American Government
Chapter Thirteen – The Presidency
I. The President’s Job Description
A. Presidential Roles
1. Chief of State
a. The President is the ceremonial head of our government
b. As a ceremonial figure, the President is a symbol of America, like our flag
c. In other countries, the Chief of State has no power to rule
i. Monarchs in England, Denmark, Japan, Norway, Sweden, etc.
ii. Presidents in Italy, Germany, etc.
2. Chief Executive
a. The President personifies an entire branch of our government
b. As the Executive, the President is the chief law enforcement officer
3. Chief Administrator
a. The President directs the vast federal bureaucracy
i. The federal budget is approximately $2.5 trillion
ii. The civilian work force numbers approximately 2.7 million people
b. The President has many assistants to carry on the actual management duties
4. Chief Diplomat
a. The President is the chief architect of American foreign policy
b. The President officiates over high-level negotiations with foreign leaders
5. Commander in Chief
a. The President leads the nation’s military
b. There are approximately 1.4 million people in the military
c. American military spending is roughly equal to all other nations of the world combined
6. Chief Legislator
a. The President proposes public policies to the Congress
i. Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution requires the President to convey to
Congress periodic updates on the condition of the nation as well as suggestions
for its improvement
ii. Presidents Washington and Adams delivered the messages in person, but later
presidents sent them in writing
iii. Woodrow Wilson reestablished the modern practice of delivering a speech in
1913
iv. Today, the State of the Union Address is a high point in the political calendar
1. Most of the Congress, the Supreme Court, the President’s Cabinet,
Chiefs of the Military, and foreign dignitaries all attend the speech
2. Although the message is delivered to Congress, Presidents design the
speech more for the television audience (millions of Americans watch)
b. The President’s veto power gives him tremendous leverage over legislation
7. Chief of Party
a. The President is the leader of his political party
b. This role often seems to conflict with the President’s obligation to be the leader of the
whole country
8. Chief Citizen
a. The President is expected to represent all of the common people
b. Presidents are supposed to demonstrate American values
B. Formal Qualifications
1. Article II, Section 1, Clause 1 lists three requirements to be President
a. Must be a natural born citizen
i. Anyone born on American soil (or to American parents elsewhere) is a natural
born citizen
ii. The only exception was for any citizen living at the time of the ratification of
the Constitution
1. Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, J. Q. Adams,
Jackson, and W. H. Harrison were all born before the Revolutionary War
2. Martin Van Buren, born on December 5, 1782, was the first president to
be born in the United States
iii. Most naturalized citizens view this provision as unnecessarily discriminatory,
but a majority of American citizens support it
b. Must be at least 35 years old
i. Most presidents were in their 50s when elected
ii. The youngest man to ever serve as president was Teddy Roosevelt
1. Roosevelt became president when McKinley was assassinated
2. Roosevelt was only 42
iii. The youngest elected president was JFK, aged 43
iv. The oldest elected president was Reagan, aged 69
c. Must have resided in the United States for at least 14 years
2. The 22nd Amendment disqualifies anyone who was previously twice elected president
a. Bill Clinton
b. George W. Bush
C. Term of Office
1. The Framers were deeply split on the question of the president’s term
a. Many favored a single six-year term
b. Others favored a four-year term with a chance for reelection
2. George Washington established the precedent of limiting oneself to two terms
3. FDR was the only president to break the precedent, justifying his decision through the urgency
of the Depression and WWII
4. The Constitution was amended in 1951 to establish the two term limit in law
a. A Vice President who becomes President with more than two years remaining in that
term can only run for one additional term
b. A Vice President who inherits less than two years may run for two additional terms
i. Thus, the maximum time anyone can be President is one day less than 10 years
ii. No president since FDR has served more than 8 years
iii. LBJ inherited less than 2 years of JFK’s term, but he chose not to run for a
second full term of his own
c. An exception was made for Truman, the sitting president at the time, but he decided
not to run again in 1952
D. Pay and Benefits
1. Congress determines the Presidents salary and benefits
a. The Presidents pay may not be increased or decreased during his tenure in office
b. This keeps Congress from bribing or penalizing the independent executive
2. The President’s salary has grown from $25,000 in 1789 to $400,000 today
3. Presidents also have a $50,000 discretionary expense account every year
