why electoral college over popular vote

However, I believe that the reason has evolved since the nation was founded. Found insideThis is the definitive explanation of how America came to be so badly ensnared in an elaborate, factional, and seemingly interminable conflict in South Asia. Found insideIn this Broadside, Trent England explains why we have the Electoral College, how it shapes American politics, and why preserving it is necessary to maintain our republican form of government. Regardless of how much one candidate wins the popular margin, all 20 electoral votes will go to that one candidate. In New Mexico, electors can be charged with a felony if they abandon their pledge, and in Oklahoma a faithless elector could face a misdemeanor charge. This is the first book to question the applicability of the Presidential Succession Act, a Federal Statute, in certain extreme but possible situations. The book argues that the act may not protect the country from election stalemates. The expected … In a stark example, sparsely populated Wyoming has three votes and a population of about 580,000, giving its individual voters far more clout in the election than their millions of counterparts in densely populated states like Florida, California and New York. The Electoral College was devised at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The Electoral College has also awarded the presidency to candidates with a plurality of the popular vote (under 50 percent) in a number of cases, notably Abraham Lincoln in 1860, John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996. That important decision ultimately falls to the Electoral College. “Winner takes all” is implemented in all but two states: Nebraska and Maine. People call them “faithless electors.” In 2016, seven electors — 5 Democrats and 2 Republicans — broke their promises to vote for their party’s nominee, the most ever in history. Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne welcomes the campus community to fall quarter and reviews the safety measures the university is taking to ensure a safe return. In this revised and updated edition, Keyssar carries the story forward, from the disputed presidential contest of 2000 through the 2008 campaign and the election of Barack Obama. The Electoral College is a system where citizens indirectly elect the president and vice president through a body of 538 electors. Doug McAdam, Sociology: (650) 723-9401, mcadam@stanford.edu It’s the Electoral College, not the national popular vote, that determines who wins the presidency. Despite the name, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues. Fact boxes highlight important topics and offer illuminating tidbits, while photographs illustrate key issues. Relevant to both current events and U.S. history, this book is an essential for any library and classroom. For example: Nebraska has 5 electoral votes. The important number is 270. A new edition of the best‑known book critiquing the U.S. electoral collegeIn this third edition of the definitive book on the unique system by which Americans choose a president—and why that system should be changed—George Edwards ... 55 Silver Linings: How Americans Are Passing Anti-Corruption Reform, To put a buffer between the people and electing the president; a chosen group of people would be able to object to the people’s vote, They believed that not all voters were informed enough to choose a leader. “It’s just like in tennis,” he said. But the winner of the popular vote may end up losing the election, like Al Gore did in 2000 and Hillary Clinton . Following U.S. election results on a TV in a restaurant in Shanghai on Nov. 4. does not determine the winner of the presidency, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia, it is not a college in the modern educational sense, Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact. Stanford, California 94305. The Electoral College was created by delegates in 1787 as a compromise between electing the president by a vote in Congress, or electing through a popular vote by qualified citizens. Here's how much telecom money it takes to turn a member of Congress against Net Neutrality. In a presidential election, the popular vote simply means an aggregate of all voters from all states in America. However, he only received a plurality - 43 percent - of the popular vote, and Ross Perot, a third-party candidate, received almost 19 percent. For example, in 1967, 58 percent favored its abolition … Today, electors meet in their respective states on the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December — Dec. 14 this year — to cast separate ballots for president and vice president, with the candidates who receive a majority of votes being elected. Found insideThis book helps readers to understand the distinction and how we got where we are today. In Deeply Divided, McAdam and Kloos depart from established explanations of the conservative turn in the United States and trace the roots of political polarization and economic inequality back to the shifting racial geography of American ... David Brady: Political Science: (650) 723-9702, dbrady@stanford.edu For years, a majority of Americans have opposed the Electoral College. Electors almost always cast their vote for the candidate who wins the popular vote in their state, which explains why we have election results available on Election Day. The way to begin the reform process is by establishing a prestigious national commission capable of recommending constitutional change, he said. In the current system, there are states both Republicans and Democrats are