Election Process for President

SSCG 10: D Analyze the role of the Electoral College in electing the President and the clarification provided in the 12th Amendment.
Describe the electoral college in relation to the presidential election.

1 answer

The Electoral College is a unique system established in the United States Constitution for electing the President and Vice President. Unlike a direct popular vote, the Electoral College involves a series of electors selected by each state, who ultimately cast votes on behalf of their state’s citizens. This process is designed to balance the influence of populous states with less populous ones in the presidential election.

Structure of the Electoral College

  1. Electors: Each state is allocated a number of electors equal to its total number of Senators (always 2) and Representatives in the House. There are 538 electors in total, and a majority of 270 electoral votes is required to win the presidency.

  2. Selection of Electors: Political parties in each state typically nominate their slate of electors, who are often party loyalists or prominent members of the party. When citizens cast their votes during the presidential election, they are actually voting for their chosen party’s slate of electors.

  3. Winning the Popular Vote: Most states use a winner-takes-all system, where the candidate who wins the majority of the popular vote in that state receives all of its electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska are exceptions, using a proportional allocation of their electoral votes.

The Role of the Electoral College

The Electoral College serves several roles:

  • Balancing Influence: It ensures that smaller states still have a significant voice in the electoral process. For example, Wyoming has a much smaller population than California, but each state has a minimum of three electoral votes, which gives less populous states a relatively higher influence in the election process compared to larger states.

  • Federalism: The system reflects the federal nature of the United States, with the states playing a significant role in the national electoral process.

  • Encouraging Broad Campaigning: Candidates must appeal to a wider range of voters across diverse states, rather than focusing solely on populous urban areas, as they need to secure electoral votes from multiple states to win.

The 12th Amendment

Ratified in 1804, the 12th Amendment clarified the process of electing the President and Vice President through the Electoral College. The key points of the amendment include:

  • Separate Ballots: Initially, electors cast two votes for President, and the candidate with the highest votes became President while the second became Vice President. The 12th Amendment changed this by requiring electors to cast separate votes for President and Vice President to avoid a tie situation and to ensure that the two positions would not be held by candidates from opposing parties.

  • House of Representatives in Case of a Tie: If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes for President, the election is decided by the House of Representatives, with each state delegation casting one vote. In contrast, if there is a tie for Vice President, the Senate decides the election.

Conclusion

The Electoral College is a fundamental aspect of the U.S. presidential election process, designed to balance representation among the states while promoting a nationwide campaign strategy. The clarification provided by the 12th Amendment enhances this system by ensuring distinct voting procedures for two key offices in the executive branch, thereby striving to prevent electoral disputes and enhance the stability of the electoral process.