electoral college

what is the electoral college

• process existed since Founding Fathers (1787), wanted to protect power of states, thus criticism that electoral college is inappropriate for modern world

• no. of electoral college votes not proportional to population of the state.

• value is no. of members for House of Representatives + 2 (1 vote per senator). each state: 2 senators regardless of pop.

• ECV refers to delegates (figures adjusted for 2024). these are people appointed by state to vote within Electoral College

  • expectation is they’ll vote according to wishes of state – but only legal requirement in 33 states

• only 2 provisions exist in constitution – delegates + allocation of electoral college votes. no mention of party conventions + primaries

understanding EC System

• People vote in states, w each state given value/number of points

  • each state represents no. points, w larger states = larger values

  • people vote for individual presidential candidates in each state

• winner-takes-all system – candidate w most votes in state wins whole value of state

  • Biden: most votes in California (63%) + won all 55 points

  • Trump: most votes in Florida (51%) + won 29 points.

  • State w smallest population, Wyoming, won by Trump (70%) - 3 votes

• to become president, candidate needs over 50% points from all states

  • total value of all states = 538 votes

  • popular vote translated into ECV for whole country

  • Biden got 306 to Trump’s 232, making Biden president of US.

other facts

• Presidential elections occur every 4 years on first Tuesday after first Monday in November

• To run for president, candidate must be natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35 years old, and U.S. resident

• Constitution mandates state-based voting system, where states allocate ECV to candidates

• each state’s ECV = no. of representatives + senators

• To win, candidate needs more than 50% of total ECV (270/538)

• If no candidate reaches 270, House of Representatives decides, w states voting in blocks

• 23rd Amendment gave Washington D.C. 3 ECVs in 1961; before that, D.C. residents couldn't vote in presidential elections

• voting age lowered from 21 to 18 by 26th Amendment in 1971

• constitution doesn't specify how states convert popular vote to ECV. Maine + Nebraska award some ECVs based on House district results.

Is electoral college acceptable process for selecting president today?

is the process democratic?

Electoral College is broadly democratic, requiring candidates to win fair, state-based elections. often produces clear winner by exaggerating popular support—winning many states by small margins can result in high total of electoral votes. 1992, Bill Clinton secured 69% of Electoral College votes w only 43% of popular vote

Over-representing presidential candidates through ECVs undermines democracy + fails to reflect wishes of US as whole. Factors like popularity + majority in Congress determine president's ability to fulfill promises. most popular candidate can lose election, which is unacceptable in democracy + undermines concept of representative democracy + electoral mandate

does process benefit the states?

protects smaller states from being dominated by higher-population states + safeguards voting power of low-turnout states, bc state retains its EC value regardless of voter turnout

Elections shouldn’t center on state interests but on individual interests. Over-representation of smaller states means individual voters in Wyoming have more influence than those in California. Swing states hold signif power in presidential race, leading candidates to focus on just few states

is role of delegates acceptable

process creates delegates who make final decision, check on public opinion intended by founding fathers. role of delegates can be defended since majority are legally obligated to vote according to their state's election outcome, making it unlikely they would intentionally undermine public opinion

continued use of delegates is major concern, as rogue delegates could subvert public wishes. Delegates not qualified to make decisions on behalf of people + represent outdated concept