By Corrie Dosh | ||
The founding
fathers of the United States had a disagreement when they were drafting the
constitution. When planning out how American leaders would be elected in the
fledging democracy, some said the uneducated masses couldn't be trusted in a
strict popular vote, so the authority over picking the president should go to
Congress. Not so fast, said critics, Congress could become corrupt with all that
power and we'll end up with the unchecked rule of a king, or worse.
The solution was Article II of the
Constitution—the Electoral College. This complex system allows citizens to vote
for electors, who are then tasked with casting the official votes for president.
The number of electors allowed in each state depends on how many representatives
it has in Washington. Every state gets two electors (equal to the two Senators
that represent each state) plus the number of its members in the House of
Representatives (a population-based division of 435 fixed seats, creating one
congressional district for each 674,000 residents and at least one per state.).
The District of Columbia gets three electors. Overall there are currently 538
electors and presidential candidates must win the majority (270) to win the
election. Confused yet? It gets worse.
Should none of the candidates win the 270
majority, then the election is decided by the House of Representatives. This has
happened twice in the past, with the elections of Thomas Jefferson in 1801 and
John Quincy Adams in 1825. In more recent history, candidates have won the
national popular vote, but failed to win the combination of individual states
that would give them the majority of electoral votes. This happened to Al Gore
in 2000, Benjamin Harrison in 1888 and Samuel J. Tilden in 1876.
Most of the time, electors vote for
whoever won the popular vote in their state, but there have been times when
electors have been "faithless" and voted for another candidate – which is
entirely legal. This bad behavior has not changed the course of any U.S.
election, yet.
There are two systems used by states to
direct electors in casting their votes. The first, and most widely used, is the
"winner-take-all" system, in which all electors of the state cast their vote for
the winner of the state's popular vote. The second, practiced in Maine and
Nebraska, is the "district system" in which two electors vote for the winner of
the popular vote and the remaining votes are divided by whomever won the
specific district.
With all the complexities of the Electoral
College, there are plenty of critics who say the system is outdated, unnecessary
and downright un-American. One vote for every citizen is a true democracy, they
say.
But is there any benefit to the Electoral
College?
For one, the system creates balance. A
strict popular vote could give rise to regionalism. For example, a popular
candidate in the heavily populated East Coast might propose to cut farm
subsidies for rural areas and lower taxes for city residents. The Electoral
College gives less populated states a stronger voice in national elections.
Second, the system supports Federalism, which was designed to give political
power on the state level, rather than the national level.
Obama vs. Romney
So what paths do President Obama and Governor
Romney take on the road to 270 electoral votes?
Even the most favorable predictions for
Governor Mitt Romney present a challenge to reach 270. Ohio, Florida, Virginia
and North Carolina are the major swing states for the election, and Romney must
win at least three of those states to win. With the selection of Wisconsin
congressman Paul Ryan as a running mate, he seems likely to win Wisconsin (10).
Losing in Ohio, where Obama has a lead, could prove a fatal blow because that
state is considered a traditional "must-win" for successful Republican
candidates. Romney will also have to win Florida and its treasure of 29
electoral votes.
President Obama is the favored to win,
despite the near-tie in the polls. Should he lose Ohio, he can still win with a
combination of Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado—states that have been
trending Democrat. Obama has been campaigning hard in Colorado, trying to win
over the state's growing Latino population. Another factor in Obama's favor: he
won all nine of the toss-up states in 2008.
The author is a freelance writer living in New York
City
|
Stig Östlund
onsdag, november 07, 2012
What is the 'Electoral College' and why does it matter?
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