What college in
the United States does not have any dorms, no fraternities
or sororities, no keggers, no students or professors, in
fact no one graduates from this college, and above all no
one eats Ramen or pizza?
Give up? How
about the Electoral College!
The
Electoral College to most people in America is an unknown
major factor of our Democracy. In fact having the Electoral
College is what makes us a Republic rather that a "true
Democracy". A Democracy is a nation where the leader is
determined through a vote where the majority wins. As we are
seeing currently with election 2000, the popular vote is
not the determining factor. The Founding Fathers of
the United States realized that in order to truly represent
the nation, even the smallest state had to be represented in
the election of the President. The Electoral College began to
alleviate that concern.
Try your hand at picking the next
President based on Electoral College!
How
does the Electoral College work?
The
Electoral College is made up of 538 electors from each state.
To win a candidate must obtain 270 votes, which is a majority
of the 538. The number that each state is allocated is
determined by the number of representatives that each state
has in Congress, in addition three votes are allocated to the
District of Columbia. Each state is granted by the
Constitution of the United States to have at least one person
in the House of Representatives and two Senators. Therefore
each state is guaranteed at least three votes in the Electoral
College. The District of Columbia under the 23rd
Amendment of the Constitution is granted the same number of
votes as the smallest state. The only way a state may gain or
lose votes in the Electoral College is if that state shows a
loss in the Census that is taken every ten years. One of the
primary goals of the Census is the re-allocation of the 435
congressional seats, and hence the 435 votes allocated to the
states for the Electoral College.
Every
state has different rules regarding how the electors vote.
Some states require by law that the electors vote for the
person that wins the states popular vote. Other states make
the electors take a pledge that they will vote for the winner
of the popular vote. Forty-eight states have winner take all
rules, while Maine and Nebraska take a different approach.
Both Nebraska and Maine allow for a representative reflection
of the vote. If one candidate wins with 55% of the vote, then
that candidate will get 55% of the electoral vote.
After
the national vote occurs on the first Tuesday of the month of
November there is a month designated for counts, recounts, and
contesting of the election. The Electors then vote for the
President and Vice President on the first Monday after the
second Wednesday in December at their state capitols. The vote
is then sealed and presented to Congress. The final ballot is
then opened January 6, and counted by Congress. The President
will be official recognized at this time.
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Who Selects the Electors?
The process for selecting electors varies
throughout the United States. Generally, the
political parties nominate electors at their State
party conventions or by a vote of the party's
central committee in each State.
Electors are often selected to recognize their
service and dedication to their political party.
They may be State-elected officials, party
leaders, or persons who have a personal or
political affiliation with the Presidential
candidate.
Then the voters in each State choose the
electors on the day of the general election. The
electors' names may or may not appear on the
ballot below the name of the candidates running
for President, depending on the procedure in each
State. |
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Historical Election Results
2000 Presidential Election
1789-2000 Presidential Elections
1992, 1996, and 2000 Elections Allocation of
Electoral Votes
1789-2000 Electoral Votes by State
Total
Electoral Vote: 538 Needed to Elect: 270
Electoral College