4. The Constitution prevents the president from receiving any other pay from the federal or state
governments, but he does receive many non-monetary benefits
a. All of the presidents living expenses (food, housing, clothing, etc.) are covered
b. Presidents make use of the Camp David compound in Maryland
c. Presidents get luxury travel on Air Force One
d. Presidents have a large personal and professional staff
e. Retired presidents get a pension, medical care, and other benefits (Presidential Library)
for life
II. Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency
A. The Constitution and Succession
1. Article II, Section One, Clause Six created the original scheme to fill a presidential vacancy
a. If a president left office for any reason before his term expired, his powers would
devolve on the Vice President
i. Some question existed as to whether or not the title of president would also
transfer
ii. John Tyler, the first Vice President to succeed to the Presidency, insisted on
adopting the title, and his practice was generally accepted
b. Nine Vice Presidents have filled unexpired terms upon the death or resignation of their
President
i. John Tyler succeeded William Henry Harrison on April 4, 1841
1. Harrison died from pneumonia, widely believed to have resulted from
delivering histories longest Inaugural Address in the bitter cold just a few
weeks before
2. Harrison, a former general who had defeated an Indian confederation at
the Battle of Tippecanoe, gave rise to the so-called “Curse of Tecumseh”
a. Tecumseh, the defeated Indian leader, is reported to have cursed
the American nation so that they would be deprived of their leader
every twenty years
b. Every president elected in a year ending in “0” died in office
until Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980
i. Reagan was shot and nearly killed in 1981, however
ii. G. W. Bush, elected in 2000, has just under two years of
his presidency remaining
ii. Millard Fillmore succeeded Zachary Taylor on July 9, 1850
iii. Andrew Johnson succeeded Abraham Lincoln on April 15, 1865
iv. Chester A. Arthur succeeded James A. Garfield on September 19, 1881
v. Theodore Roosevelt succeeded William McKinley on September 14, 1901
vi. Calvin Coolidge succeeded Warren G. Harding on August 2, 1923
vii. Harry S Truman succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945
viii. Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963
ix. Gerald R. Ford succeeded Richard Nixon on August 9, 1974
c. If the office of Vice President was also vacant, the Congress had the power to appoint
another officer to assume the Presidency
d. No procedure existed for appointing a replacement Vice President
2. The 25th Amendment, adopted in 1967, altered the rules slightly
a. If the president leaves office before his term expires, the Vice President officially
becomes President
b. Congress determines the line of succession after the Vice President
c. The new president will nominate someone to be the new Vice President
i. The candidate must be approved by a majority vote of both houses of Congress
ii. This has been accomplished twice
1. Gerald Ford was confirmed to replace Spiro Agnew in December 1973
2. Nelson Rockefeller was confirmed to replace Ford in December 1974
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3. The 25 Amendment also anticipates the problem of a president who is temporarily or
permanently disabled
a. If the president knows he will be unable to fulfill the duties of his office for a time, he
may communicate this fact to the Speaker and President pro Tempore, passing his powers
to the Vice President
i. Ronald Reagan transferred his powers to George H. W. Bush for eight hours
while he was in surgery in 1985
ii. George W. Bush transferred his powers to Dick Cheney for two hours while he
was in surgery in 2002
iii. Although these “Acting Presidents” have full presidential powers, they haven’t
exercised them
b. When the disability has been resolved, the president may resume his powers by
communicating in writing his fitness to the Speaker and President pro Tem
c. If the president has become disabled but refuses to relinquish power, the Vice President
and a majority of the cabinet (or another body specially appointed by Congress) may
temporarily depose him by sending a written statement to the Speaker and President pro
Tem
d. The President may send his own letter defending his ability to serve if this happens
e. Congress must convene within 48 hours to consider which faction to support
f. Congress must decide the question within 21 days
g. Two-thirds of both houses of Congress must vote to declare the President incapacitated
B. Statutory Succession
1. Congress passed the Presidential Act of Succession in 1947
2. Line of Succession in 2009
a. President (Barrack H. Obama - D)
b. Vice President (Joe Biden - D)
c. Speaker of the House (John Boehner - R)
d. President Pro Tempore of the Senate (Patrick Leahy - D)
e. Secretary of State (John Kerry - D)
f. Secretary of the Treasury (Jacob Lew)
g. Secretary of Defense (Chuck Hagel - D)
h. Attorney General (Eric Holder)
