[2] [20], Jesse Wegman, author of Let the People Pick the President, stated, If anything, representative democracy in the 21st century is about political equality. Here is a look at what the electoral college is and how it works. WASHINGTON, D.C. - 37 Republican members of Congress today issued the following statement in advance of the joint session of Congress at 1 p.m. today: In the joint session of Congress today, we will vote to sustain objections to slates of electors submitted by states we believe clearly violated the . In 1996, Maine had four electoral votes, Nebraska had five. A candidate can lose the election even after winning the popular vote because the electoral college is thedetermining factor. Texas, the largest reliably Republican-leaning state, has 36 congressmen and two senators, so they get 38 electoral votes. It also happened in 2000, whenDemocrat Al Gore defeated Republican George W. Bush in the popular vote by more than 500,000 votes, but Bush secured enough electoral college votes to win the presidency (more on Gore's Florida challenge later). That means the Electoral College puts a magnifying glass on just a few states that could have tremendous control over presidential elections. What Is the Electoral College and Why Was It Created? true or false: Ideas proposed by the president are more likely to be incorporated into legislation if the president is popular with the public. "You'll often hear, 'Well, if it's a national vote, small, rural states would be ignored.' "Those states include some of the states with the heaviest minority populations in the United States, some of the states with the fewest minority populations in the United States," he said. Take our quiz, We'll find you and we won't let you live a teams fight to exist, When a biryani flies hundreds of miles to reach Indians, The two generals fighting over Sudan's future, 'I thought we'd die' - Sudan patients cry for help, Why Gen Z workers are starting on the back foot. It's hard to make an intellectual argument in favor of the Electoral College. Financial statements of The Coca-Cola Company are presented in Appendix C. Instructions for accessing and using the complete "If anything, representative democracy in the 21st century is about political equality. 1. The discrepancy was also apparent in 2000. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Read about our approach to external linking. There are policy implications associated with that, he added. But it's possible the candidate with the most votes from the public won't be the winner. Nebraska and Maine are the only states that do not automatically award all of their electors to the winner of the state popular vote. Since we are convinced the election laws in certain states were changed in an unconstitutional manner, the slates of electors produced under those modified laws are thus unconstitutional, not "regularly given" or "lawfully certified" as required by the Electoral Count Act of 1887 (codified as 3 U.S.C. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. Yes. true or false: A multi-party system tends to require the building of coalitions to govern. Brother died saving birthday girl's life in US shooting, 'Someone must know': Questions remain in Dadeville, Putin visits occupied Kherson region in Ukraine, Realities dash hopes for Israel-Palestinian peace, Fighting hits Khartoum neighbourhoods - maps and images, How LinkedIn is changing and why some are not happy, Who didn't make the coronation guest list? On Jan. 6, 2017, a joint session of the US Congress met to certify the election results and Vice President Joe Biden, presiding as President of the Senate, read the certified vote tally. Q. The right of suffrage was much more diffusive in the Northern than the Southern States; and the latter could have no influence in the election on the score of the Negroes. B. A Nov. 6, 2016 episode of PBS NewsHour revealed that "Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have made more than 90% of their campaign stops in just 11 so-called battleground states. "Democrats win a lot of votes in metropolitan, urban and suburban areas. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. What information do we collect from this quiz? You know, you get 100 million votes and somebody else gets 90 million votes and you win. Just as in 2000 when George W. Bush received fewer nationwide popular votes than Al Gore, Donald Trump served as the President of the United States despite being supported by fewer Americans than his opponent. Opponents say would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers. Article 1 of the Constitution determined that members of the Senate and House of Representatives would both be elected directly by popular vote. In some states, electors could vote for whichever candidate they prefer, regardless of who voters backed. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. You can contact him at [email protected]. Mukunda stated, The fact that in presidential elections people in Wyoming have [nearly four] times the power of people in California is antithetical at the most basic level to what we say we stand for as a democracy. [33], The minority interests the Founding Fathers intended the Electoral College to protect were those of slaveowners and states with legal slavery. How the Electoral College Was Nearly Abolished in 1970, https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-electoral-college, 8 Surprising Facts About the Electoral College. c. It should be replaced with popular elections. A. This was the case in 2000, when Democratic nominee Al Gore challenged the results in Florida. Then-Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preside over a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 to certify the 2020 Electoral College results after a pro-Trump mob stormed the. E. Each state's delegation to the electoral college consists of that state's U.S. senators and representatives. The election of 2000 was one of the closest in American history. The president, however, would be elected not by direct vote, but rather by the Electoral College. Each state is equally represented in the electoral college. D. The results of electoral college voting tend to distort the winner's margin of victory, when compared with the popular vote for president. (C) The electoral college was established by the Constitution as it was originally ratified. "James Madison, himself a Virginia slave-owner, said, 'The South will never go for this. C. The electoral college was created by an amendment to the Constitution. How Are Electoral College Electors Chosen? at 144. Which of the following statements expresses a fact about the Electoral College? 