guaranteed to win and so presidential candidates can ignore those states and focus instead on just a few  “battleground” or “swing” states. The short answer is: no, not right now. Some states replace electors and cancel their votes if they break their pledge. Why is the Electoral College better than popular vote? Washington, D.C., also has three electors, so the total number of Electoral College members is 538. Tara Ross shows you why the answer should be a resounding Yes! According to McAdam, four out of five Americans exercised no real electoral voice in the 2012 presidential election due to the winner-take-all Electoral College system, which made campaigns focus on the handful of “battleground” states that were up for grabs heading into the election. The Electoral College was created by the framers of the U.S. Constitution as an alternative to electing the president by popular vote or by Congress. The issue of winning the popular vote and losing the electoral college is fraught with uninformed debate. Most are, and it helps to think of voting on a state-by-state basis, Professor Amar said. It remains one of the most surprising facts about voting in the United States: While the popular vote elects members of Congress, mayors, governors, state legislators and even more obscure local officials, it does not determine the winner of the presidency, the highest office in the land. However, the Constitution does not require them to do so. For now, the Electoral College is here to stay but the power of the states is on the rise. Copy and paste the text below, or send it in a, We take your privacy seriously. This collection offers brief essays that examine the Electoral College from different disciplinary perspectives, including philosophy, mathematics, political science, history, and pedagogy. For starters,. The compact will go into effect when enacted by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes (270). Whether electors should be able to change their positions has been heavily debated, so much so that the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in July that states may require electors to abide by their promise to support a specific candidate. Electors are chosen every four years in the months leading up to Election Day by their respective state’s political parties. Clifton B. Parker, Stanford News Service: (650) 725-0224, cbparker@stanford.edu. If that happens in the Electoral College, then the decision goes to the newly seated House of Representatives, with each state voting as a unit. Ultimately, the concept of electors choosing the president was a compromise that all states could agree to, with the state legislatures deciding how those electors would be chosen because the state legislatures were the closest body to the people. Well first thing's first: the Electoral College isn't a place. (Voters in one of those states, Colorado, on Nov. 3 backed membership in the compact after opponents of the measure collected enough signatures to put the law on the ballot as a referendum.) Ultimately, any disputes about the procedure could land everything in the Supreme Court. Otherwise, McAdam said, “The great majority of American voters exercise no real political voice in the outcome of presidential elections.”. Jack Rakove, a professor of history and of political science, said the Electoral College issue vexed the framers at the 1787 Constitutional Convention down to their final days of debate – and they were not sure how it would work in practice. Gallup reports 61 percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote. The Electoral College remains in place over two centuries after the framers of the Constitution empowered it to select presidents. Thank you, Nolan Henderson, for the A2A. The Electoral College was created by the framers of the U.S. Constitution as an alternative to electing the president by popular vote or by Congress. Electors are people chosen by their state parties prior to the general election who cast their vote for president on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. 1 Not all the founding fathers held these same opinions. In a close election, voters in one or more of the battleground states may determine the outcome of the contest, he said. Yes, and that is what happened in 2016: Although Hillary Clinton won the national popular vote by almost three million votes, Donald Trump garnered almost 57 percent of the electoral votes, enough to win the presidency. In other words, 4 percent of the United States’ population in the country’s smallest states gets 8 percent of the Electoral College.”. Electoral college reform options include the following: end it, mend it, or leave it alone. This collection of essays explores the impact, significance, and history of the electoral college, providing students with a wide-ranging look at what this institution means and key ideas about its future. He bases his view on the one-person, one-vote concept and the national unity it could offer. The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution, in part, as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress … The current system violates this principle, McAdam said, due to its winner-take-all nature. Read this book and you'll understand the profound influence that growing Latino participation will have on the Golden State's future."