i. Secretary of the Interior (Sally Jewel)
j. Secretary of Agriculture (Thomas Vilsack)
k. Secretary of Commerce (Penny Pritzker)
l. Secretary of Labor (Thomas E Perez)
m. Secretary of Health and Human Services (Sylvia Mathews Burwell)
n. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Julian Castro)
o. Secretary of Transportation (Anthony Hood)
p. Secretary of Energy (Earnest Moniz)
q. Secretary of Education (Arne Duncan)
r. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Robert McDonald)
s. Secretary of Homeland Security (Jeh Johnson)
t. The Cabinet secretaries succeed in the order in which their departments were
established
u. By tradition, the nineteen people on that list are never in the same room in case of a
disaster
v. The Cabinet secretaries would only serve until a Speaker or President Pro Tem became
available
w. No one other than a vice president has ever become president under this scheme
C. The Office of Vice President
1. The Vice Presidency has been a historically underappreciated office
a. The only constitutional responsibility is to preside over the Senate
b. An old joke maintains there is another “unofficial responsibility” – to inquire daily
after the health of the president – that highlights the Vice Presidents status as a
back-up president
c. Many Vice Presidents have complained about the uselessness of the office
d. At times it seemed as though the Vice President’s selection was based purely on a
desire to increase the regional appeal of the national ticket
2. Recent Vice Presidents have been assigned more active roles in presidential administrations
3. The Vice President is the only member of the President’s administration that he cannot fire
III. Presidential Selection: The Framer’s Plan
A. Original Provisions
1. The Framers spent more time debating the question of presidential selection than any other
2. Most of the Framers originally supported letting Congress select the president
a. This would have followed the precedents of the Articles of Confederation and the
British Parliament
b. This would have diminished the separation of powers
c. Some feared that Congress would be more open to corruption in their choice
3. A few of the Framers favored letting the people directly elect their president
a. Many doubted the people’s ability to pick wisely
b. The country seemed too large for a candidate to acquire a national following
4. Alexander Hamilton proposed a solution that was adopted
a. Each state would pick a few representatives to make the choice for them
i. The state legislatures determined how those representatives would be chosen
ii. In fact, most legislatures allowed the people to vote for them by 1832
1. The South Carolina legislature kept appointing them until 1860
2. Florida’s legislature appointed them in 1868
3. Colorado’s legislature appointed them in the highly controversial
election of 1876
a. Many believe that a deal was made to guarantee Colorado’s
electoral votes to Rutherford B. Hayes as a condition of approving
that state’s application for statehood
b. Democrat Samuel Tilden won the popular vote but could not
overcome some Reconstruction governments’ tampering with the
electoral votes
b. Each state would have a number of representatives equal to the number of their
Congressmen and Senators
c. These representatives, called Electors, would only hold office for a very short time and
only have one duty, reducing the opportunity for them to be corrupted
d. The states’ electors would meet in their respective state capitals, making it harder to
influence the whole group at the same time
e. Electors cast two votes for President
i. Only one vote could go to a citizen of a single state, forcing the electors to
diversify their support
ii. Whoever received the most votes (at least a majority) would become President
iii. Whoever received the second most votes would be Vice President
iv. If no one won a majority for President, the House of Representatives, voting
once per state, would decide the election
v. If there were a tie for second place, the Senate would decide that election
f. Electors were trusted to exercise good judgment and independent thought
5. This original scheme worked well in 1788 and 1792, when Washington was unanimously
elected
B. Flaws in the System
1. The first flaws in the system began to appear in 1796
a. The Framers did not anticipate the rise of political parties
b. In 1796, Federalist John Adams became President while Democratic-Republican
Jefferson became Vice President
i. The two men did not personally like each other at the time
ii. This was the first of very rare instances in which the President and Vice
President are from different parties, and the only time they didn’t run together on
a ticket
2. The election of 1800 revealed an even greater problem
a. Eager to avoid another term of split governance, the Democratic Republican electors
all cast identical ballots
i. Thomas Jefferson, the candidate for president, tied his running mate, Aaron
Burr
ii. Burr chose to fight for the presidency in the House of Representatives
iii. Many Federalists in the House were tempted to give Burr the presidency as
