Isabella Carter
The Electoral College is a process, not a place, established by the Founding Fathers in the US Constitution. It is a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and the election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The College consists of 538 electors, with each state having the same number of electors as it does Members in its Congressional delegation. The Electors meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for two persons, one of whom must not be an inhabitant of the same state as the electors. The person with the greatest number of votes, provided that number constitutes a majority of the electors, is elected President.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| What is the Electoral College? | A process, not a place. |
| Who established it? | The Founding Fathers |
| Why was it established? | 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. |
| What is the process? | 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. |
| How many electors are there? | 538 electors |
| How many votes are required to elect the President? | 270 electoral votes |
| Who are the electors? | Electors are representatives who have the discretion to choose among the most fit of the candidates. |
| Who can be the President? | Only a natural-born Citizen or a Citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of the Constitution is eligible. The person must be at least 35 years old and have been a resident in the US for 14 years. |
| When do electors meet? | The first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December after the general election. |
| When does Congress count the votes? | January 6, unless it falls on a weekend, in which case Congress may change the date. |
| When is Inauguration Day? | January 20 |
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What You'll Learn
- The Electoral College is a process, not a place
- Electors are representatives with discretion to choose the most fitting candidates
- The founding fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution
- The Twelfth Amendment outlines the procedure for electing the president and vice president
- The Elections Clause does not govern voter qualifications
The Electoral College is a process, not a place
The Electoral College process can be broken down into three steps. Firstly, the selection of electors. These electors are generally chosen by popular vote in their respective states, although the method of selection can vary. For example, Maine and Nebraska have a variation of "proportional representation". Secondly, the electors meet and vote for the President and Vice President. The electors cannot vote for two individuals from their own state. Finally, Congress counts the electoral votes. A majority of 270 votes is required to elect the President.
The Electoral College was established in Article II, Section I of the Constitution and has been amended over time. The Twelfth Amendment, proposed in 1803 and ratified in 1804, changed the procedure by requiring each elector to cast one vote for President and one for Vice President. This amendment addressed the issue of multiple candidates tying in the Electoral College, as had occurred in 1800.
The Electoral College process is an important aspect of the US Constitution, providing a method for electing the President and Vice President that balances popular vote and congressional input. The Founding Fathers considered the selection of the President to be of utmost importance, and the Electoral College was designed to ensure a qualified and independent executive.
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Electors are representatives with discretion to choose the most fitting candidates
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution, creating a process for the selection of the president and vice president. The college consists of 538 electors, and a majority of 270 electoral votes are required to elect the president.
The process of electing the president and vice president involves each member of the Electoral College casting one vote for each office. The candidate who receives a majority of electoral votes for president is elected, while the candidate with the second-highest number of votes becomes vice president. In the case of a tie, or if no candidate receives a majority, the House of Representatives selects the president from the candidates with the highest number of votes.
The Electors meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for two persons, at least one of whom must not be an inhabitant of the same state as the electors. They then send a sealed list of the votes to the President of the Senate, who opens the certificates in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives.
While the Electoral College process gives electors discretion in choosing the president and vice president, their role is not without constraints. The Supreme Court has addressed the constitutional status of electors, and while there may be some ambiguity regarding the enforceability of pledges, the Electors ultimately have the responsibility to exercise their judgement and choose the candidates they deem most fit for office.
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The founding fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution
The founding fathers established the Electoral College in the US 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 Electoral College is a process, not a place.
The founding fathers were concerned about the dangers involved in the selection of the president, and they counted on the Electors to choose among the most fit of the candidates. The founding fathers intended for the Electoral College system to channel the energies of the major political figures who aspired to the highest office. If the choice of the president was restricted to those who had a proven record of service, it would signal to all the hopefuls to pursue a serious political career and avoid what Alexander Hamilton called “the little arts of popularity”.
The Twelfth Amendment (Amendment XII) to the United States Constitution, which was ratified in 1804, provides the procedure for electing the president and vice president. It replaced the procedure in Article II, Section 1, Clause 3, under which the Electoral College originally functioned. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors, and a majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. Each state has the same number of electors as it does Members in its Congressional delegation: one for each Member in the House of Representatives plus two Senators.
The Electors meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same state as themselves. The person with the greatest number of votes, provided that number constituted a majority of the electors, is elected president.
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The Twelfth Amendment outlines the procedure for electing the president and vice president
The Twelfth Amendment made several changes to the process of electing the president and vice president. Firstly, it mandated that electors cast distinct votes for president and vice president, rather than two votes for president. This change addressed a situation where the presidential candidate with the second-most votes would become vice president, which could be problematic if they were from the same state as the president. The amendment also required that one of the candidates voted for by each elector must reside in a different state.
The amendment outlines the process to be followed in the event that no candidate receives a majority of votes. In such cases, the House of Representatives chooses the president from the three candidates with the highest number of electoral votes, while the Senate selects the vice president from the two candidates with the highest votes if no candidate has a majority. This provision ensures that there is no leadership vacuum during the inter-term phase.
The Twelfth Amendment also addresses the scenario where the House fails to choose a president by March 4, stating that the vice president will assume the presidential duties until a candidate is chosen by Congress. This provision was later updated by the Twentieth Amendment, which changed the inauguration day to January 20.
The Electoral College, established by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, is a process for selecting the president and vice president. It represents a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and a popular vote of qualified citizens. The College consists of 538 electors, and a majority of 270 electoral votes are required to elect the President. The process includes the selection of electors, their meeting to vote, and the counting of electoral votes by Congress.
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The Elections Clause does not govern voter qualifications
The Elections Clause, outlined in Article 1, Section 4 of the US Constitution, grants states the power to determine the "times, places, and manner" of holding elections for the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. While this clause gives states primary authority over election administration, it does not empower them to impose additional voter qualifications.
The Elections Clause states that "The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations". This clause ensures that states have the authority to enact laws and regulations regarding public notices, voter registration, voter protection, fraud prevention, vote counting, and determining election results.
However, the Supreme Court has clarified that prescribing voting qualifications is not part of the power conferred upon the states by the Elections Clause. In the case of Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Ariz., Inc. (2013), the Court quoted Alexander Hamilton's Federalist No. 60, stating that the Elections Clause is "expressly restricted to the regulation of the times, the places, and the manner of elections".
The Constitution's Qualification Clauses, found in Article I, Section 2, Clause 2 for Members of the House of Representatives, and Article I, Section 3, Clause 3 for the Senate, govern the qualifications for voting for Congress. These clauses outline that anyone who is eligible to vote for the larger house of a state legislature may also vote for the US House and Senate. Therefore, neither the states nor Congress can establish additional qualifications for voting for Congress under the Elections Clause.
In summary, while the Elections Clause grants states significant authority in regulating elections for the US House and Senate, it does not empower them to impose voter qualifications. The establishment of voter qualifications is governed by separate clauses in the Constitution, ensuring that voting eligibility is consistent across congressional elections.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in Article II, Section I of the Constitution.
The Electoral College is a process for electing the President and Vice President. It is not a place.
The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. Each state appoints a number of electors equal to the number of Senators and Representatives the state has in Congress. The electors meet and vote for the President and Vice President, and Congress counts the votes. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President.
In a popular vote, the presidential candidate with the most votes wins. However, the Electoral College allows for a \"winner-take-all\" system where the candidate who wins the popular vote in a state may not receive any electoral votes from that state. This can lead to a candidate winning the electoral vote but losing the popular vote.
