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The Choice of the People?

The Choice of the People?. The Role of the Electoral College. Citizens for Democracy Temecula Valley Promoting Citizen-Centered Public Policy Dialogue. ELECTORAL COLLEGE. Elector. Elector. Elector. Elector Groupie. ELECTORAL COLLEGE. Electoral College Bowl.

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The Choice of the People?

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  1. The Choice of the People? • The Role of the Electoral College Citizens for Democracy Temecula Valley Promoting Citizen-Centered Public Policy Dialogue

  2. ELECTORAL COLLEGE

  3. Elector Elector Elector Elector Groupie ELECTORAL COLLEGE

  4. Electoral College Bowl Which two Presidents were elected by the House of Representatives to break a tie in the Electoral College? Thomas Jefferson John Quincy Adams

  5. Electoral College Bowl What is the difference between a “majority” and a “plurality?” Majority: More than 50% of the votes Plurality: In a contest of more than two choices, the number of votes cast for the winning choice if this number is not more than one half of the total votes cast.

  6. Electoral College Bowl How many Presidents won a majority of Electoral College votes but not of the national ‘popular’ vote? 2 7 14 21 (Most of them won a PLURALITY of the popular vote.)

  7. Electoral College Bowl Which three Presidents won the Electoral vote but lost the popular vote? (That is, their opponents got more popular votes.) Hayes, Harrison, and G. W. Bush

  8. What is the Electoral College? • Not a place but a process • A compromise between indirect election by Congress and direct election by popular vote. • The public votes for ‘electors’ who then vote for President and Vice President

  9. Who are the Electors? U.S. Constitution: • "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress.” • (But no senators, representatives, or officers of the U.S. government)

  10. How are Electors Chosen? • Constitution does not require electors be chosen by popular vote or general-ticket system • They were once selected by state legislatures, not by voters • Today the voters select them…but they select the Pres and VP

  11. How Many Electors Are There? • At present, 538 electors • Based on total membership of Congress: • 435 Representatives • 100 Senators • Plus 3 electors for Washington, D.C • The numbers change every 10 years with Census and Congressional membership

  12. How Many Electors Are There? • In most States, it’s ‘winner take all’ • Nebraska and Maine distribute electors proportionally • Currently there is an initiative effort to do this in California

  13. Electors by State

  14. What are “Faithless Electors?” • No Constitutional provision or Federal law requires electors to vote in accordance with the popular vote in their States. • At least two electors in recent history have done this • Some States provide for sanctions against electors who violate the popular vote

  15. How do Electors Vote? • Electors vote separately for President and Vice President. • Candidates win Presidency and Vice Presidency by getting a majority of electoral votes

  16. How do Electors Vote? • If no majority in electoral votes: • House elects President (one vote per state) from the top three candidates • Senate elects VP

  17. Electoral Votes vs. Popular Vote • The Electoral vote does not always reflect the majority popular vote • 14 Presidents got Electoral College majorities but not popular vote majorities • These are called “Minority Presidents”

  18. “Minority Presidents”

  19. Problems with the Electoral College Unique among modern democracies …but “special” does not always mean “better” • No other contemporary democracy has such a convoluted and indirect method of electing a national leader

  20. Problems with the Electoral College Advocates argue: • “It has never failed to give us a president and it has almost always produced decisive outcomes that have served the political system.” • It does so by giving the illusion of consensus while being unrepresentative: • Reagan, 1980: 50.7% popular vote, 90% electoral • Clinton, 1992: 43% popular vote, 70% electoral

  21. Problems with the Electoral College • Needlessly complex – even arcane • Undemocratically indirect • Vulnerable to Faithless Electors • Does not protect smaller states

  22. Problems with the Electoral College The Electoral College should be abolished and replaced with a national popular vote

  23. Benefits of the Electoral College • Contributes to national cohesiveness by requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected president • Enhances the status of minority interests • Contributes to the political stability of the nation by encouraging a two-party system • Maintains a federal system of government and representation.

  24. Group Forums • Break into four or more groups • Discuss the following question: • Appoint a member who will report your conclusions “Should the Electoral College be preserved or abolished?”

  25. Group Conclusions • Groups will vote and report their results • Each group’s votes will be tallied and the winning side will receive all the group’s votes • These electoral votes will be tallied and compared with the “popular results” ?

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