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ELECTING A REPRESENTATIVE. 2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. The 2000 Presidential election was a polarizing time in American politics. The American people were split between the Vice-President, Al Gore, and the Governor of Texas, George W. Bush. The popular vote was:
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2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION • The 2000 Presidential election was a polarizing time in American politics. The American people were split between the Vice-President, Al Gore, and the Governor of Texas, George W. Bush. • The popular vote was: • The Al Gore: 51,003,926 votes • George W. Bush: 50,456,062 • How did George W. Bush, who was behind by more than ½ million votes win the 2000 Presidential election?
And to the Republic…I thought we were a Democracy • What is a Democracy? • Etymology- From Greek root, demos, “people, mob, or the many” and kratos, “rule or power.” • Democracy is political structure by which the government is run for the people, by the people. The power of rule is held my the populace. • Power in any other hands leads to tyranny. • What is a Republic? • A theory of government stating that government must be based on popular consent, be limited in its power, and protected against the majority.
AHHH!!! THE MAJORITY • The Founding Fathers feared the majority of the population because: • Direct democracy meant that the people had to actively and directly rule themselves without intermediaries, representatives, or leaders. • During the 18th century, illiteracy, communication, and education did not exist in the way it does today, and this truly scared the educated elite. • It is not unknown for the majority to stifle the freedoms of the minority or groups and individuals who dared to be different (race, religion, sexuality, etc). • A republican form of government was thought to be able to protect against the majority, as well as, represent them.
The Electoral College • What is the Electoral College? • The Electoral College is made-up of officials which are chosen by each state. • There are 538 Electoral Votes. One vote for each Senator (100), one vote for each Representative (435), and three votes for the District of Columbia. • Each state has a different number of votes depending on their number of representatives. • Electoral College officials do not have to submit their vote on the basis of the popular vote. • To win the election, a candidate needs a majority of electoral votes. 538/2=269 So a candidate needs 270 votes. Otherwise the vote goes to the House of Representatives.
WHY USE THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE? • The Electoral College was an attempt to minimize the power of democracy, and establish America further as a Republic. • At the time of the Constitution, the members of the Constitutional Convention had not envisioned America as a two-party system, but a multi-party system. • While the two-party system got its roots in the Constitutional Convention with the federalists and anti-federalists, it became more apparent in the election of 1796. • Originally, the Continental Congress felt that with a multi-party system, there would never be a majority winner in the Electoral College, and therefore, the House would get the vote for the president in the end of the day. Keeping the educated elite in control of the Executive branch. • In the end, the Electoral College’s design created the two-party system.
CONCLUSION TO 2000 RACE • BUSH WON ON ELECTORAL VOTES: • BUSH- 271 ELECTORAL VOTES • GORE-266 ELECTORAL VOTES • Do you think that the Electoral College is out of date?
THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL ELECTION: THE ELECTION OF 1824 • Candidates: • John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and William Crawford • Electoral Votes: • Adams- 84 Votes Jackson- 99 Votes Clay- 37 Votes Crawford- 41 Votes • Jackson also won the popular vote as well, but no candidate won a majority of Electoral College votes. Therefore, Congress was given the job choosing the President. • John Q. Adams won the Election of 1824 in what has become known as the “corrupt bargain.”
Voter Turnout • 2004 vs. 2006 • Number of voters in 2004- 123,535,883 • Number of voters in 2006- 85,724,135 • Why the drop in voter turnout? • What is a midterm-election? • Why are all elections important?
WHY VOTE? • IS VOTING A RIGHT OR A GIFT? • AS A MEMBER OF A DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, IS IT YOUR DUTY TO VOTE? • “MY VOTE DOESN’T COUNT.”
YOUR VOTE COUNTS • Did you know: • That several of our states, including California, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington, became states by just ONE vote? • That in 1948, Lyndon B. Johnson, our 36th president, became a U.S. senator by a ONE vote margin? • And that same year, if Thomas E. Dewey had gotten ONE vote more per precinct in Ohio and California, the presidential election would have been thrown to the U.S. House of Representatives, where Dewey enjoyed more support than his rival -- incumbent Harry S. Truman? In fact, Dewey was expected to win the general election by a landslide, so most Republicans stayed home. Only 51.5 percent of the electorate voted in 1948, and Truman defeated Dewey. • Not convinced? • In the 1960 presidential election, ONE additional vote per precinct in Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Texas would have denied John F. Kennedy the presidency and put Richard M. Nixon in office eight years earlier. • In recent years, the outcomes of many state and congressional races have been reversed as recounts have shifted a handful of votes from one candidate to another.
