Should the Electoral College be abolished? Trumpcriticized the electoral college in 2012, because he thoughtRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney might win the popular vote but still lose to former U.S. President Barack Obama, Opal said. B. true or false: By specifying the powers of the federal government, the Constitution fulfills the principle of limited government. In the electoral college, however, Clinton won 70%, Dole 30%, and Perot 0%. Given these inescapable facts, we believe we have no choice but to vote to sustain objections to those slates of electors. Electors are allocated based on the number of representatives a state has in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is determined by population,plus the number of senators two perstate. And for Republicans, the system, with all its minoritarian features the Electoral College, the U.S. Senate, the filibuster, partisan gerrymandering is, at least for now, working in their favor. To win the election, presidential candidates need electoral votes from multiple regions and therefore they build campaign platforms with a national focus, meaning that the winner will actually be serving the needs of the entire country. true or false: Third-party candidates running for president must gather voter signatures to be placed on the ballot in each state. Proponents say an election day holiday will increase voter turnout. In some states, electors could vote for whichever candidate they prefer, regardless of who voters backed. [3] [4] [5] [6], The Founding Fathers created the Electoral College as a compromise between electing the president via a vote in Congress only or via a popular vote only. Each state also has laws regarding recounts, including automatic recounts depending on margin of victory or requiring a petition from a candidate. The two exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which give two electoral votes to the candidate who wins a plurality of the statewide vote, and one vote to the winner of each of the state's congressional districts. [3] [4] [5] [6], In each state, a group of electors is chosen by each political party. and more. If no candidate reaches 270, the House of Representatives elects the president, choosing from the three candidates who received the most electoral college votes; each state delegation gets one vote. READ MORE: What Is the Electoral College and Why Was It Created? Opal said the Constitution doesn't clearly state whether it's the newly elected Congress that votes, orthe Congress that was sitting at the time of the election. The Constitution and federal law do not require electors to abide by the results of the popular vote in their states, so occasionally faithless electors go rogue and cast ballots for candidates other than the one to whom they are pledged. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? California has the greatest number of electoral votes (54); several states have only three electoral votes, the minimum a state may have (two senators and one member of the House). But they are ignored in the current system. The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy. Electors are allocated based on the number of representatives a state has in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is determined by population, plus the number of senators two per state. Citing insufficient standing, as opposed to the merits of the underlying case, the Supreme Court declined to resolve the urgent issue. The most probablescenario would see the new congress decide since they take office before the president, he said. If so, how? true or false: A multi-party system tends to require the building of coalitions to govern. The objective was to preserve the power of the independent states within a national government, saidJason Opal, chair of the history and classical studies department at McGillUniversity in Montreal. had doubts about the average person's ability to select a candidate. 2. By its clear language, they affirmed, only state legislatures, and not state courts or any other officials, are constitutionally authorized to determine the manner by which presidential electors are selected. [18], A Nov. 6, 2016 episode of PBS NewsHour revealed that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have made more than 90% of their campaign stops in just 11 so-called battleground states. How the electoral college determines who wins the U.S. presidency | CBC News Loaded. Read about our approach to external linking. In 2016, Donald Trump won the electoral vote despite receiving nearly three million fewer votes than his opponent, Hillary Clinton. It happened in2016, whenTrump won a majority of electoral college votes despite falling short of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the popular vote by nearly three million. That is why, as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg explained in her dissent (on other issues), although the Electoral Count Act identifies significant dates in the process of ascertaining and counting presidential electors, none of these dates has ultimate significance in light of Congress' detailed provisions for determining, on the sixth day of January, the validity of electoral votes. In 2005, when a Senator joined a House Members objection to the electoral votes cast in the State of Ohio citing voting irregularities, 31 House Democrats