political revenge on Jefferson
iv. Alexander Hamilton, who disliked Jefferson but loathed his rival New Yorker,
Burr, swayed enough Federalists to give Jefferson the Presidency on the 36th
ballot
b. This election occasioned three new developments in American politics
i. Party nominations for President and Vice President
ii. Nomination of Elector candidates pledged to support the party nominees
iii. Automatic casting of electoral votes based on those pledges
iv. The concept of the independent elector was largely abandoned
3. The Twelfth Amendment was ratified in 1804 to fix the system
a. Electors would now cast one vote for president, and a separate vote for vice president
b. This amendment virtually guarantees that the president and vice president will be from
the same party
IV. Presidential Nominations
A. A variety of nominating methods have been used through the years
1. The earliest method of nominating a candidate was self-announcement
2. Later, groups of influential citizens would meet and agree to support the same candidate,
giving rise to the caucus system
3. When caucuses were perceived as undemocratic, large gatherings called conventions were
used to pick a party’s nominees
4. As political bosses gained control over convention delegates, the direct primary developed as a
reform
B. Conventions Today
1. Conventions are still held by the major parties to officially nominate candidates for president
and vice president
2. The incumbent party holds its convention in August, the challenging party in July
3. There is great competition among the major cities to host these conventions because of the
accompanying economic boost
4. Chicago has hosted more conventions (25) than any other city
5. The 2008 conventions were held in Denver (Democrat) and Minneapolis (Republican)
6. Both Democrats and Republicans are holding their conventions in areas traditionally aligned
with the opposing party to increase their appeal to those regions
7. The National Committees organize the conventions
a. The committee will “call” for delegates from the state parties, allotting a certain
number to each state
b. The number of delegates assigned to a state is based first on its electoral vote
c. Both parties also award bonus delegates based on recent levels of support
d. Both parties grant delegates to DC, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and American
Samoa
e. Democrats grant delegates to “Democrats Abroad”
8. The conventions are too large to be deliberative bodies
a. The 2004 Republican convention had 2,509 delegates
b. The 2004 Democratic convention had 4,353 delegates
9. The major parties select their delegates differently
a. Republicans allow the state parties and state laws to govern the selections
b. Democrats have rules that require quotas for different groups within the party
(minorities, the young, women, etc.)
c. Democrats also automatically grant delegate status to a wide variety of Democratic
office holders and party leaders
d. More than 75% of both parties’ delegates are chosen in statewide primaries
C. Presidential Primaries
1. Primaries are elections in which voters do one or two things
a. Express preferences among contenders for a party’s nomination
b. Choose delegates to a national convention
2. The primary was first held in Wisconsin in 1905
3. Today primaries are held in 36 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico
4. Non-primary states like Iowa typically select their delegates through caucuses
5. Primaries assign delegates through one of two methods
a. Winner Take All – the candidate with the plurality of the votes gets all of the delegates
i. These primaries have all but disappeared because of changes in state laws
ii. The Democrats do not allow them
b. Proportional – candidates who cross a certain threshold of the popular vote earn a
proportional number of the delegates
6. Some states have canceled their primaries or make them non-binding “preference primaries”
D. Recent Problems with Primaries
1. The earliest contests have the greatest influence on the presidential race
2. Iowa’s caucus and New Hampshire’s primary have long been the first contests in the nation
a. Iowa votes first, and New Hampshire follows after a week or two
b. Both contests are held between mid-January and early February
c. New Hampshire state law actually requires it to hold its primary no later than the
Tuesday before the next scheduled primary
3. Other states have criticized the primacy of Iowa and New Hampshire
a. Neither state is demographically or economically representative of the rest of the
country
b. Other states would like to exercise a similar influence over the nominating process
4. Many states have been considering pushing up the dates of their primaries
a. Many states vote too late to make a difference, after the candidates have secured their
nominations
b. In 2008, Florida and Michigan voters were penalized by both parties for holding their
primaries earlier than the national parties wanted
c. Pennsylvania has considering joining the “Super Tuesday” primary (first Tuesday in
March), but has not done so
