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Explore the impact of Bill Clinton’s impeachment on the 2000 election. Should the U.S. abolish the Electoral College for popular vote? Learn arguments for and against the Electoral College system.
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Date:3/9/15 Activity: 2000 Election Warm Up: How did Bill Clinton’s Impeachment impact the 2000 election? Homework: *Study Guide due Tomorrow 3/10 *UNIT TEST Wednesday 3/11 *Foreign Policy Vocab due Thursday Welcome to Contemporary U.S. and World History
THE 2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION QUESTION TO KEEP IN MIND: SHOULD THE U.S. DO AWAY WITH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND GO TO A POPULAR VOTE IN SELECTING PRESIDENTS?
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE • ARTICLE II OF THE US CONSTITUTION: • THE PEOPLE VOTE FOR “ELECTORS,” PEOPLE CHOSEN TO REPRESENT THEIR STATE, ON ELECTION DAY • # OF ELECTORS DETERMINED BY THE # OF REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATORS (2) FOR EACH STATE • EXAMPLE: PA GETS 20 ELECTORAL VOTES (2 SENATORS + 18 REPRESENTATIVES) • ELECTORS PLEDGE TO VOTE FOR SPECIFIC CANDIDATES • THE PRESIDENT IS NOT CHOSEN BY POPULAR VOTE • WINNER TAKES ALL: • CANDIDATES WHO WIN A MAJORITY OF ELECTORS IN EACH STATE (50% + 1 VOTE) WIN THAT ENTIRE STATES’ ELECTORAL VOTES (EXCEPT MAINE & NEBRASKA)
ELECTORS NEEDED TO WIN • SENATORS (50 X 2) 100 • REPRESENTATIVES 435 • WASH. D.C. 3 ___ 538 538 / 2 = 269 270 ELECTORAL VOTES NEEDED TO WIN
ARGUMENTS FOR ELECTORAL COLLEGE • REQUIRES WIDESPREAD POPULAR SUPPORT TO WIN (AVOIDS SECTIONALISM): • CANNOT WIN BASED ON HEAVY CONCENTRATION OF VOTES IN A FEW AREAS • PREVENTS FOCUS ON LARGE CITIES AT THE EXPENSE OF RURAL AREAS • MAINTAINS FEDERAL CHARACTER OF U.S.: • ELECTIONS COME DOWN TO DECISIONS OF EACH STATE • PREVENTS A MASSIVE CENTRALIZED GOVERNMENT • ENHANCES STATUS OF MINORITY GROUPS: • MINORITIES CAN PROVIDE THE CRITICAL VOTES NEEDED FOR A CANDIDATE TO WIN • ENCOURAGES CANDIDATES TO COURT A WIDE VARIETY OF MINORITIES AND SPECIAL INTERESTS • ENCOURAGES STABILITY THROUGH THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM: • DIFFICULT FOR THIRD PARTIES TO WIN • PREVENTS PRESIDENCY FROM CONTROL BY REGIONAL MINORITIES WITHOUT BROADBASE NATIONAL SUPPORT
ARGUMENTS AGAINST ELECTORAL COLLEGE • PROPORTIONALLY MORE INFLUENCE FOR SMALLER POPULATION STATES: • DUE TO EVERY STATE HAVING 2 SENATORS • TENDS TO FAVOR REPUBLICANS WHO HISTORICALLY DO BETTER IN LESS POPULOUS STATES • CAUSES TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO BE PAID TO KEY “SWING STATES”: • CAUSES CANDIDATES TO CONCENTRATE ON STATES WITHOUT A CLEAR FAVORITE • EXAMPLES: PENNSYLVANIA & FLORIDA • A CANDIDATE CAN WIN MORE POPULAR VOTES BUT STILL LOSE THE ELECTION: • THIS HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES IN U.S. HISTORY (1824, 1876, 1888, 2000) • CANDIDATE CAN WIN BY SMALL MARGIN IN A FEW OF THE LARGEST STATES OVER A CANDIDATE WHO WINS BY LARGE MARGINS IN THE REST OF THE STATES • DISADVANTAGE FOR THIRD PARTIES: • RARELY WILL BE ABLE TO GET A MAJORITY IN A STATE TO GET ELECTORAL VOTES
