Isabella Carter
The Electoral College is a process established by the Founding Fathers in the US Constitution to elect the President and Vice President of the United States. The College is comprised of 'electors' chosen by voters in each state, who then meet to select the President and Vice President. The College was established as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The College has been criticised as archaic and ambiguous, and while there have been many proposals to reform or eliminate it, it remains a part of the Constitution and would require a Constitutional amendment to change the system.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To elect the President and Vice President of the United States |
| Establishment | Established by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution |
| Reason | To compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens |
| Process | Consists of the selection of electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress |
| Number of Electors | 538 electors, with a majority of 270 electoral votes required to elect the President |
| Elector Selection | Voters in each state choose electors to serve in the Electoral College |
| Elector Appointment | The State Executive of each state appoints the electors chosen in the general election |
| Elector Vote | Electors in each state meet to select the President and Vice President |
| Vote Counting | Congress meets in a joint session to count the electoral votes |
| Inauguration | The President-Elect is sworn in as President of the United States |
| Constitutional Amendment | Requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states |
| Proposals for Reform | Over 700 proposals introduced in Congress to reform or eliminate the Electoral College |
| Public Opinion | Public opinion polls have shown a majority favour abolishing the Electoral College |
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What You'll Learn
The Founding Fathers' Compromise
The Founding Fathers Compromise refers to the establishment of the Electoral College in the US Constitution. The Founding Fathers debated for months on how to elect the President, with some arguing for a vote in Congress and others for a democratic popular vote. The Electoral College was their compromise between these two proposals.
The Electoral College is a process, not a place, and it is the formal body that elects the President and Vice President of the United States. Each state has as many "electors" as it has Representatives and Senators in Congress, and these electors are chosen by citizens in a popular vote. The term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution, but Article II and the 12th Amendment refer to "electors". The phrase "Electoral College" first appeared in federal law in 1845.
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College to reflect the "sense of the people" at a particular time, independent of the influence of "foreign powers". The choice would be made with a "full and fair expression of the public will", while maintaining "as little opportunity as possible" for tumult and disorder. Individual electors would be elected by citizens on a district-by-district basis, with the widest electorate allowed in each state. Electors would exercise independent judgment when voting, deliberating with the most complete information available.
However, the Electoral College has been criticised as "archaic" and "ambiguous", and there have been over 700 proposals in Congress to reform or eliminate it. In five historical cases, presidential candidates have won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College. This has led some to question the continued use of this system.
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The Role of Electors
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution, as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution, but the document does refer to
The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress.
The Founding Fathers debated for months, with some arguing that Congress should pick the president and others insisting on a democratic popular vote. Their compromise is known as the Electoral College. Technically, it is these electors, and not the American people, who vote for the president.
Today, electors are chosen in the general election. The State Executive of each State signs the Certificate of Ascertainment to appoint the electors. The electors in each State then meet to select the President and Vice President of the United States.
The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of Representatives and Senators in the United States Congress that the state has. The District of Columbia is allocated three electors and is treated like a State for purposes of the Electoral College.
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The Electoral College Today
The Electoral College is a process established by the Founding Fathers in the US Constitution as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and a popular vote of qualified citizens. The term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution, but Article II and the 12th Amendment refer to "electors". The college consists of 538 electors, and a majority of 270 electoral votes are required to elect the President.
The process involves the selection of electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress. The voters in each state choose electors to serve in the Electoral College, and the state executive of each state appoints the electors chosen in the general election. Electors are expected to vote for the candidate chosen by their state's popular vote, but this is not always the case.
The Electoral College has faced criticism and proposals for reform or elimination, with over 700 proposals introduced in Congress over 200 years. The system has been described as "archaic" and "ambiguous", and public opinion polls have shown majorities in favor of abolishing it at various points in time. However, the party in power typically benefits from the existence of the Electoral College, and it would take a constitutional amendment to change the process.
The Electoral College has also been the subject of debate due to instances where presidential candidates have won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College. This has occurred five times in history, including in 2016 and 2000. In most cases, a projected winner is announced on election night in November, but the actual Electoral College vote takes place in mid-December when the electors meet in their states.
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Public Opinion
The Electoral College system has been a source of contention among the American public, with a majority of Americans expressing a desire to abolish or reform it. The system, established by the Founding Fathers, was designed as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and a popular vote of qualified citizens. However, the term "electoral college" is not mentioned in the Constitution, and over the years, there have been numerous proposals to amend or eliminate it.
The American Bar Association has been particularly critical of the Electoral College, describing it as "archaic" and "ambiguous." Their polling in 1987 showed that 69% of lawyers favored getting rid of the system. On the other hand, surveys of political scientists have supported the continuation of the Electoral College.
The controversy surrounding the Electoral College is further exacerbated by the lack of a uniform national system for appointing electors. Each state has the authority to determine how its electors are chosen, which can lead to inconsistencies and unfairness in the process. This issue was highlighted in the 2000 presidential election, when members of the Florida legislature threatened to disregard the statewide popular vote and appoint electors for a specific candidate.
While the Electoral College system has been a part of the original constitutional design, public opinion and political discourse continue to shape its future. The increasing polarization of American politics and the recurring controversies associated with the Electoral College suggest that reform proposals, such as the National Popular Vote plan, will continue to gain traction and remain a subject of public debate.
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Changing the System
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution, but the process is part of the original design. Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment refer to "electors".
The Electoral College is a process, not a place. It is the formal body that elects the President and Vice President of the United States. Each state has as many "'electors' as it has Representatives and Senators in the United States Congress, and the District of Columbia has three electors. When voters go to the polls in a Presidential election, they vote for the slate of electors who have vowed to cast their ballots for that ticket in the Electoral College.
The process of changing the Electoral College system would require a constitutional amendment. Under the most common method for amending the Constitution, an amendment must be proposed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratified by three-fourths of the States. Over the past 200 years, more than 700 proposals have been introduced in Congress to reform or eliminate the Electoral College. However, none have been passed by Congress.
The process of changing the Electoral College system would face significant challenges due to the requirement of a supermajority in Congress and ratification by a large number of states. Additionally, the party in power typically benefits from the existence of the Electoral College, and the minority party has little chance of changing the system.
Despite the challenges, there have been proposals and efforts to reform or eliminate the Electoral College. Public opinion polls have shown varying levels of support for abolishing the system, with majorities ranging from 58% in 1967 to 81% in 1968. The American Bar Association has also criticized the Electoral College as "archaic" and "ambiguous," with a majority of lawyers favoring its abolition in 1987.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution. The term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution, but Article II and the 12th Amendment refer to
The Electoral College was established as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.
The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. Each state has as many electors as it has members of Congress (Representatives and Senators). The District of Columbia has three electors. The voters in each state choose electors to serve in the Electoral College, and the electors then meet to select the President and Vice President.
