The Electoral College System

Electing the President

The Electoral College is a body of people (appointed by their state) who will elect the president and vice president of the United States. They actually meet in their respected states the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December to cast

their votes.

What is the “Electoral College”?

How many “Electoral” votes are there?

House of Representatives = 435United States Senate = 100District of Columbia = 3

538 Total

In order to become the president/VP…you must receive 270 votes! (Majority)

Since 1964, there have been 538 electors in each presidential election.

So…how many votes or electors does South Dakota have? Based on??

Based on Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution each State should

appoint electors based on the number of people they have

representing them in U.S. Congress.

South Dakota has 3 total votes etc…

John Thune (R)

Tim Johnson (D) Kristi Noem (R)

What is the “winner-take-all” system

within the Electoral College?

Under this system, the presidential and vice presidential candidates who win the

most popular votes within the state win all of the state’s electoral votes!

Today, only Maine and Nebraska are not “winner-take-all” states. (Colorado

proposed a similar plan but it was defeated in 2004.)

Must electors vote for the candidate that receives the most popular votes in their state?

No! There is no constitutional provision or federal law that requires electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their states.

There are actually 24 states that have laws that could fine “faithless actors” if they do not vote according to the popular vote of their state etc…

Is it possible for a presidential candidate to

lose the election after winning the popular vote

of the country?

It has happened four times!

In 1824, John Quincy Adams was elected president despite not winning either the popular vote or the electoral vote. Andrew Jackson was the winner in both categories.

In 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes won the election (by a margin of one electoral vote), but he lost the popular vote by more than 250,000 ballots to Samuel J. Tilden.

In 1888, Benjamin Harrison received 233 electoral votes to Grover Cleveland’s 168, winning the presidency. But Harrison lost the popular vote by more than 90,000 votes.

In 2000, George W. Bush was declared the winner of the general election and became the 43rd president, but he didn’t win the popular vote either. Al Gore holds that distinction, garnering about 540,000 more votes than Bush. However, Bush won the electoral vote, 271 to 266.

2000 George W. Bush Defeats Al Gore

NomineeGeorge W. Bush

Albert Gore, Jr.

Party Republican DemocratElectoral Vote 271 266

Popular Vote 50,456,062 50,996,582

2000 George W. Bush Defeats Al Gore

What happens in an election when a

candidate fails to win a majority (270) of the votes in the electoral

college?

Again…In 1824 John Quincy Adams was elected president despite not winning either the popular vote or the electoral vote. Andrew Jackson was the winner in both categories. Jackson received 38,000 more popular votes than Adams, and beat him in the electoral vote 99 to 84. Despite his victories, Jackson didn’t reach the majority 131 votes needed in the Electoral College to be declared president. In fact, neither candidate did. The decision went to the House of Representatives, which voted Adams into the White House.

The House of Representatives chooses the president!

NomineeGeorge W. Bush

John F. Kerry

Party Republican Democrat

Electoral Vote 286 251

Popular Vote 62,039,073 59,027,478

2004 George W. Bush Defeats John Kerry

2004 George W. Bush Defeats John Kerry

NomineeBarack Obama

John McCain

Party Democrat RepublicanElectoral Vote 365 173

Popular Vote 69,297,997 59,597,520

2008 Barrack Obama Defeats John McCain

2008 Barrack Obama Defeats John McCain

2000

2008

2004

Some people say there are flaws in the current “Electoral College” System:

• Electors are not banned by law to vote for the most popular candidate!

• With the “winner-takes-all” system with, it is possible that the most popular candidate will lose the election!

• The House of Representatives could end up choosing the president!

For the Framers…it was the most workable solution!

Other ideas in 1787:

Have Congress choose the President! This idea was rejected because of fears of division and corruption in congress, as well as fear of upsetting the balance of power among the three branches of government.

Have the State Legislatures select the President! This idea was also rejected out of fear that a president would focus too much on state legislatures, therefore eroding federal authority.

By popular/direct vote! This caused concerns because people might vote for just people in their state or region!

So why do we have this system?