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Electing The President

Electing The President. The Framer’s Plan For Presidential Elections. What Do You Think The Requirements To Vote Were in the early 1800’s. In most States a person needed to be… Male White Considered an Adult Own Property …This Meant Only About 10-15% of the population could Vote!.

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Electing The President

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  1. Electing The President The Framer’s Plan For Presidential Elections

  2. What Do You Think The Requirements To Vote Were in the early 1800’s In most States a person needed to be… • Male • White • Considered an Adult • Own Property …This Meant Only About 10-15% of the population could Vote!

  3. The Framer’s Plan For Electing The President • Decision about how to elect the President debated for weeks • Didn’t Want Congress to Decide • Executive Branch’s Power Would Be Checked Too Much By Legislative Branch • Didn’t Want Popular Vote (Direct Vote By The People) • Population Too Spread Out – Result in lack of knowledge about each candidate • Some believed the people would not make the proper decisions about who should govern

  4. The Framer’s Plan For Electing The President: • Alexander Hamilton’s Plan For Electing the President and Vice President was Adopted • President and VP to be elected by special body of Presidential Electors (Electoral College) • Each Elector Cast Two Votes, Each For a Different Candidate • Candidate Receiving Most Votes Becomes President • Candidate Receiving Second Most Votes Becomes VP

  5. Who Were The Members of the Electoral College? • Each State Selects Their Members of the Electoral College • Number per State = Number of Congressmen per State • Each State’s Legislative Body Decides How Members of E. College are Selected

  6. The Election Process • Votes Cast By Electoral College - Opened and Counted in Joint Session of Congress • What if There’s a Tie? • House of Representatives Chooses Winner • What if No Candidate Receives a Majority of the Votes? • House of Representatives Chooses Winner • What if There’s a Tie For 2nd(VP)? • Senate Decides Who Becomes VP * Why would the creation of political parties create problems when using this system to elect the Pres. and VP?

  7. Problems Arise: The Election of 1796 • By The End of George Washington’s Second Term in office Political Parties Had Formed • The Election of 1796 Results: • President: John Adams (Federalist) • Vice President: Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) • System of Electing President and VP based on top 2 vote-getters in a single vote created a “split ticket” in the Executive Branch.

  8. Problems Arise: The Election of 1800 • By 1800 The Two Major Political Parties (Federalists & Democratic Republicans) were nominating full “tickets” for President and VP • Dem-Reps: Jefferson & Burr • Federalists: Adams & Pinckney • Dem-Rep Candidates Take Majority of Vote, but all Dem-Rep Members of Electoral College Voted For Both Jefferson and Burr, creating a tie for the Presidency (73 votes each) • Dem-Reps had intended Jefferson become President • Burr would not concede position • Required 36 votes in H. of Reps to Determine Jefferson would become President (Deal brokered w/ Federalists)

  9. Solving the Problem: The 12th Amendment The 12th Amendment • Total Breakdown of Election System in 1800 Forced Constitutional Amendment to be Made • Major Change Created: • President and Vice President To Be Elected in Separate Votes

  10. Critical Thinking: • How did Early Political Events Change The Way The President and Vice President are Chosen? • How Different Is The Presidential Election Process Today? What do you know about our current system? • Is our Current System a Better System?

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