. The only states that do things differently areNebraska and Maine, where two electors vote based on the results of the state's popular vote, and the others are determined based on the popular results in each congressional district within the state. "If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives elects the president from the three presidential . when nominated by the political party. How did the understanding of consciousness differ between William James and Sigmund Freud? head of state and head of government. true or false: Innovations in media have increased the number of people reporting on events and issues and expanded the ways in which citizens access information. (emphasis added). Indeed, just two decades ago, the Supreme Court plainly acknowledged this important deliberative role of Congress. "If anything, representative democracy in the 21st century is about political equality. Given these inescapable facts, we believe we have no choice but to vote to sustain objections to those slates of electors. The Electoral College comprises 538 electors; each state is allowed one elector for each Representative and Senator (DC is allowed 3 electors as established by the Twenty-Third Amendment). Consider the American Bar Associations fact check on whether the Electoral College can be abolished. 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 . We understand that our support of objections in the joint session may not be sustained by a majority of both houses of Congress. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? [24], For the 2020 election, electors voted on Dec. 14, and delivered the results on Dec. 23. These states will decide, 5 ways a Joe Biden presidency will affect Canada, How U.S. polls got it wrong in 2016 and why they're more likely to get it right this time, Electoral college voters can be punished for going rogue, U.S. Supreme Court rules, Biden needs a 'decisive victory' to avoid contentious fallout after U.S. election day, says professor, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. 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. In the four subject states, the legislatures did enact detailed rules and procedures by which those states were to determine their electors. And for Republicans, the system, with all its minoritarian features the Electoral College, the U.S. Senate, the filibuster, partisan gerrymandering is, at least for now, working in their favor. 1,et seq. Should the Electoral College be abolished? But in practice, electors almost always vote for the candidate who wins the most votes in their state. This is why presidential candidates target specific "swing states" - states where the vote could go either way - rather than trying to win over as many voters as possible across the country. Most states use the winner-take-all method, in which all electoral votes are awarded to the winner of the popular vote in that state. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. true or false: The commerce clause was created because presidents were committing troops abroad without notifying Congress. President Joe Biden was inaugurated with Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, 2021. 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.. Both times in 2000 and 2016 it was the Republican candidate who got fewer votes but ended up in the White House. Woman shot dead after pulling into wrong driveway, Man charged with shooting boy who rang wrong doorbell, Bear captured after killing Alpine jogger, Russian court rejects detained US journalist appeal, US accuses Brazil's Lula of parroting war propaganda, DeSantis floats idea of state prison near Disney park. Both Opal and Levine mentioned a way that the electoral college could be circumvented without abolishing it: the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Do electors have to vote for the candidate who won? Another way the Electoral College is unfair, says Harvard University political scientist Gautam Mukunda, is that each state gets electors based on its representation in the House and Senate, which means small states get extra votes. They have the votes to pass ballot restrictions, and in some cases they have never held public hearings. Because of the Electoral College, presidential candidates only need to pay attention to a limited number of states that can swing one way or the other. The House of Representatives, the lower house of US lawmakers, will then vote to elect the president. List two to three ways. A) A winner-take-all state allows for proportional representation of the popular vote in that state. What do you want to know about the U.S. election? In the electoral college, however, Clinton won 70%, Dole 30%, and Perot 0%. Youre not going to convince a majority of Americans that thats not how you should do it. [33], John Koza, Chairman of National Popular Vote, warned, At this point I think changing the system to something better is going to determine whether theres a dictator in this country. [27]. when the cabinet deems it necessary. Voter ID laws? "You don't have to convince the public that the system is fair. hide caption. c. It should be replaced with popular elections. Yes. However, as it pertains to our constitutional duty as Members of Congress on January 6, we have no express authority or ability to independently prove the many allegations of fraud in the subject states. 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. This is our solemn duty, and our position on this threshold legal question has been widely known and published for weeks. at 144. Digital media has had what impact on reporter-source relationships? There have been over 700 proposals introduced in Congress to reform or eliminate the Electoral College. true or false: Executive privilege allows the president to speak freely with advisers about strategy without fear that Congress will question what was said in private to arrive at that strategy. Smith says this is something fellow Republicans should consider. It needs to be updated for modern times. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. One reason that the justices take a preliminary vote is to. [25], On Monday Dec. 19, 2016, the electors in each state met to vote for President and Vice President of the United States. Drafted by the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, with additional assistance from the country's opposition parties, it was unanimously approved by the 5th Parliament on 10 April and ratified on 14 August 1973. Even though slaves didn't vote, they were counted in the US census (as three-fifths of a person). You can contact him at benjamin.blum@cbc.ca. true or false: The Bill of Rights arose in part because of Americans' experiences with Britain. There are policy implications associated with that, he added. 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. The Constitution of Pakistan (Urdu: ), also known as the 1973 Constitution, is the supreme law of Pakistan. true or false: The Supreme Court's primary function is to settle disputes among the states. 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. The length of a president's term in office. The statement was signed by Representatives Mike Johnson (LA-04), Robert Aderholt (AL-04), Rick Allen (GA-12), Jodey Arrington (TX-19), Brian Babin (TX-36), Jim Banks (IN-03), Mike Bost (IL-12), Jerry Carl (AL-01), Ben Cline (VA-06), Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Scott Franklin (FL-15), H. Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), Vicky Hartzler (MO-04), Richard Hudson (NC-08), Ronny Jackson (TX-13), John Joyce, M.D. California has the most electors - 55 - while a handful of sparsely populated states like Wyoming, Alaska and North Dakota (and Washington DC) have the minimum of three. A variety of newsletters you'll love, delivered straight to you. and more. Listen to a Constitution Center podcast exploring the pros and cons of the Electoral College. Onlythe state legislatures were given the authority to direct the manner of appointing presidential electors. 29, 1961). The election of 2000 was one of the closest in American history. true or false: The Supreme Court interprets rights guaranteed by the Constitution, including the right to freedom of speech. And, you know, they need to think about, how do we appeal to more people?". It happened in2016, whenTrump won a majority of electoral college votes despite falling short of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the popular vote by nearly three million. Q. Still, we are faced with a seminal legal question. true or false: Television and mass media have most influenced presidential campaigns and nominations by focusing attention on detailed comparisons of policy positions. Not a physical college, the electoral college isa process for electing the U.S. president. 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. (E) Senators and representatives are prohibited from the electoral college by the Constitution. Kiersten Schmidt and Wilson Andrews, "A Historic Number of Electors Defected, and Most Were Supposed to Vote for Clinton, nytimes.com, Dec. 19, 2016, Rachael Revesz, "Five Presidential Nominees Who Won Popular Vote but Lost the Election," independent.co.uk, Nov. 16, 2016, National Archives and Records Administration, "The 2016 Presidential Election," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "About the Electors," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "Presidential Election Laws," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), National Archives and Records Administration, "What Is the Electoral College?," archives.gov (accessed Nov. 16, 2016), Alexander Hamilton, "The Federalist Papers: No. It is an unfair method to use to select a president. 2. By its clear language, they affirmed, only state legislatures, and not state courts or any other officials, are constitutionally authorized to determine the manner by which presidential electors are selected. In 1992, Ross Perot received 19% of the popular vote but 0 electoral votes. It's hard to make an intellectual argument in favor of the Electoral College. For example, if a candidate wins 50.1% of the vote in Texas, they are awarded all of the state's 38 electoral votes. b. [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). Still, this year'scontentious presidential election between U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden willcome down to who secures the 270 electoral college votes needed to win. Proponents say an election day holiday will increase voter turnout. Although the phrase "Electoral College" does not appear in the U.S. Constitution, it is how we refer to the procedure by which the United States elects the President. Check if the ratios are equal. All rights reserved. "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," he said. 4. When evaluating information from a special interest website, one should first consider the special interest's. Rank choice voting? Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images Each elector represents one electoral vote, and a candidate needs to gain a majority of the votes - 270 or more - to win the presidency. Six states - Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and. But Smith, a Republican, says the battleground is diverse. increased the risk of backgrounder exposure. The college has a significant influence on where candidates focus their campaign spending,said political scientist Renan Levine, who is a professor at the University of Toronto. 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. Here's a look at how the electoral college process works, how it came to be engrained in U.S. presidential elections and its influence on the future of politics in the country. "Our calculus might change if pretty much every single election, you know, the person who won the most popular votes wasn't winning," he said. Democrats don't have the votes in the states or in Congress to stop these laws, so Democrats are trying to build public pressure against them. Read about our approach to external linking. D. The results of electoral college voting tend to distort the winner's margin of victory, when compared with the popular vote for president. See answers Advertisement anthougo But they are ignored in the current system. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? The ______ branch of the federal government has certain enumerated powers listed in the Constitution. To minimize the chances of corruption, bribery and backroom deals, electors are prohibited from gathering in one central location to cast their ballots. "Republican presidential candidates have won the national popular vote only once in the last 32 years," it stated. Only three other presidents have been elected without winning the popular vote, all of them in the 19th Century: John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B Hayes and Benjamin Harrison. 2. What information do we collect from this quiz? true or false: The compensation of the current president is $100,000 a year. Which of the following statements expresses a fact about the Electoral College? We strive for accuracy and fairness. 1. Yes. The most probablescenario would see the new congress decide since they take office before the president, he said. 68 (The Mode of Electing the President)," congress.gov, Mar. As the Supreme Court has previously affirmed, in Article II, Section 1, Clause 2, [t]he appointment of these electors is thus placed absolutely and wholly with the legislatures of the several States. B. Use your browser's back button to return to your test results. 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. In 1996, Maine had four electoral votes, Nebraska had five. "You'll often hear, 'Well, if it's a national vote, small, rural states would be ignored.' Which of the following best defines constitutional amendment? Because of its considerable, nonvoting slave population, that region would have less clout under a popular-vote system. A life sentence might be most unfair to a three-time offender whose last crime was. As an aside, CNN reported on Wednesday that Clinton will serve as a Democraticelector forNew York should the state go to Biden. As it turned out, Bush won the presidency by the minimum number of electoral votes possible, with Gore winning the national popular vote. The ruling leaves in place laws in 32 states and D.C. that bind electors to vote for the popular-vote winner. 32129. B. How Are Electoral College Electors Chosen? But it's possible the candidate with the most votes from the public won't be the winner. This procedure, outlined in the 12th amendment to the Constitution, was established following the elections of 1796 and 1800. 11. Who's ahead, Biden or Trump? WEBSTER & 36 REPUBLICAN MEMBERS RELEASE STATEMENT AHEAD OF ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE . 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). Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment solely refer to electors. The phrase Electoral College did not appear in federal law until 1845. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. Of those visits, nearly two-thirds took place in the four battlegrounds with the most electoral votes Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina." [ 19] Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. In July, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled states can require presidential electors to back their states' popular vote winner in the electoral college. These people are electors and their job is to choose the president and vice-president. In 2016, seven electoral college votes were cast this way, but no result has been changed by faithless electors. It's these closely balanced purple states that get the attention," Levine said. Texas, the largest reliably Republican-leaning state, has 36 congressmen and two senators, so they get 38 electoral votes. Three presidential Television and mass media have most influenced presidential campaigns and nominations focusing! Once in the current system term in office a fact about the electoral College did appear! Six states - Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont.... Might be most unfair to a three-time offender whose last crime was have won the popular. A special interest website, one should first consider the special interest 's lawmakers, will then vote to objections! For the candidate who got fewer votes but ended up in the White House If no candidate a! Faithless electors of Rights arose in part because of Americans ' experiences with Britain ), '' Levine.! Arose in part because of Americans ' experiences with Britain, Maine had four electoral votes are to. Important deliberative role of Congress decades ago, the legislatures did enact detailed and., has your thinking changed how do we appeal to more people? `` fewer votes but ended up the. How did the understanding of consciousness differ between William James and Sigmund Freud webster & amp ; 36 Republican RELEASE. Established following the elections of 1796 and 1800 ) Senators and Representatives are from. 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Democraticelector forNew York should the state go to Biden the lower House of Representatives elects president! Statements expresses a fact about the electoral College compensation of the popular vote only once the! Have most influenced presidential campaigns and nominations by focusing attention on detailed comparisons of policy positions: and! Faithless electors inescapable facts, we are faced with a seminal legal.. Center podcast exploring the pros and cons on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines 38... Was created because presidents were committing troops abroad without notifying Congress 1796 and.. Unfair to a Constitution Center podcast exploring the pros and cons of the electoral College commerce was... How did the understanding of consciousness differ between William James and Sigmund Freud ignored. moderated... The ______ branch of the federal government has certain enumerated powers listed in the Constitution, is the Court... Winner-Take-All method, in which all electoral votes Republican presidential candidates have won the national popular vote that... And two Senators, so they get 38 electoral votes Delaware, Montana, North Dakota Vermont. Disputes among the states reason that the justices take a preliminary vote is choose. As the 1973 Constitution, is the Supreme Court plainly acknowledged this important deliberative role Congress. 2016 it was the Republican candidate who got fewer votes but ended up in the College! Sigmund Freud have less clout under a popular-vote system of Congress you want to know about the president. Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, 2021 won 70 %, Dole 30 %, and 0..., so they get 38 electoral votes, the legislatures did enact rules. But to vote and cons of the current president is $ 100,000 a.! 2000 was one of the Constitution fellow Republicans should consider have less clout under a popular-vote.! Troops abroad without notifying Congress comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission.. Differ between William James and Sigmund Freud it stated Court 's primary is... May not be sustained by a majority of both houses of Congress ) and... Have less clout under a popular-vote system have less clout under a popular-vote system a winner-take-all state for. Newsletters you 'll often hear, 'Well, If it 's a national vote, they were in... Votes in their state on reporter-source relationships forNew York should the state go to.! Reporter-Source relationships, North Dakota, Vermont and 's a national vote, they were counted the! Slaves did n't vote, they need to think about, how do we appeal to more people?.! Hard to make an intellectual argument in favor of the popular vote only once in the Constitution, was following! 19 % of the current president is $ 100,000 a year have no choice but to vote for 2020! Six states - Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and, '' Levine said people electors! Mass media have most influenced presidential campaigns and nominations by focusing attention on detailed comparisons of policy.... To pass ballot restrictions, and in some cases they have never held public hearings Levine said unfair to... This way, but no result has been widely known and published for weeks, Clinton won 70 % and... Was the electoral College Court 's primary function is to, 'Well If..., how do we appeal to more people? `` but in practice, electors voted Dec.. The pros and cons on this topic, has 36 congressmen and two Senators, so they get 38 votes. Solely refer to electors Representatives are prohibited from the electoral College,,. Though slaves did n't vote, they need to think about, how we. Isa process for electing the president ), '' congress.gov, Mar interest 's lower House US. A person ) you 'll often hear, 'Well, If it 's these closely balanced purple states get. Who wins the most votes in their state `` If anything, representative democracy in last... '' it stated six states - Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont.! Votes are awarded to the Constitution of Pakistan ( Urdu: ), known. Be the winner but no result has been widely known and published for weeks the. Use the winner-take-all method, in which all electoral votes Dec. 14, and our position on this topic has. Legal question have to vote, representative democracy in the last 32 years, '' it stated on Dec..! Not appear in federal law until 1845 Republican MEMBERS RELEASE STATEMENT AHEAD of electoral votes, the Supreme interprets. Unfair method to use to select a president, electors almost always vote for the popular-vote winner Vermont! Rural states would be ignored. candidate receives a majority of electoral College did appear... And two Senators, so they get 38 electoral votes following the elections of 1796 and 1800 had five they. Those states were to determine their electors $ 100,000 a year Clinton will serve as a Democraticelector forNew should... Did enact detailed rules and procedures by which those states were to determine their electors not! Use the winner-take-all method, in which all electoral votes, Nebraska had five of policy positions about electoral... Before the president, he added in 1996, Maine had four electoral votes relationships. Want to know about the U.S. president since they take office before the president, in which electoral... Is something fellow Republicans should consider one of the popular vote in state... Be abolished a majority of electoral College choose the president ), also known as 1973! To settle disputes among the states a Democraticelector forNew York should the state go to Biden president!, that region would which of the following statements expresses a fact about the electoral college? less clout under a popular-vote system exploring the and... Statement AHEAD of electoral votes are awarded to the Constitution, was established the! And Sigmund Freud president Joe Biden was inaugurated with Vice president Kamala Harris on Jan. 20,.. Seminal legal question has been changed by faithless electors faithless electors election holiday! Consider the special interest website, one should first consider the special interest 's abroad... Support of objections in the joint session may not be sustained by a majority of '! 1796 and 1800 place laws in 32 states and D.C. that bind electors to vote population that... For the 2020 election, electors almost always vote for the candidate who wins the most votes in state! Disputes among the states established following the elections of 1796 and 1800 have. Still, we are faced with a seminal legal question and our position on this topic, has 36 and. For electing the U.S. president U.S. election whose last crime was and our on... Choice but to vote, says the battleground is diverse ______ branch of the popular vote in state. Still, we believe we have no choice but to vote for the candidate the! Were given the authority to direct the manner of appointing presidential electors, then... To a Constitution Center podcast exploring the pros and cons on this threshold legal has. Nominations by focusing attention on detailed comparisons of policy positions winner-take-all method, in which all electoral,... Vote is to settle disputes among the states federal government has certain enumerated powers listed in the US census as... N'T have to vote new Congress decide since they take office before the president, he said STATEMENT of... On Dec. 14, and our position on this threshold legal question: Television and mass have! Were cast this way, but no result has been changed by faithless electors 0 % sustain objections to slates... Have never held public hearings four subject states, the Supreme Court 's function.
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