5. Too short a schedule would prevent all but the most famous or well-financed candidates from
running effective campaigns
6. Proposals for Reform
a. National Primary Election Day
i. No state would have undue influence since all would vote on the same day
ii. This would make it extremely hard to run a campaign
b. Rotating Regional Primary
i. The United States would be divided into four or five regions
ii. All of the states in each region would vote on the same day
iii. A different region would vote each month starting in January
iv. A different region would go first every four years
c. Escalating Electoral Primary
i. The smallest states with the fewest electoral votes would vote earliest
ii. The larger states would vote later, with the largest states voting last
iii. This system would allow the campaigns to grow momentum and keep the
suspense until the last primaries were held
E. The National Convention
1. For much of American history the party conventions could be dramatically surprising, but
today the results of the nomination are known well in advance
2. Conventions are still held to accomplish three things
a. Officially name the parties’ choices for president and vice-president
b. Bringing all of the parties’ factions together for a common purpose and show of unity
c. Adopting the parties’ platforms
i. The platform is a party’s statement of beliefs
ii. Many party members ignore the platform since following it is not a condition
of membership
3. Today conventions are also valuable advertising for the parties and candidates
4. The Convention Schedule
a. Day One
i. The convention is organized and the delegates are welcomed
ii. Delegates hear dozens of short speeches by party figures
b. Day Two
i. Many speeches are delivered, including the keynote address
ii. The party platform is adopted
c. Day Three
i. Candidates for President and Vice-President are nominated
1. The party out of power tends to make a larger number of nominations
2. These nominations are made with no chance of winning, but are merely
honorific
ii. The delegates select a single vice-presidential candidate
1. Recently, this candidate has been the hand-picked choice of the
presidential candidate
2. Delegates simply ratify the presidential candidate’s choice
iii. The vice presidential candidate delivers his acceptance speech
iv. The presidential candidate is picked by a roll-call of the state delegations
1. The states are called in alphabetical order
2. The candidate’s home state is often permitted to vote out of order so
that it can deliver the final votes needed to make the nomination official
3. A winner is usually declared on the first ballot
a. The last time Republicans held a second ballot was in 1948
b. Democrats last held a second ballot in 1952
c. The Democratic convention of 1924 set a record of 103 ballots
v. The presidential candidate delivers his acceptance speech, starting the general
campaign
d. The conventions occasionally stretch into four days
F. Qualifications for Nominations
1. Incumbent presidents desiring another term are almost always nominated
a. Incumbents may be challenged from within the party, but their advantages make the
nomination virtually assured
b. There have been only four exceptions to this rule
i. John Tyler (Whigs, 1844)
ii. Millard Fillmore (Whigs, 1852)
iii. Franklin Pierce (Democrats, 1856)
iv. Chester Arthur (Republicans, 1884)
2. Political experience is often the key to winning in an open field
a. Parties focus on who seems most “electable”
b. Most have substantial and non-controversial records in public office
c. Only rarely will a candidate come from a non-political background
i. Republican Dwight Eisenhower came from the military in 1952
ii. Republican Wendell Willkie came from business in 1940
d. Traditionally governors do very well because of their executive experience
3. Other characteristics have influence on the party
a. Most contenders have been Protestants
i. Three Democratic presidential nominees have been Catholic
1. Alfred E. Smith (1928)
2. John F. Kennedy (1960)
3. John Kerry (2004)
ii. The 1988 Democratic presidential nominee, Michael Dukakis, was Eastern
Orthodox
iii. The 2000 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Joe Lieberman, was Jewish
b. Most contenders have come from larger states
i. They tend to have advantages in fund-raising and name recognition
ii. In the early years Virginia was the largest state and the “Father of Presidents”
iii. More recently states like New York, Ohio, Illinois, Texas, and California have
had an advantage
iv. Some small state candidates have overcome this disadvantage by building
national followings through the media
1. Barry Goldwater (R) of Arizona, 1964
2. Bob Dole (R) of Kansas, 1996
3. George McGovern (D) of South Dakota, 1972
4. Jimmy Carter (D) of Georgia, 1976
5. Bill Clinton (D) of Arkansas, 1992
c. Most contenders have pleasing and healthy appearances (with exceptions made for war
wounded veterans)
d. Most contenders have seemingly happy family backgrounds
i. Candidates often exploit their spouse and children in public appearances and
advertising
