5 presidents in U.S. historical past have received the presidency with out profitable the favored vote, and the newest to take action was Donald Trump in 2016. His opponent that yr, Hillary Clinton, received over 2.8 million extra votes than Trump nationwide, however she misplaced sufficient key states to be defeated within the Electoral Faculty, 306 to 232.
Trump misplaced each the favored vote and the Electoral Faculty to Joe Biden in 2020. (As soon as once more the electoral vote was 306 to 232, however this time within the Democrat’s favor.) Trump is the GOP nominee once more within the 2024 presidential election, in what’s formed as much as be a decent race in opposition to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Since its founding, the nation has used the Electoral Faculty to elect the president. Learn on to study extra about the way it works, its historical past and what position particular person voters play within the consequence of the presidential election.
What’s the Electoral Faculty and the way does it work?
The Electoral Faculty is the method by which Individuals elect their president and vp not directly by way of their state’s electors. Candidates should safe 270 electoral votes, a majority of the 538 at stake, so as to win the White Home.
Earlier than the final election, states choose slates of electors. After voters solid their ballots in November, the candidate who wins the favored vote determines which slate of electors — Republican, Democrat or a 3rd celebration — will solid electoral votes within the Electoral Faculty for the president.
In most states, it’s winner-take-all — whoever will get essentially the most votes within the state wins all of its electoral votes.
In Maine and Nebraska, the foundations are barely totally different. They’ve a proportional illustration system by which the winner of every congressional district is awarded one electoral vote, and the winner of the statewide vote is awarded every state’s remaining two electoral votes. Some Republicans have been hoping to vary Nebraska’s guidelines to a winner-take-all mannequin, since considered one of its electoral votes typically goes to the Democrat, however the effort fell brief.
Electors meet of their respective states in mid-December to solid their votes for the president. The assembly takes place the primary Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December, which falls on Dec. 17 this yr.
There isn’t a Constitutional provision or federal legislation that requires electors to vote for the candidate to whom they’re pledged, although they nearly at all times do. “Faithless electors” are uncommon, because the electors are chosen by the events.
What number of electors are within the Electoral Faculty?
There are 538 electors in whole throughout the 50 states and Washington, D.C.
What determines what number of electoral votes a state will get?
Every state is allotted electors primarily based on the scale of its congressional delegation. A number of states with the smallest populations — Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming — have three electors every, since they’ve one consultant within the Home and two senators, whereas California, the most important, has 54 electoral votes. Washington, D.C., can be allotted three electors.
States could acquire or lose electors because the inhabitants shifts, and there have been numerous adjustments because the 2020 presidential election.
Within the redistricting that adopted the 2020 Census, Texas gained two electoral votes and 5 states gained one every, whereas seven states misplaced one electoral vote.
Who chooses the electors?
The electors are chosen earlier than the final election by their respective political celebration. Their sole goal is to fulfill of their state following the November election and solid two votes — one for the president and one for the vp.
Who’re the electors?
Every celebration’s slate of electors could embody state and native elected officers, celebration leaders, neighborhood activists and others affiliated with the celebration. They’re usually chosen “to recognize their service and dedication to that political party,” the Nationwide Archives explains.
There are not any main {qualifications}, however members of Congress and sure different office-holders are barred from taking part, together with anybody who has engaged in revolt or insurrection.
What occurs if there’s a tie within the Electoral Faculty?
Within the uncommon occasion that there’s a tie within the Electoral Faculty — which within the trendy period would imply every candidate wins 269 electoral votes — members of the newly elected Home of Representatives would resolve the end result of the presidential election, whereas the Senate would choose the vp.
One of these contingent election would additionally happen if neither candidate wins a majority. This might happen if a third-party candidate wins a number of the electoral votes or if there are a selection of “faithless electors” who break their pledge and vote for a candidate aside from the one who received the state’s well-liked vote.
If it went to the Home, every state would get a single vote, whatever the dimension of its congressional delegation, and the 50 Home delegations (the District of Columbia wouldn’t take part) would choose one of many high three presidential candidates.
The vp could be chosen by a easy majority within the Senate, and all senators would have a vote. Consequently, it’s attainable that the president and vp could possibly be from totally different events.
For the reason that twelfth Modification was ratified in 1804, there have been contingent elections twice.
In 1824, 4 presidential candidates break up the vote, and no candidate received an electoral majority. John Quincy Adams received the election within the Home, although Andrew Jackson had received a plurality of the favored and electoral votes.
And in 1837, Martin Van Buren received a majority of electoral votes, however Virginia’s 23 electors refused to help his vice presidential candidate, Richard Johnson, and have become faithless electors. That left Johnson one vote brief, resulting in a contingent election within the Senate, which he received simply.
Why will we vote if the Electoral Faculty picks the president?
5 presidents in U.S. historical past have misplaced the favored vote and nonetheless managed to win the election, main some to surprise why the nation continues to maintain the Electoral Faculty in place. The Electoral Faculty was established in Article II of the Structure and could possibly be repealed by constitutional modification. However that’s a tough highway. Amendments require a two-thirds majority vote in each homes of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states, or 38 of the present 50.
In a 2023 Pew Analysis ballot, 65% of Individuals stated the president needs to be elected by way of the favored vote, not the Electoral Faculty. Lots of of proposals have been launched in Congress to vary the method through the years. There’s additionally a multi-state effort known as the Nationwide Widespread Vote Interstate Compact, which has been adopted by 17 states and Washington, D,C. That proposal would make sure that the winner of the favored vote will get all the electoral votes within the states that signed the compact — however it will solely go into impact if sufficient states agree.
So why maintain the Electoral Faculty in place if there’s a lot frustration from Individuals? Based on the Nationwide Archives, the Founding Fathers noticed the Electoral Faculty as a center floor between giving the choice to Congress or to a direct vote by residents. Proponents say it retains much less populous states from being underrepresented by discouraging candidates from campaigning disproportionately in city facilities which are extra closely populated.
What’s the historical past of the Electoral Faculty?
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral Faculty within the Structure in 1787. The time period “Electoral College” doesn’t seem within the nation’s historic doc, however the phrase “electors” does, the Nationwide Archives famous.
The ratification of the twelfth Modification in 1804 modified a number of the guidelines for the Electoral Faculty. For instance, it required separate electoral votes be solid for the president and vp. With the ratification of the twenty third Modification in 1961, the District of Columbia acquired three electors.
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