Understanding the Electoral College
From the presidential debates and election cycles that bombard us with information, the Electoral College can seem daunting and a bit of a mystery. Since it was established in Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the Electoral College has been a part of the election process and continues to be so today. Whether you are a citizen, a voter, or a candidate, understanding the Electoral College is essential to knowledgeable voting.
What is the Electoral College?
The Electoral College is the body of individuals appointed by the Congress to elect the President of the United States. It was created as a compromise between the direct popular election and the selection by state legislatures when the Constitution was written. Each state gets a number of Electoral College representatives that corresponds to the number of its U.S. senators and representatives. The current Electoral College consists of 538 electors, with the number allocated based on the 2020 United States Census.
How Does the Electoral College Work?
The Electoral College consists of 538 electors, and a majority of 270 are required to elect the president. On Election Day, the citizens of each state and the District of Columbia cast votes for a party’s nominee. The winning candidate receives all of a state’s Electoral College votes, except in Maine and Nebraska, which splits some of their electoral votes depending on the popular vote in congressional districts.
The Electoral College system produces a winner-take-all election when the president-elect is determined by the electoral votes each candidate has received. In some states, the winner of the popular vote in that state gets all the state’s Electoral College votes; in others, the candidate with the most votes among the total number of congressional districts may get more votes, but the individual district’s votes don’t count toward the Electoral College tally. If no candidate crosses the 270 electoral vote threshold, the President is elected via a Contingent Election in the House of Representatives.
Impact of the Electoral College
The Electoral College system has a tangible impact on national politics. Certain candidates may be disadvantaged by the system because the Electoral College casts all its votes for the state’s winner, regardless of the narrow margins of victory or losses among individual congressional districts. This means states with large populations such as California or New York will have their candidate win a state’s electoral votes, even if the popular vote is much smaller than the other side’s.
The Electoral College has been criticized as an outdated system which doesn’t reflect the popular vote of the nation. Although attempts to reform the system have been made in the past, the nature of the system requires a Constitutional Amendment, which requires ratification by three-fourths of the states, to make any significant changes.
Conclusion
The Electoral College is an essential part of the American political system and will continue to play a role in determining the president in the years ahead. The ultimate determination of the outcome is in the hands of the people and their choices in casting their votes, regardless of the system. It is important for the public to be informed and educated on the nature of the system so they can make the informed decision when they cast their ballot in the next election cycle.