ii. Only four nominees have ever been divorced
1. Adlai Stevenson (D), 1952 and 1956
2. Ronald Reagan (R), 1980 and 1984
3. Bob Dole (R), 1996
4. John Kerry (D), 2004
e. Candidates should have a well developed speaking ability
f. No party has yet seriously considered nominating a female candidate
i. Democrats nominated Geraldine Ferraro for Vice President in 1984
ii. Hillary Clinton seems to be the front-runner for the Democratic nomination in
2008
g. No party has ever nominated a racial minority for president or vice-president
V. The Election
A. Candidates attempt to attract the support of the largest possible number of voters between the
convention and Election Day
B. Millions of Americans vote for President, but their votes only indirectly determine the winner
C. The actual vote for President takes place in the Electoral College
1. The Electoral College ceased to function as the Framers intended after the advent of political
parties
2. There are 538 electors in the Electoral College
a. Each state has the same number of electors as its Representatives in Congress plus its
Senators
i. The fewest electoral votes a state may have is three
ii. The most electoral votes (55) are cast by California
iii. In 2004 and 2008, Pennsylvania has 21 electoral votes
b. The District of Columbia has three votes because of the 23rd Amendment
3. Each state’s legislature determines how its electors are chosen, but all have chosen to pick
them through a popular vote
4. Each party nominates the appropriate number of electoral candidates, but their names almost
never appear on the ballot
5. The electors of the party whose presidential candidate wins the largest number of votes in the
state are elected
6. The Constitution requires that all electors meet on the same date throughout the country
a. Electors actually meet in their state capitals to vote
b. Congress has set the Monday after the second Wednesday in December for the vote
7. The electors’ votes are sealed and transmitted to Congress by registered mail
8. The President of the Senate will open, count, and certify the votes before a joint session of
Congress on January 6th (or the 7th, if the 6th is a Sunday)
D. When the Electoral College Fails to Elect Anyone
1. If no candidate for President wins a majority of the Electoral College votes, the House of
Representatives picks the President from among the top three finishers
a. Each state delegation must vote as a bloc
b. Every state has one vote
c. A simple majority of the states is required to win
d. The House has resolved just two elections
i. 1800 – Jefferson and Burr tied
ii. 1824 – No candidate had a majority
2. If no candidate for Vice President wins a majority of the Electoral College votes, the Senate
picks the Vice President from among the top two finishers
a. Each senator votes by him or herself
b. A simple majority of the senators is required to win
c. The Senate has only resolved one election
i. 1836 – Virginia electors withheld their votes for Democrat Richard Johnson
because they learned he had once cohabited with an African American woman, so
no one had a majority
ii. The Senate picked Johnson anyway
E. Flaws in the Electoral College
1. The winner of the popular vote may not win the Electoral College
i. 1824 – Andrew Jackson won the popular vote but John Quincy Adams was chosen by
the House of Representatives
ii. 1876 – Samuel Tilden won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College to
Rutherford B. Hayes
iii. 1888 – Grover Cleveland won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College to
Benjamin Harrison
iv. 2000 – Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College to George W.
Bush
2. Voters in some states have more influence in the Electoral College
i. California’s 55 Electoral Votes work out to one vote for every 615,848 residents
ii. Wyoming’s 3 Electoral Votes work out to one vote for every 164,594
3. Faithless Electors
i. Nothing in the Constitution requires electors to vote with the majority of their state
ii. Several states have passed laws to make it a requirement, but those laws are probably
unconstitutional
iii. No faithless elector has ever changed to outcome in the Electoral College
4. The vote of the House of Representatives strongly favors the voters of small states
i. If a large delegation can’t reach an agreement, the state loses its vote
ii. All of the voters of California have the same number of votes as the people of
Wyoming
F. Proposed Reforms to the Electoral College
1. Abolish the Electoral College and elect the president by popular vote
2. Eliminate electors and determine the states’ electoral votes by popular vote
3. Assign Electoral Votes on a proportional basis
4. Assign Electoral Votes district by district, with the statewide winner taking the two extra
Electoral Votes
i. Maine and Nebraska are the only two states to assign votes in this way
ii. Due to gerrymandering of Congressional districts, this would probably help ensure that
the President and Congressional majority are from the same political party
5. National Bonus Plan – whoever wins the national popular vote receives 102 bonus Electoral
Votes