The Election Process Module 6.4: Presidential Election.
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Transcript of The Election Process Module 6.4: Presidential Election.
Electing the President
• President and Vice-President are not directly elected by voters in the United States
• There is no national election
• The Electoral College
• States determine how to choose electors for their state
• How does this work?
• How is it supposed to work?
What Voters See
Voters
Primary Election
General Election
Primary Election
PotUS + VPotUS
PotUSCandidate
PotUSCandidateVPotUS
candidateVPotUS
Candidate
What Actually Happens
Voters
Primary Election
General ElectionParty Org
Electors (Party Candidates for Electoral College)
Primary Election
Party Org
PotUS/VPotUSCandidates
PotUS/VPotUSCandidates
Electoral College
PotUS+VPotUS
Electors (Party Candidates for Electoral College)
National
State State
National
The Electoral College: Then & Now• Each State shall appoint a number of electors
– in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct• States may choose how electors are chosen
– Direct election of individual electors– Direct election of “slates”
» The current preferred method in 48 states (including Texas)– Modified direct election (Maine & Nebraska)
» By congressional district» At large slate of two
– Appointment by state legislature» The originally preferred method by at least 25% of states
– Appointment by executive authority
– Equal to congressional representation• Both House and Senate
• Congress may determine the Time of choosing electors – and the Day the electors Vote– Day the same throughout the United States
The Original Mode of Presidential Election: 1787-1803
• Electors meet in their respective states– Cast two ballots for President– One ballot must be for a person who lives in a
different state from the Elector
• Counting electors’ ballots– If the most votes= 50%+1
• Highest # votes=President• 2nd highest # votes= Vice President
– If more than one receives a majority• House of Reps chooses President from the top 5• House members must vote as states
– Each delegation= 1 vote
The Elections of 1788-1800• 1788 (term begins 1789)
– Most votes: Geo. Washington • non-partisan
– 2nd most: John Adams • Federalist Society
• 1792 (term begins 1793)– Most votes: Geo. Washington– 2nd most: John Adams
• 1796 (term begins 1797)– Most votes: John Adams
• Federalist Society– 2nd most: Thomas Jefferson
• Anti-Federalist• 1800 (term begins 1801)
– Most votes: Thomas Jefferson• Anti-Federalist
– Most votes: Aaron Burr• Democratic-Republican
– Decision made by the House of Representatives
Amendment XII• Electors meet in their respective states
– Cast two ballots • One for President• One for Vice President
– One ballot must be for a person who lives in a different state from the Elector
• Counting electors’ ballots– If the most votes for President = 50%+1
• Highest # votes=President– If the most votes for Vice President = 50%+1
• Highest # votes= Vice President– If no one receives a majority for President
• House of Reps chooses President from the top 3• House members must vote as states
– Each delegation= 1 vote
– If no one receives a majority for Vice President• Senate chooses Vice President from the top 3
The Election of 1824• Presidential Candidates
– Andrew Jackson• Democratic-Republican from TN
– William Crawford• Democratic-Republican from GA
– John Q. Adams• Democratic Republican from MA
– Henry Clay• Democratic-Republican from KY
• Electoral College Results– Jackson
• 99 votes– JQ Adams
• 84 votes– Crawford
• 41 votes– Clay
• 37 votes
• No candidate carried a majority– Decision ‘thrown’ to US HR
• US HR Split between Jackson & Crawford• Crawford suffers stroke• US HR chooses JQ Adams
• Vice Presidential Candidates– John C. Calhoun
• Democratic-Republican from SC– Nathan Sanford
• Democratic-Republican from NY– Nathaniel Macon
• Democratic Republican from NC– Andrew Jackson
• Democratic-Republican from TN– Martin van Buren
• Democratic-Republican from NY– Henry Clay
• Democratic-Republican from KY
• Electoral College Results– Calhoun
• 182 votes– Sanford
• 30 votes– Macon
• 24 votes– Jackson
• 13 votes– Van Buren
• 9 votes– Clay
• 2 votes
The Election of 1876• Presidential Candidates
– Rutherford B. Hayes• Republican from OH
– Samuel J. Tilden• Democrat from NY
– Peter Cooper• Greenback Labor Party from NY
– Green Clay Smith • Prohibition Party from KY and MT Terr.
– James A. Walker• American Party from VA
• Electoral College Ballots– Hayes: 185– Tilden: 184– All others: 0
• The Controversy:– Most states chose popular elections for electoral
slates by 1876 (CO excepted)– One Oregon elector disqualified (held federal office)– Tilden receives 51% of the ‘popular vote’– Democrats claim fraud in FL, LA, OR, SC– Congress appoints electoral commission to investigate
The Election of 1888• Presidential Candidates
– Benjamin Harrison: Republican from IN– Grover Cleveland: Democrat from NY – Clinton B. Fisk: Prohibition Party– Alson J. Streeter: Union Labor Party
• Electoral College Ballots– Harrison: 233 Votes– Cleveland: 168 votes– All others: 0 votes
• The Controversy– Most states chose popular elections for electoral slates– Total “popular” votes:
• Harrison: 5,443,892 • Cleveland: 5,534,488
– Questionable tactics• “Blocks of Five”
– William Wade Dudley of IN advises “trusted men” to pay voters to vote Republican• The Murchison Letter
– CA Republican Osgoodby writes British ambassador under an assumed name asking how to vote– UK Ambassador recommends Cleveland– Mobilizes Irish-American vote against Cleveland
The Election of 2000• Presidential Candidates
– Albert Gore Jr.: Democrat from TN– George W. Bush: Republican from TX– Harry Browne: Libertarian from TN– Ralph Nader: Green Party from CT– Patrick Buchanan: Reform Party from VA– Howard Phillips: Constitution Party from VA– John Hagelin: Natural Law Party from IA
• Electoral College Ballots– Bush
• 271 votes– Gore
• 268 votes– All others
• 0 votes
• The Controversy– Most states chose popular elections for electoral slates– Total “popular” votes:
• Gore: 51,003,926• Bush: 50,460,110
– Florida Electoral Laws require automatic recounts in case of slim margins– Four counties recounted continuously– Several lawsuits filed, most were rejected or withdrawn
• Bush v. Gore: claims injury by Gore by insisting on Florida SC decision • Gore v. Bush: claims injury by Bush through lawsuit• Bush v. Florida: claims violation of Equal Protection of the Laws by Florida SC• Gore v. Florida: also claims violation of Equal Protection