THE CANDIDATES • AL GORE: • FORMER VICE PRESIDENT • DEMOCRAT • PRO CHOICE • GAY RIGHTS • SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE • CAMPAIGN FOCUSED ON HIS 8 YEAR EXPERIENCE AS VP, BUT DOWNPLAYED HIS CONNECTION TO CLINTON (LEWINSKY SCANDAL)
THE CANDIDATES • GEORGE W. BUSH: • SON OF FORMER PRESIDENT BUSH • GOVERNOR OF TEXAS • REPUBLICAN • SAID HE WOULD RESTORE HONOR AND DIGNITY TO THE WHITE HOUSE • “COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATIVE” • OPENLY RELIGIOUS
THE CANDIDATES • RALPH NADER: • GREEN PARTY • STRONGEST 3RD PARTY CANDIDATE-WON 2.74% OF THE POPULAR VOTE • ISSUES/VALUES: • CONSUMER ADVOCACY • THE ENVIRONMENT • REJECTED BOTH THE DEMS AND THE REPS AS REPRESENTATIVES OF CORPORATE INTERESTS, AND NOT THOSE OF THE PEOPLE
2000 THE ELECTION RESULTS • ON ELECTION NIGHT (NOV.7) IT BECAME CLEAR THE ELECTION WAS GOING TO BE UNUSUALLY CLOSE • BUSH TOOK THE SOUTHERN STATES, THE RURAL MIDWEST AND THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATES • GORE TOOK MOST OF THE NORTHEAST, THE UPPER MIDWEST AND THE PACIFIC COAST STATES • BUSH HAD CLEARLY WON A TOTAL OF 246 ELECTORAL VOTES, WHILE GORE HAD CLEARLY WON 255 VOTES (270 VOTES WERE NEEDED TO WIN) • IT BECAME CLEAR THAT FLORIDA’S 25 ELECTORAL VOTES WOULD DECIDE THE ELECTION
FLORIDA RECOUNT? (1) • AT APPROXIMATELY 7:50 P.M. EASTERN STANDARD TIME, 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE POLLS CLOSED IN THE LARGELY REPUBLICAN FLORIDA PANHANDLE, SOME TELEVISION NEWS NETWORKS DECLARED THAT GORE HAD CARRIED FLORIDA • HOWEVER, IN THE ACTUAL VOTE TALLY BUSH BEGAN TO TAKE A WIDE LEAD EARLY IN FLORIDA, AND BY 10 P.M. EST THE NETWORKS HAD RETRACTED THEIR PREDICTION OF A GORE VICTORY AND PLACED FLORIDA BACK INTO THE "UNDECIDED" COLUMN
FLORIDA RECOUNT? (2) • AT 2:30 AM, WITH 85% OF THE VOTES COUNTED IN FLORIDA AND BUSH LEADING GORE BY MORE THAN 100,000 VOTES, THE NETWORKS DECLARED THAT BUSH HAD CARRIED FLORIDA • HOWEVER, MOST OF THE REMAINING VOTES TO BE COUNTED IN FLORIDA WERE LOCATED IN THREE HEAVILY DEMOCRATIC COUNTIES - BROWARD, MIAMI-DADE, AND PALM BEACH - AND AS THEIR VOTES WERE REPORTED GORE BEGAN TO GAIN ON BUSH • BY 4:30 AM, AFTER ALL VOTES WERE COUNTED, GORE HAD NARROWED BUSH'S MARGIN TO JUST OVER 2,000 VOTES, AND THE NETWORKS RETRACTED THEIR PREDICTIONS THAT BUSH HAD WON FLORIDA • GORE, WHO HAD PRIVATELY CONCEDED THE ELECTION TO BUSH, NOW WITHDREW HIS CONCESSION AND ANNOUNCED THAT HE WOULD WAIT FOR A RECOUNT IN FLORIDA BEFORE ANY FURTHER ACTION
FLORIDA RECOUNT? (3) • FLORIDA STATE LAW PROVIDED FOR AN AUTOMATIC RECOUNT DUE TO THE SMALL MARGINS • THERE WERE GENERAL CONCERNS ABOUT THE FAIRNESS AND ACCURACY OF THE VOTING PROCESS, ESPECIALLY SINCE A SMALL CHANGE IN THE VOTE COUNT COULD CHANGE THE RESULT • THE FINAL OFFICIAL FLORIDA COUNT GAVE THE VICTORY TO BUSH BY 537VOTES • THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT RULED 4-3 IN FAVOR OF A MANUAL RECOUNT
