Electoral College

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Electoral College

• Process of choosing the President

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What is it?Why do we have it?

• How we elect the President.
• It is a compromise between
• Election by Congress
• Direct popular election

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How does it work?

• Each state is given the same of electors as
  Reps Sen.
• Each candidate submits its slate of electors in
  each state
• On election day in Nov. voters choose electors

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How it works (cont)

• In 48 states the winner of the popular election
  gets all that states elector
• ME NE have a district plan
• Electors meet in state capitol in Dec to cast
  ballots

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How it works (still)

• Electoral ballots are opened by Congress _at_ 1st
  meeting in January
• 270 of 538 required
• President takes office on Jan 20th

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Near Failures of System?

• 1800
• - T Jefferson Aaron Burr (same party) each
  had 73 electoral votes
• - Jefferson was chosen by House on 36th
  attempt
• - Led to the passing of the 12th Amendment

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• 1876
• - Rutherford B. Hayes lost the popular election
  to Samuel Tilden (48 to 51)
• - Electoral votes disputed in 4 states
• - Committee in House gave states to Hayes in
  exchange to end Reconstruction

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• 1888
• - Cleveland received 48.6 of popular vote
  while B. Harrison received 47.8
• Harrison won electoral college with 233 votes to
  Clevelands 168 votes

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• 1960
• -JFK won with 303 electoral votes to Nixons
  219
• - Results were much closer in popular vote with
  JFK receiving 49.7 to Nixons 49.5

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• 2000
• - Al Gore received 539,947 more popular votes
  than George W. Bush
• - Bush won with 271 EC votes to Gores 266

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Proposed Amendments

• Over 700 proposals have been offered
• Most popular plans
• District Plan
• Proportional Plan
• Direct Popular Vote
• National Bonus Plan