The Electoral Process: Presidential Elections

Presidential Elections: The Electoral Process Steps to the Election: • Primaries and Caucuses: Elections held within parties to help determine who the party’s candidate should be. Vary by state.  People vote for who they want to be the candidate in their party.  State decides: • Whether to have caucus or primary • Requirements to get on ballot • Date of primary/caucus (earliest are in January)

New Hampshire/Iowa • First two primaries/caucuses to happen. Candidates who get a lot of votes here get media attention and federal money for their campaigns. • Very much a grassroots effort. Candidates must go into voters’ homes, schools, businesses, etc.

Super Tuesday: • Tuesday in February when many states’ primaries and caucuses are held. Often after this date, it is obvious who the nominee is going to be for each party.

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National Party Convention: Each party meets in late summer after all Primaries and Caucuses are finished to pick the party’s candidate.  Delegates: people chosen to attend convention on behalf of each state and choose the candidate. • •

Each state is allowed a set number of delegates 2 options: •

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Proportional: based on how much % of the vote a candidate gets in the state’s primary or caucus, it gets that % of the delegate’s votes from that state Winner-Take All: Whoever gets the most votes in the state gets all of the state’s delegates.

Don’t forget super-delegates! Candidate with the most % of the vote within the party gets the party’s nomination.

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General Election: Election held on the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November, every 4 years, to choose the President of the United States.  People vote for the candidate they like by choosing the 

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Electors that represent that candidate. Candidate that gets the most popular vote gets all of the Electoral Votes for the state. o WINNER TAKE ALL State’s # of electoral votes equals the number of representatives they have in the House of Representatives plus 2 for Senators Candidate who gets the majority of Electoral Votes wins the election

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Electoral College Vote: Winning electors (who represent the winning candidate) meet in their State Capitals to cast their votes for President and Vice President.  This happens on the Monday after the 2nd Wednesday in December.  Then the votes are sent to Washington DC and opened in early January.

Flaws in the Electoral College: • Winner of Popular Vote may not win Electoral Vote  Bush vs. Gore, 2000  1824, 1876, and 1888 also • Nothing in Constitution or laws requires electors to vote for the candidate favored by the popular vote.  They usually do, but they aren’t required to. • Result of the election is decided in the House of Representatives if no majority is received in the Electoral College (like if there is a Plurality).  An example of this happening was in 1824.  Strong Third Party Candidates make it possible.

Number in the Electoral College= Number in Senate: 100 Number in House: 435 District of Columbia: 3 50% +1= 270 (magic number) McCain=265

538

Obama=260 Ventura=13 PLURALITY!!!

MINIMUM NUMBER Electoral votes=3

Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College District Plan Electors chosen same way as members of

Congress (2 senators and Reps based on Population. Votes cast according to Popular vote in elector’s district, not winner take all.

Proportional Plan

Direct Popular Election

Each candidate wins share of electoral vote that they get in the popular vote. Ex: Candidate with 40% popular vote gets 40% of state’s electoral votes. Get rid of electoral college system altogether

Keep electoral college and winner take all National Bonus Plan Winner of nation-wide popular vote would get an

extra 102 electoral votes. If all of those added up to a majority, then the candidate wins the Presidency. Gets rid of electors, just counts the electoral votes.

Reasons against Reform:  It is a known process  In most cases it determines the winner quickly and certainly  Reforming it would be a complicated process.

You will have a question on your politics test and your final exam about the electoral college. We are going to practice it now. • Make a case for either maintaining the use of the Electoral College or reforming it in some way. Be sure to fully explain what you plan to do and give at least 3 reasons for your choice.