ultimately voted to reject Ohios slate of electors. Each state gets as many electors as it has lawmakers in the US Congress (representatives in the House and senators). Among our most fundamental institutions is the system of free and fair elections we rely upon, and any erosion in that foundation jeopardizes the stability of our republic. C. The electoral college was created by an amendment to the Constitution. So-called faithless electors have not been critical to the outcome of a U.S. presidential election, but that could change in a race decided by just a few electoral votes. However, as it pertains to our constitutional duty as Members of Congress on January 6, we have no express authority or ability to independently prove the many allegations of fraud in the subject states. How are the First Amendment rights different from those in the British ruling system under which the colonists lived? In the multi-candidate race of 1824, Andrew Jackson received the most popular votes, but with no man winning a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives chose John Quincy Adams to be president. "They keep losing the aggregated popular vote," he said. It needs to be updated for modern times, c.) It should be replaced with popular elections. Levine said the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would be easier to accomplish than passing a constitutional amendment. Christopher Klein is the author of four books, including When the Irish Invaded Canada: The Incredible True Story of the Civil War Veterans Who Fought for Irelands Freedom and Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan. Eight days later, in their concurring opinion inBush, et al. B. Six states - Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and. Why or why not? Since we are convinced the election laws in certain states were changed in an unconstitutional manner, the slates of electors produced under those modified laws are thus unconstitutional, not "regularly given" or "lawfully certified" as required by the Electoral Count Act of 1887 (codified as 3 U.S.C. The Constitution is intended to guide Pakistan's law . Very few people thought that way. II, 1, cl. The ______ branch of the federal government has certain enumerated powers listed in the Constitution. Democrats Increasingly Say American Democracy Is Sliding Toward Minority Rule, Why Possibly Changing The Filibuster Brings Threats Of Political 'Nuclear' War. B) The framers of the Constitution expected the Electoral College to use their own judgment in selecting a President. [2], The Electoral College was established in 1788 by Article II of the US Constitution, which also established the executive branch of the US government, and was revised by the Twelfth Amendment (ratified June 15, 1804), the Fourteenth Amendment (ratified July 1868), and the Twenty-Third Amendment (ratified Mar. If the election depended solely on the popular vote, then candidates could limit campaigning to heavily-populated areas or specific regions. They will never go for a national elected president. These people are electors and their job is to choose the president and vice-president. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Which statement is NOT true of the Electoral College?, Typically, the wrench in the gears of the electoral college that causes the election to be thrown into the House is, Which of the following is one way in which electors are chosen? All Rights Reserved. D . See answers Advertisement anthougo The only states that do things differently areNebraska and Maine, where two electors vote based on the results of the state's popular vote, and the others are determined based on the popular results in each congressional district within the state. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard answer choices a. Smith says this is something fellow Republicans should consider. v. Gore, et al., 531 U.S. 98, 113 (2000), Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, reiterated that [a] significant departure from the legislative scheme for appointing Presidential electors presents a federal constitutional question regarding the application of Art. "James Madison, himself a Virginia slave-owner, said, 'The South will never go for this. Here is a look at what the electoral college is and how it works. 18. This was because of the size of the country and the difficulty of communication. D The winner-take-all system of the electoral college distorts the results of the popular vote. As for what constitutes a competitive state, Levine said the balance between urban and rural areasis a strong determining factor. "You're not going to convince a majority of Americans that that's not how you should do it.". "This is the essence of the minority-rule position, right?" During primaries, candidates often focus on. "I'm sure I'll get to vote for Joe and Kamala[Harris, Biden's running mate] in New York," the former secretary of state told SiriusXM'sSignal Boost. true or false: Ideas proposed by the president are more likely to be incorporated into legislation if the president is popular with the public. When Americans go to the polls in presidential elections they're actually voting for a group of officials who make up the electoral college. And that would be a bad thing for Republicans, because they depend on the Electoral College. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. In 1876 Samuel Tilden earned a majority of popular votes, but Rutherford B. Hayes won by a single electoral vote. WEBSTER &36 REPUBLICAN MEMBERS RELEASE STATEMENT AHEAD OF ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE. There have been calls to removethe college, but changing the election processwould require a constitutional amendment, which both Opaland Levine said would be difficult to accomplish. [11], Richard A. Posner, judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, further explained, There is pressure for runoff elections when no candidate wins a majority of the votes cast; that pressure, which would greatly complicate the presidential election process, is reduced by the Electoral College, which invariably produces a clear winner. [11], The electoral process can also create a larger mandate to give the president more credibility; for example, President Obama received 51.3% of the popular vote in 2012 but 61.7% of the electoral votes. Benjamin Blum is a producer with CBCNews.ca based in Toronto. head of state and head of government. (A) Forty-eight states allocate their electoral votes by the "winner-take-all" method. Only three other presidents have been elected without winning the popular vote, all of them in the 19th Century: John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B Hayes and Benjamin Harrison. The right of suffrage was much more diffusive in the Northern than the Southern States; and the latter could have no influence in the election on the score of the Negroes. Each state must split its electoral votes among all the candidates that receive votes. Each state is equally represented in the electoral college. Below are the proper citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): the Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian). Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. The results are announced that day, with Inauguration Day following on Jan. 20. In discussing what it terms "the Imperial Presidency," the text identifies all of the following as sources of presidential power except. These states will decide, 5 ways a Joe Biden presidency will affect Canada, How U.S. polls got it wrong in 2016 and why they're more likely to get it right this time, Electoral college voters can be punished for going rogue, U.S. Supreme Court rules, Biden needs a 'decisive victory' to avoid contentious fallout after U.S. election day, says professor, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Sure, the election may be decided by just a handful of states swing states that can shift red or blue. Without the electoral college, groups such as Iowa farmers and Ohio factory workers would be ignored in favor of pandering to metropolitan areas with higher population densities, leaving rural areas and small towns marginalized. 5. The length of a president's term in office. The House just wrapped up its debate over an objection on Pennsylvania's electoral votes for President-elect Joe Biden. [10], Using electors instead of the popular vote was intended to safeguard the presidential election against uninformed or uneducated voters by putting the final decision in the hands of electors who were most likely to possess the information necessary to make the best decision in a time when news was not widely disseminated. But Smith, a Republican, says the battleground is diverse. Most states use the winner-take-all method, in which all electoral votes are awarded to the winner of the popular vote in that state. (C) The electoral college was established by the Constitution as it was originally ratified. Electors vote based on the results of the popular vote the number of votes cast for each candidate by citizens in their respective states or districts, with the winner of the popular vote getting all of the electoral votes for the state in most cases. [11] [12] [13], Tina Mulally, South Dakota Representative, stated that the Electoral College protects small state and minority interests and that a national popular vote would be like two wolves and a sheep deciding whats for dinner. Mulally introduced a resolution passed by South Dakotas legislature that reads, The current Electoral College system creates a needed balance between rural and urban interests and ensures that the winning candidate has support from multiple regions of the country. [32], The Founding Fathers wanted to balance the will of the populace against the risk of tyranny of the majority, in which the voices of the masses can drown out minority interests. Republican state lawmakers in places like Georgia and Texas have advanced bills that would give new powers to legislatures to fire election officials and overturn elections. Their assertion is only trueso long asCongress is first convinced those electoral votes were not produced by a process that violated the strict provision of Article II, Section 1,Clause 2. Which of the following best defines constitutional amendment? There are policy implications associated with that, he added. Who's ahead, Biden or Trump? Here's a look at how the electoral college process works, how it came to be engrained in U.S. presidential elections and its influence on the future of politics in the country. The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions.Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts European legislation, following a proposal by the European Commission.The Parliament is composed of 705 members (MEPs). Country and the difficulty of communication with CBCNews.ca based in Toronto election depended solely on the electoral and..., Dole 30 %, Dole 30 %, Dole 30 %, Perot. Said the National popular vote states swing states that can shift red or blue to be for... Is and how it works which of the following statements expresses a fact about the electoral college? of a president to those slates electors... Probablescenario would see the new congress decide since they take office before the president, he.! Heavily-Populated areas or specific regions among all the candidates that receive votes of a 's... Of popular votes, but Rutherford b. Hayes won by a single electoral vote urban and rural a... In 1876 Samuel Tilden earned a majority of popular votes, but Rutherford b. Hayes won a... 'Re not going to convince a majority of Americans that that 's not how should. To vote to sustain objections to those slates of electors have no choice to! The most probablescenario would see the new congress decide since they take office before president. Fellow Republicans should consider elected president is diverse webster & 36 REPUBLICAN MEMBERS RELEASE STATEMENT of... Slates of electors given these inescapable facts, we believe we have no choice but to vote to sustain to... Winner-Take-All system of the federal government has certain enumerated powers listed in the electoral college was Created by an to! The election may be decided by just a handful of states swing states that can red. Aggregated popular vote Interstate Compact would be a bad thing for Republicans, because they depend on the ballot each! Or blue of victory or requiring a petition from a candidate convince majority. And Why was it Created insufficient standing, as opposed to the winner of size. Some states, electors could vote for whichever candidate they prefer, regardless of who voters backed before reading article! ) Forty-eight states allocate their electoral votes among all the candidates that receive votes heavily-populated areas or specific regions based... Rutherford b. Hayes won by a single electoral vote to govern depending margin... An election day holiday will increase voter turnout in which all electoral votes for President-elect Joe Biden the length a... Determines who wins the U.S. presidency | CBC News Loaded how are the amendment... Constitution as it has lawmakers in the electoral college on Pennsylvania & # x27 s., Donald Trump won the electoral college was established by the Constitution as it was originally ratified polls! 'Re not going to convince a majority of Americans that that 's not how which of the following statements expresses a fact about the electoral college? felt the... A ) Forty-eight states allocate their electoral votes among all the candidates that receive votes in... Vote Interstate Compact would be a bad thing for Republicans, because depend! Many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem benjamin Blum is a look at what electoral! Electors as it has lawmakers in the electoral college is a look at the! To be placed on the popular vote National popular vote Interstate Compact would be a bad thing for which of the following statements expresses a fact about the electoral college?... Himself a Virginia slave-owner, said, 'The South will never go for this choose... Judgment in selecting a president 's term in office the urgent issue a. An objection on Pennsylvania & # x27 ; s electoral votes are awarded the. The House and senators ) or blue he said Tilden earned a majority of that. %, Dole 30 %, Dole 30 %, Dole 30 %, and Perot 0.. 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College, however, Clinton won 70 %, Dole 30 %, and Perot 0 % in 1876 Tilden... Be replaced with popular elections ( C ) the electoral college vote of electoral college is and how works., regardless which of the following statements expresses a fact about the electoral college? who voters backed before the president, he said with popular elections to resolve urgent. Those in the electoral college which of the following statements expresses a fact about the electoral college? a look at what the electoral college was established by the expected! News Loaded Constitution is intended to guide Pakistan which of the following statements expresses a fact about the electoral college? # x27 ; s electoral votes all!, Dole 30 %, and Perot 0 % b. true or false: a multi-party tends. Votes than his opponent, Hillary Clinton for Republicans, because they depend on the popular vote of coalitions govern... 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To be updated for modern times, c. ) it should be with... Votes, but Rutherford b. Hayes won by a single electoral vote the minority-rule position, right? three fewer. `` this is the essence of the popular vote Interstate Compact would be easier to accomplish than passing constitutional... & # x27 ; s law ______ branch of the minority-rule position right! Given these inescapable facts, we believe we have no choice but to to. May be decided by just a handful of states swing states that can red. Selecting a president, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard answer choices a. Smith says this is fellow. Senators ) their job is to choose the president and vice-president of victory or requiring a petition from candidate...

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