Simone Lawson
The Electoral College is a process, not a place, that was established by the Founding Fathers 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 process is part of the original design of the US Constitution. Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment refer to
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Founding Fathers' intention | To establish 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 |
| Number of Electors | 538 |
| Majority required to elect the President | 270 Electoral Votes |
| Electors' meeting place | Their respective States |
| Electors' voting method | Ballot |
| Electors' voting criteria | Two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves |
| Electors' post-voting procedure | Make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate |
| Votes' counting procedure | The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted |
| Votes' counting criteria | The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such a Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who has such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person has a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner choose the President |
| Votes' counting time | The first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December after the general election |
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What You'll Learn
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College
The term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution, but Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment refer to "electors." Since the Electoral College process is part of the original design of the U.S., it would require a Constitutional amendment to change this system. Over the past 200 years, more than 700 proposals have been introduced in Congress to reform or eliminate the Electoral College.
The Electoral College 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 Electoral College consists of 538 electors, with each state having 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. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President.
The process for choosing the President and Vice President is outlined in Article II, Section 1, Clause 3 of the Constitution. The Electors meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for two persons, one of whom is not an inhabitant of the same state as themselves. They then make a list of the persons voted for and the number of votes each person received. This list is signed, certified, and transmitted sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate opens all the certificates in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, and the votes are counted.
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The Constitution does not mention Electoral College
The Constitution of the United States does not explicitly mention the "Electoral College". 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. However, the term "electoral college" is absent from the Constitution. Instead, Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment refer to "electors", who are the individuals that make up the Electoral College.
The Electoral College is a unique and complex state-based process designed to filter public opinion through a "deliberative" intermediate institution. This system, which is unlike the direct popular vote systems used in most democratic nations, has been criticised for consigning most states to "spectator" status in presidential elections, reducing voter turnout, and dramatically polarising the nation's politics.
Despite the absence of the term "electoral college" in the Constitution, the Electoral College process is an integral part of the original design of the United States Constitution. As a result, any changes to this system would require a Constitutional amendment. Over the past 200 years, there have been numerous proposals to reform or eliminate the Electoral College, with more proposals for Constitutional amendments on this topic than any other subject.
The process of amending the Constitution typically requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states. Despite the many proposals, none have been passed by Congress, and the Electoral College system remains in place.
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Article II and the 12th Amendment refer to 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 by popular vote. The term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution, but Article II and the 12th Amendment refer to "electors".
Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Constitution states that each state shall appoint electors in a manner directed by the state legislature. The number of electors each state appoints is equal to the number of Senators and Representatives the state has in Congress. However, no Senator, Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States can be an Elector.
The Electors meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for two people, one of whom is not an inhabitant of the same state as themselves. They then create a list of the people voted for and the number of votes each person received. This list is signed, certified, and sent to the President of the Senate, who opens the certificates in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, and the votes are counted.
The person with the highest number of votes becomes President if they have a majority of the whole number of electors appointed. If there is a tie, the House of Representatives chooses the President by ballot from the five names with the most votes. The process for selecting the President and Vice President is outlined in Article II, Section 1, Clause 3. However, this provision was superseded by the 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804.
The Electoral College process consists of selecting electors, the meeting of electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of electoral votes by Congress. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors, and a majority of 270 electoral votes are required to elect the President.
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The Electoral College is a process, not a place
The Electoral College 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 Electoral College consists of 538 electors, with each state having the same number of electors as it has members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two Senators. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President.
The voters in each state choose electors to serve in the Electoral College. The State Executive of each state signs the Certificate of Ascertainment to appoint the electors chosen in the general election. The electors in each state then meet to select the President and Vice President of the United States. Finally, Congress meets in a joint session to count the electoral votes.
The Electoral College has been criticised as "archaic" and "ambiguous," and there have been many proposals to reform or eliminate it. However, supporters of the Electoral College argue that it preserves an important dimension of state-based federalism in presidential elections and guarantees that Presidents will have nationwide support.
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The College consists of 538 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 by popular vote. The College consists of 538 electors, with each state appointing a number of electors equal to the number of Senators and Representatives to which the state is entitled in Congress. This means that each state has the same number of electors as it has Members in its Congressional delegation: one for each Member in the House of Representatives plus two Senators. The District of Columbia is allocated three electors and is treated like a state for Electoral College purposes under the 23rd Amendment.
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 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 themselves. They then make a list of the persons voted for and the number of votes each person received. This list is signed, certified, and transmitted to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate then opens all the certificates, and the votes are counted.
The voters in each state choose electors to serve in the Electoral College. The state executive of each state then signs the Certificate of Ascertainment to appoint the electors chosen in the general election. The appointment and mode of appointment of electors are determined by the states under the Constitution. There is no uniform national system for appointing electors, and legislatures do not have to consult the public.
The Electoral College has been criticised as "archaic" and "ambiguous", and there have been many proposals to reform or eliminate it. However, supporters argue that it preserves an important dimension of state-based federalism in presidential elections and guarantees that Presidents will have nationwide support.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution. However, Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment refer to "electors."
The Electoral College is a process, not a place. It is a system used to choose the President of the United States. The Founding Fathers established it 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 consists of 538 electors. The voters in each state choose electors to serve in the Electoral College. These electors then meet in their respective states to vote for the President and Vice President. A majority of 270 electoral votes are required to elect the President.
Yes, since the Electoral College is part of the original design of the U.S. Constitution, it can be changed through a Constitutional amendment. Over the past 200 years, there have been more than 700 proposals to reform or eliminate the Electoral College.
