The Presidential Selection Process?

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The Presidential Selection Process?
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A two-stage process

• Nomination
• General Election

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General Election Rules

• FECA

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Federal Election Campaign Act

• General election Public financing for
  presidential campaigns (with limits on campaign
  spending)

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General Election Rules

• FECA
• The Electoral College

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The Electoral College

• 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

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Electoral College

• Each state gets number of electors equal to Reps
  Senators
• Electors are NOT Reps or Senators themselves
• Electors chosen by the parties campaigns
• Electors meet in own states
• Cast two votes, one for president, one for vice
  president
• Person with majority of electoral votes becomes
  president
• If no majority, House of Representatives (one
  vote per state delegation) selects president from
  among top three Electoral College vote-getters

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Some problems with the Electoral College?

• Faithless Electors?
• A small/big state advantage?
• The winner of the popular vote doesnt always
  become president
• Not transparent
• All votes not weighted equally

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Alternatives to the Electoral College?Pros and
Cons?
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Strategic Consequences of the Electoral College?
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Strategic consequences of the Electoral College

• Candidates focus on big states with lots of
  Electoral Votes
• Candidates focus on swing states, where money and
  face time might make a difference

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Sure things

• REPUBLICAN STATES
• AL 9, AR 3, AK 6, GA 15, ID 4, KS 6, KY 8,
  LA 9, MS 6, MT 3, NE 5, ND 3, OK 7, SC 8,
  SD 3, TX 34, UT 5, WY 3.
• Total 147

• DEMOCRATIC STATES
• CA 55, CT 7, DE 3, DC 3, HI 4, IL 21, ME
  4, MD 10, MA 12, NJ 15, NY 31, RI 4, VT 3
• Total 169

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The purple states

• The West
• Arizona 10 EV, Colorado 9 EV, Nevada 5 EV,
• New Mexico 5 EV, Oregon 7 EV, Washington 11 EV
• The Midwest
• Minnesota 10 EV, Iowa 7 EV, Missouri 11 EV,
  Ohio 20 EV, Pennsylvania 21 EV, Michigan 17 EV,
  Indiana 11
• Wisconsin 10 EV,
• Border states
• Tennessee 11 EV, West Virginia 5 EV, Virginia
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• The South Florida 27 EV, North Carolina, 15
• The North New Hampshire 4 EV

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Targeted States, 2004
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The Electoral Calendar

• ELECTION DAY
• By late evening, one candidate leads in the exit
  polls in enough states to win 270 Electoral
  Votes, and the Media declares a winner.
• One candidate concedes the election, the other
  proclaims victory (usually)

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The Electoral Calendar

• First Monday following First Wednesday in
  December Electors meet in their state capitols
  and cast their formal votes for president
• January 6, 2009 The President of the Senate
  opens and counts the votes
• January 20, 2009 The newly elected (or
  re-elected) president is inaugurated

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What kinds of presidential candidates are favored
in this system?Are they the kind we want?
To whom are they accountable?