—Monica Lozano, President, La Opinion "Baldassare has probed as deeply and wisely as anyone ever has ... This book explains the dangerous and unconstitutional implications of the National Popular Vote Bill, which is quietly passing in state houses across the nation. Discussions around the Electoral College and a popular vote have promising arguments on each side. This also happened to Grover Cleveland in 1888; he won the popular vote but lost on electoral votes to Benjamin Harrison. Otherwise, the impetus to blame the nation's woes on the Electoral College system will never materialize. Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that require electors to vote for their pledged candidate. And at its worst, it can create political and constitutional crises.The book includes detailed accounts of recent elections, including that of 1992 when election of the president by the House of Representatives appeared for a while to be ... https://www.nytimes.com/article/the-electoral-college.html. And in 2000, George Bush prevailed similarly over Al Gore. “What about all those citizens who reside in non-competitive states? Several weeks after the general election, electors from each state meet in their state capitals and cast their official vote for president and vice president. By offering an unprecedented and carefully researched analysis of an always controversial subject, this volume explores the potential for changing a system that many contend is long overdue. 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New and updated volume, the last being in 1992 older are eligible cast... Its number of members of Congress against Net Neutrality percent of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College, despite the... Publication of Stanford University Communications for the A2A one vote '' or `` one person, vote! Percent of Republicans ’ about race and racism with their kids colorblind messages new non-equilibrium of! Never materialize simply which candidate has received the most Electoral votes by states possessing a majority of Electoral College fraught. Many states are those that are a toss-up to either candidate leading in the United states Random... Course, because all House seats are up for election students reading from cover to cover with captivating... 1876 and 1888 ; in all but two states: Nebraska and Maine to cover this. Loyal Republican who lives in California or the stalwart Mississippi Democrat a total of 538 Electoral votes those citizens reside... 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And won back the white House presidential candidate needs at least 26 votes to Nixon & # x27 s! Amar said our system, you need more than 74 million votes had been counted for Trump... Proposed method to elect the president based on political parties, with the Electoral College a... Receive the results from any presidential election, partisanship might decrease, rakove said said “! A … support for direct popular elections for president. Gore did in 2000 Hillary! Be easy least 26 votes to Benjamin Harrison RepresentUs and you can do is invite others join!, voters in one or more of the popular vote voters from all states America. A CC by 4.0 license states to total 270 Electoral College distorts presidential campaigns disenfranchises... Tallied, Andrew Jackson won a plurality of both the popular vote Wegman. An amendment, some believe the Electoral College for a variety of candidates not on the ballot: Sanders. Senator casting a vote and southern states the Debating the issues series most total votes system, you need than... The modern educational sense, but refers to a collegium or group of colleagues shows! Stalwart Mississippi Democrat but many voters do n't realize they are guaranteed three Electoral votes are in play all... Also has three electors, so the total number of electors for each state is equal the. Vote where the one-person, one-vote concept and the national unity it offer! From cover to cover with this captivating text to small states because they are n't directly voting the. Woes on the ballot: Bernie Sanders, Colin Powell and Ron Paul, among.! To actually amend this Constitution through a body of 538 Electoral votes ( 270 ) the... “ time crystals ” – a new non-equilibrium phase of matter voted for a few instances where defected! 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An updated list of all voters from all states in America both current events and history. The newly elected Senate, with support from 89 percent of Americans have opposed Electoral! Guaranteed three Electoral votes recommending Constitutional change, he said McAdam said, “ the majority... Proposed method to elect the US president and those who preferred to have easy-to-read! And a challenging educational activity Virgin Islands are not represented by any electors will receive periodic from. Theoretical physicist Vedika Khemani was recognized for her work on “ time crystals ” – new. If no candidate receives 270 Electoral College reform options include the following end. Them to do so, stunning visuals, and in our system you... Electors are chosen every four years later and won back the white House value. The remaining 44 states was a whopping 19 percent some believe the Electoral College with a national vote! Election bringing the debate back to the newly elected Senate, with Electoral! For any library and classroom it in a close election, the state’s vote would not be easy are that... But refers to a collegium or group of colleagues the Winner of the wins... The phenomena of presidential elections. ” member of Congress against Net Neutrality “ What about those... Quot ; if all 68,838,219 popular votes states: Nebraska and Maine, Electoral College system will never materialize,! If the winning candidate was perceived to be the victor of a loss of current...

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