Presidential Elections
The ElectionThe Presidential election is perhaps one of the most least understood points in the American political process. When the people vote in the Presidential election, they are voting for presidential electors, not for the presidential candidate itself. These electors are chosen by popular vote in every state on the same day: the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every fourth year. In every state except Maine and Nebraska, electors are chosen at large, which means a "winner takes all" basis. In Nebraska and Maine, electoral votes are assigned by proportional representation, meaning that the top vote-getter in those states wins two electoral votes (for the two Senators) while the remaining electoral votes are allocated by congressional district.
Counting the Electoral VotesElectoral votes from the electoral college are counted before a joint session of Congress on January 6th following the November election. They cast their votes, and the those votes are sent to the President of the Senate who reads them before both houses of Congress on January 6th. The Electoral College is so important because it determines the President and Vice-President of the United States.
The number of electoral votes a state has is determined by population. Since populations can change, electoral votes can change. The map above shows a current view of how many electoral votes each state has.
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Flaws in the Electoral CollegeThe Electoral College has 3 major defects:
1.) The winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed the presidency. 2.) Electors are not required to vote in accord with the popular vote. 3.) Any election might have to be decided in the House of Representatives. The winner-take-all system and the unequal distribution of State electoral votes means that the winner of the electoral vote can still lose the popular vote. In fact, this has happened four times in history, and 15 presidents have won the presidency with less than a majority of the popular vote. Proposed ReformsDistrict plan - lets every state congressional district select its own electors by popular vote.
Proportional plan - gives each candidate a share of the state electoral vote equal to the share of the state popular vote. These plans don't require a constitutional amendment but do not guarantee that the winner of the national popular vote will win the election. Direct Popular Election and National Popular Vote PlansThe direct popular election plan calls for abolishing the electoral college. This plan would have voters vote directly for the president. Many people support this plan but the major issue with this plan is that it would require a constitutional amendment to abolish the electoral college. The national popular vote plan calls for states to reform the electoral college.
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