The U S Electoral College Rationale

The U. S. Electoral College

Rationale • It is important to be aware of the importance of the Electoral College, its function, and why it was created and how it affects Presidential Campaigns.

What do the following four men all have in common? A. Andrew Jackson B. Samuel Tilden C. Grover Cleveland D. Al Gore

1824 Popular Vote Andrew Jackson 43% John Q. Adams 30. 5% Electoral Vote Jackson 99 votes Adams 84 Adams elected by House of Representatives when Jackson did not receive a majority of the Electoral votes

1876 • Popular Vote Samuel Tilden R. B. Hayes Electoral College Tilden Hayes Winner: Hayes 51% 48% 184 185

1888 • Popular Vote Grover Cleveland 48. 5 % Benjamin Harrison 47. 8 % Electoral College Cleveland 168 Harrison 233 Winner: Harrison

2000 • Popular Vote Albert Gore George W. Bush Electoral College Gore Bush Winner: Bush 48. 7% 48. 5% 266 271

The Answer They all won the popular vote in a Presidential election but did not have enough electoral votes to become President.

Why? We do not pick our President by direct ballot. Technically, we only selectors.

When you vote for the President you are actually voting for an ELECTOR to vote for you. Each state has a determined number of electors. These electors form what is called the Electoral College and are the people who officially elect the President.

A state’s number of electors is the total number of Senators and members of the House of Representatives MISSOURI + Total 2 senators 9 representatives 11 electors

There a total of 538 electoral votes (the District of Columbia is not a state but is given 3 electoral votes)

A candidate must have 270 electoral votes to win the Presidential election

Why was it Created? • People (then) were not knowledgeable enough to select a President. (poor communications) • This was a check that gave the states a voice in choosing the President • To maintain regional balance

What are the drawbacks to the Electoral College? • • • Encourages low voter turnout Limits third party influence Person with most popular votes may not win Leads to tactical voting If there is no majority winner in the Electoral College, the election goes to the House of Representatives and there is a loss of separation of powers

Why low voter turnout? The Electoral College is a winner take all system of deciding who receives a states electoral votes. Consequently, if a person gets 50. 1% of the popular vote (in a two man race), he get 100% of the electoral votes. Therefore, many people feel that their vote does not matter and choose to not vote.

Third Parties The Electoral College discourages 3 rd parties because a candidate must have a broad based, national platform to have a chance to gain the highest office. Rarely are 3 rd parties financially and politically able to do this.

Tactical Voting Voters often resort to tactical voting in Presidential elections because the person they truly support cannot win all of the electoral votes. For instance, many people would have preferred Ralph Nader in the 2000 Presidential election but knew that he was not going to win. Instead, they often voted for Al Gore because he was the major candidate with the platform closest to Nader.