Eleanor Finch
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 the election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The term electoral college does not appear in the Constitution, but the role of electors is outlined in Article II, Section 1, Clause 2, which states that no Senator, Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States shall be appointed an elector. Electors are chosen by voters in each state to serve in the Electoral College and meet to select the President and Vice President of the United States. While there is no constitutional provision requiring electors to vote according to the popular vote in their states, some states mandate that electors cast their votes according to the popular vote.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who appoints electors | Each state appoints electors |
| Qualifications to be an elector | The U.S. Constitution contains very few provisions. Article II, section 1, clause 2 provides that no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector. |
| Electoral College | Established by the Founding Fathers 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 |
| Electors' vote | Electors do not vote twice for President. They are the only ones who actually vote for President. There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their states. |
| Election Day | The voters in each state choose electors to serve in the Electoral College. |
| Electors Appointed | The State Executive of each state signs the Certificate of Ascertainment to appoint the electors chosen in the general election. |
| Electors Vote | Electors in each state meet to select the President and Vice President of the United States. |
| Congress Counts the Vote | Congress meets in a joint session to count the electoral votes. |
| Inauguration Day | The President-Elect is sworn in as President of the United States. |
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What You'll Learn
Electors choose the President and Vice President
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 the election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The Electoral College is a process that 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.
Each State's Certificate of Ascertainment confirms the names of its appointed electors. A State's certification of its electors is generally sufficient to establish the qualifications of electors. Electors are chosen by voters in each State to serve in the Electoral College. The U.S. Constitution contains very few provisions relating to the qualifications of electors. Article II, section 1, clause 2 provides that no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector.
Electors meet to select the President and Vice President of the United States. The Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804, outlines the process for selecting the President and Vice President. After the electors have chosen the President, the person with the second-highest number of electoral votes becomes the Vice President. However, if there are two or more candidates with the same number of votes, the Senate chooses the Vice President by ballot.
Electors do not vote twice for President. When they vote in the November general election, they are voting for themselves to become electors. Electors are the only ones who vote for the President. There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their States. However, some States require electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote. Electors are bound by State law or pledges to political parties.
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Electors are not bound by the popular vote
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College, which includes electors, in the Constitution as 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 Electoral College is a process, not a place. The 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.
The U.S. Constitution contains very few provisions related to the qualifications of electors. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 provides that no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector. The 14th Amendment disqualifies state officials who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States from serving as electors.
The Electoral College has periodically produced winners who lost the national popular vote. This occurred in the 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016 elections. For example, in the 2000 election, Vice President Al Gore received over 500,000 more votes than Governor George W. Bush, but Bush won in the Electoral College.
There have been many proposals to reform or eliminate the Electoral College, and it remains a controversial topic.
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Qualifications to be an elector
The U.S. Constitution contains very few provisions relating to the qualifications of electors. However, Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution states that no Senator, Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States shall be appointed an elector. This means that electors cannot be members of Congress or hold certain government positions.
Additionally, the 14th Amendment disqualifies state officials who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States or given aid to its enemies from serving as electors. This amendment was added after the Civil War to prevent those who had taken up arms against the U.S. government or supported its enemies from holding positions of power.
The process of selecting electors is a two-part process. Firstly, political parties in each state choose potential electors before the general election. These individuals are known as a "slate," and each candidate running for President has their own group of electors. State laws vary on how these electors are selected and what their responsibilities are.
After the general election, the state's executive prepares a Certificate of Ascertainment, which lists the names of the individuals on each candidate's slate and the number of votes each received. This certificate also shows which individuals have been appointed as electors for the state. The Certificate of Ascertainment is sent to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) as part of the official records of the presidential election.
While electors have the power to choose the President and Vice President, they are not required by the Constitution or Federal law to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their states. However, some states require electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote, and political parties may also extract pledges from electors to vote for their nominees.
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Electors are chosen by voters in each state
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 the election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The Electoral College is a process, not a place. Electors are chosen by voters in each state to serve in the Electoral College.
The U.S. Constitution contains very few provisions relating to the qualifications of electors. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 provides that no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector. The 14th Amendment further provides that state officials who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States or given aid and comfort to its enemies are disqualified from serving as electors.
Choosing each state's electors is a two-part process. First, the political parties in each state choose slates of potential electors sometime before the general election. Each candidate running for President has their own group of electors, generally chosen by the candidate's political party in that state. However, state laws vary on how electors are selected and what their responsibilities are.
After the general election, the state's executive prepares a Certificate of Ascertainment listing the names of all the individuals on the slates for each candidate, the number of votes each individual received, and which individuals were appointed as electors. The Certificate of Ascertainment is sent to NARA as part of the official records of the Presidential election.
Electors do not vote twice for President. When they vote in the November general election, they are voting for themselves to be electors. They are the only ones who actually vote for the President, which they do at the meeting of the electors. There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their states. Some states, however, require electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote.
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The Electoral College was established by the Founding Fathers
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution, in part, as 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 Electoral College is a process, not a place. It 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.
The Constitution contains very few provisions relating to the qualifications of electors. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 provides that no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector. Each State's Certificate of Ascertainment confirms the names of its appointed electors. A State's certification of its electors is generally sufficient to establish the qualifications of electors.
Choosing each State's electors is a two-part process. First, the political parties in each State choose slates of potential electors sometime before the general election. Electors do not vote twice for President. When they vote in the November general election, they aren't electors yet; they are voting for themselves to be electors. They are the only ones who actually vote for President, which they do at the meeting of the electors.
There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their States. Some States, however, require electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote. These pledges fall into two categories: electors bound by State law and those bound by pledges to political parties.
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Frequently asked questions
Electors are responsible for voting for the President and Vice President of the United States. Electors are chosen by voters in each state during the general election.
The Electoral College is a process established by the Founding Fathers in the 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.
Electors are chosen by voters in each state during the general election. The political parties in each state choose slates of potential electors before the general election.
The U.S. Constitution contains few provisions relating to the qualifications of electors. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 states that no Senator, Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States shall be appointed an elector.
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