BUSH VS. GORE • AFTER TRYING TO STOP THE RECOUNT IN FLORIDA’S SUPREME COURT, BUSH’S LAWYERS TOOK THEIR ARGUMENT TO THE U.S. SUPREME COURT • ON DECEMBER 9TH THE SUPREME COURT RULED THAT THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT'S METHOD FOR RECOUNTING BALLOTS WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL • ON DECEMBER 12TH THE COURT HELD THAT NO ALTERNATIVE METHOD COULD BE ESTABLISHED WITHIN THE TIME LIMITS ESTABLISHED BY THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE • THE RULING STOPPED THE RECOUNT AND BUSH WAS DECLARED THE PRESIDENT-ELECT; AT THE TIME BUSH’S LEAD WAS ONLY 154 VOTES
CONTROVERSIES (1) • CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: • JEB BUSH, BROTHER OF GEORGE W. BUSH, WAS THE GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA • KATHERINE HARRIS, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FLORIDA AND THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE ELECTION PROCEDURES, WAS ALSO BUSH’S CAMPAIGN CHAIRWOMAN • THE SUPREME COURT: • CLARENCE THOMAS' WIFE SERVED ON THE BUSH TRANSITIONAL TEAM, TO FIND CANDIDATES FOR EXECUTIVE BRANCH OFFICES • ANTONIN SCALIA HAD TWO SONS WHO WERE CONNECTED WITH LAW FIRMS REPRESENTING BUSH • WILLIAM REHNQUIST AND SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR HAD EXPRESSED INTEREST IN RETIRING UNDER A REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION - REHNQUIST DIED AND O’CONNOR RETIRED AFTER BUSH BECAME PRESIDENT
CONTROVERSIES (2) • CONFUSING BUTTERFLY BALLOTS USED IN PALM BEACH: • PRODUCED AN UNUSUALLY HIGH NUMBER OF VOTES FOR 3RD PARTY CANDIDATE PAT BUCHANAN • HANGING CHADS • KATHERINE HARRIS’“SCRUB LIST”: • NEARLY 1% OF FLORIDA'S ELECTORATE AND NEARLY 3% OF ITS AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTERS - 96,000 CITIZENS WERE LISTED AS FELONS AND REMOVED FROM THE VOTING ROLLS
EFFECTS • ELECTION REFORM EFFORTS: • USE OF MODERN ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES: • PROBLEM=NO PAPER TRAIL! • IMPROVEMENTS AND LIMITS ON MEDIA PREDICTIONS & “CALLS” • ONCE AGAIN: DISTRUST OF GOVERNMENT! • People really began to question the validity of our voting system.
IN CONCLUSION: WHAT IF? • BASED ON THE RESULTS IN FLORIDA, IT IS CLEAR THIS ELECTION COULD HAVE GONE EITHER WAY: • INCONCLUSIVE MEDIA STUDIES: • FOUR CONCLUDED THAT GORE WOULD HAVE WON THE ELECTION IF A FULL RECOUNT WAS TAKEN • THREE SIDED WITH BUSH • IRONICALLY, UNDER RECOUNT RULES REQUESTED BY GORE, BUSH WOULD HAVE WON; UNDER RULES REQUESTED BY BUSH, GORE WOULD HAVE WON! • LINGERING QUESTIONS: • HOW WOULD THE GORE PRESIDENCY HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT? • HOW MUCH DOES THE POPULAR VOTE MATTER? • WHAT IS THE BEST VOTING METHOD?
ASSIGNMENT SHOULD THE U.S. DO AWAY WITH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND GO TO A POPULAR VOTE IN SELECTING PRESIDENTS? WHY OR WHY NOT? WRITE ONE FULL SIDE OF A SHEET OF PAPER (MINIMUM) IN ANSWERING THIS QUESTION.