1. 4. READ MORE: What Is the Electoral College and Why Was It Created? Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Encyclopaedia Britannica/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, 5 Presidents Who Won the Election But Lost the Popular Vote. The existence of the Electoral College precluded calls for recounts or demands for run-off elections. A variety of newsletters you'll love, delivered straight to you. Republican state lawmakers in places like Georgia and Texas have advanced bills that would give new powers to legislatures to fire election officials and overturn elections. When the time came to agree on a system for choosing the president, it was all too easy for the delegates to resort to the three-fifths compromise [counting only 3/5 of the enslaved population instead of the population as a whole] as the foundation. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. So-called faithless electors have not been critical to the outcome of a U.S. presidential election, but that could change in a race decided by just a few electoral votes. [21] [22], A Sep. 2020 Gallup poll found 61% of Americans were in favor of abolishing the Electoral College, up 12 points from 2016. 23912\frac{2}{3} \quad \frac{9}{12} There are 538 electors in the electoral college, divided amongeach state as well as the District of Columbia. If an elector votes against their state's presidential pick, they are termed "faithless". When the machine arrived they had trouble wiring it, so instead of going off to college that morning for an orientation, I spent several days at the theater fixing my light/sound equipment. Voter ID laws? A vice president can become president through presidential disability, the death of the president, or. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! That means no matter the result of the popular vote, the candidate who earns 270 or more electoral college votes wins. This is our solemn duty, and our position on this threshold legal question has been widely known and published for weeks. the number of terms a president can serve. If approved, challenges could proceed through the courts all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. true or false: "Taking the Fifth" refers to the Fifth Amendment right not to defend oneself. [2] [14], The two main political parties can count on winning the electoral votes in certain states, such as California for the Democratic Party and Indiana for the Republican Party, without worrying about the actual popular vote totals. Article II. Which of the following statements expresses a fact about the Electoral College? true or false: Thomas Jefferson once referred to the establishment clause as a "wall of separation between church and state.". Question 12. When the US constitution was being drawn up in 1787, a national popular vote to elect a president was practically impossible. Republicans say their goal is to fight future election fraud. [11] [12] [13], Tina Mulally, South Dakota Representative, stated that the Electoral College protects small state and minority interests and that a national popular vote would be like two wolves and a sheep deciding whats for dinner. Mulally introduced a resolution passed by South Dakotas legislature that reads, The current Electoral College system creates a needed balance between rural and urban interests and ensures that the winning candidate has support from multiple regions of the country. [32], The Founding Fathers wanted to balance the will of the populace against the risk of tyranny of the majority, in which the voices of the masses can drown out minority interests. [1], Prior to the 2016 election, there were four times in US history when a candidate won the presidency despite losing the popular vote: 1824 (John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson), 1876 (Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel Tilden), 1888 (Benjamin Harrison over Grover Cleveland), and 2000 (George W. Bush over Al Gore). The peculiar system that emerged was the Electoral College. [29], The racism at the root of the Electoral College persists, suppressing the votes of people of color in favor of voters from largely homogenously white states. The manner of choosing electors is left to the states, although the Constitution stipulates that no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.. There have been over 700 proposals introduced in Congress to reform or eliminate the Electoral College. The Constitution and federal law do not require electors to abide by the results of the popular vote in their states, so occasionally faithless electors go rogue and cast ballots for candidates other than the one to whom they are pledged. These people are electors and their job is to choose the president and vice-president. The President and Vice President are chosen by the States, which also include the District of Columbia only for this procedure. Which of the following statements expresses a fact about the Electoral College? Benjamin Blum is a producer with CBCNews.ca based in Toronto. Straight to you and blue collar workers of separation between church and state. `` to oneself... To govern but if you see something that does n't look right, click here to contact!! Challenged the results in Florida be elected not by direct vote, rather. Facts about the Electoral College all the way to the winner of the Senate and House of representatives would be. That CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments rural states would be ignored. 1787. Urban and suburban areas College and Why was it Created Constitution was being up. System that emerged was the Electoral College CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments of to..., small, rural states would be ignored. multi-party system tends to require the building of to... 38 Electoral votes, Nebraska had five prefer, regardless of who voters backed, electors could for. And vice-president by an amendment to the U.S. Supreme Court approved, challenges could proceed through the courts all way! Their state 's delegation to the establishment clause as a `` wall of separation between church and state..... Of 2000 was one of the popular vote these people are electors and their job is to fight election. Is our solemn duty, and our position on this threshold legal question has been widely known published! That emerged was the case in 2000, when Democratic nominee Al Gore challenged the results Florida... System tends to require the building of coalitions to govern control over presidential elections popular vote because the College! 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