Play "Win the White House":www.icivics.org/games/win-white-house
•What is the function of the electoral college today?
•What are the flaws in the electoral college?
•What are the advantages and disadvantages of proposed reforms in the
electoral college?
The Electoral College Today
Voters do not vote directly for the President. Instead, they vote for electors in the electoral college.
•All States, except two (Maine and Nebraska), select electors based on the winner of the popular vote in that State. •Electors then meet in the State capitals on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December and cast their votes for President and Vice President.
•On January 6, the electoral votes cast are counted by the president of the Senate, and the President and Vice President are formally elected. •If no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes (270), the election is thrown into the House of Representatives.
Flaws in the Electoral College
There are three major defects in the electoral college:
(1) It is possible to win the popular vote in the presidential election, but lose the electoral college vote. This has happened four times in U.S. history (1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000).
(2) Nothing in the Constitution, nor in any federal statute, requires the electors to vote for the candidate favored by the popular vote in their State.
(3) If no candidate gains a majority in the electoral college, the election is thrown into the House, a situation that has happened twice (1800 and 1824). In this process, each State is given one vote, meaning that States with smaller populations wield the same power as those with larger populations.
Proposed Reforms
•In the district plan, electors would be chosen the same way members of Congress are selected: each congressional district would select one elector (just as they select representatives), and two electors would be selected based on the overall popular vote in a State (just as senators are selected).
•The proportional plan suggests that each candidate would receive the same share of a State’s electoral vote as he or she received in the State’s popular vote.
• commonly heard reform suggests that the electoral college be done away with altogether in favor of direct popular election. At the polls, voters would vote directly for the President and Vice President instead of electors.
•The national bonus plan would automatically offer the winner of the popular vote 102 electoral votes in addition to the other electoral votes he or she might gain.
Electoral College Supporters
There are two major strengths of the electoral college that its supporters espouse
•It is a known process. Each of the proposed, but untried, reforms may very well have defects that could not be known until they appeared in practice.
•In most election years, the electoral college defines the winner of the presidential election quickly and certainly.
Review Questions:
A State's presidential electors are chosen by
a. the State legislature. c. popular vote.
b. its members in Congress. d. a State convention.
The least number of presidential electors a State can have is
a. one. c. three.
b. two. d. four.
Which of the following statements is NOT an argument against the electoral college system?
a. A candidate who loses the popular vote may still be elected President.
b. An elector may vote for someone other than the voter-selected candidate.
c. A strong third-party effort might throw the election into the House.
d. The results depend upon how State congressional districts are drawn.
Answers: C / C / D