see if there is a “tie” and the election is sent to Congress?– The political party in majority control of the

“House” in question most likely would elect the candidate representing their party.

– There could be a President and Vice President of different political parties.

– The election is taken out of the hands of the American people.

Problems with the Electoral College

• There are three (3) obvious problems with the Electoral College…– The winner of the Electoral Vote may not be the winner of

the national Popular Vote (1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000)– The Electors may change their vote instead of voting as

directed by the people (many – most recently 2004)– No winner or ties… more chances that Presidential

Elections can end up in Congress with the growth of Third Party Presidential Political Candidates. (1992 election – George H.W. Bush, William Clinton, and Ross Perot) Examples: Green, Libertarian, and Independent candidates.

WINNER IS??

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