DOES MY
VOTE COUNT?
A presentation on the electoral
college system in the United States.
Presented by the QuaSR Center
At the Evergreen State College
October 22, 2008
1-2pm
The President of the United States is chosen
by……..
a.
A secret ballot, without debate, by the federal convention, a body established
solely for that purpose.
b.
A popular vote from the general election held the Tuesday after the first Monday
of November of an election year.
c.
The House of Representatives.
d.
A body of 538 party-affiliate appointed and chosen representatives.
e.
Two separate elections, the first being a free-for-all followed by a second round
between the top two finishers.
What is the electoral college?
538 electors chosen by state to represent their pledged political party.
Note that 538 is 0.0000178% of the current US population of 305,115,689
Electors are chosen by their political party as a reward for service.
Each state is allocated a number of electors equal to the number of senators (always two)
plus the number of its representatives.
The results from the November general election dictate which political party’s electors
are chosen to vote in the electoral college in December.
The electoral college election process was
established….
a.
as a result of early church-based election practices in colonial times.
b.
because the average American is too ignorant to be trusted to elect the
president.
c.
by the founding fathers as a compromise between election of the
president by Congress and election by popular vote
d.
to give power to the governing body and make it easier to put the
“right” person in office.
e.
as a buffer against democratic control, a way of taking our chief
executive out of the hands of the common man and giving to an
enlightened few.
History
Founders started electoral
The Electoral College was established by the
founders as a compromise between election for the
president by Congress and election by popular
vote. Alexander Hamilton was among the first to
write about the concept of electors in the Federalist
Papers in 1788. The electoral college assumed its
present constitutional form in 1804.
The similarities between the
Electoral College and classical
institutions are not accidental. Many
of the Founding Fathers were well
schooled in ancient history and its
lessons.
The structure of the Electoral
College can be traced to the
Centurial Assembly system of
the Roman Republic.
How does it work?

Nationally

Locally (Wa)
1. State Primaries are held
2. Each party nominates a top
candidate
3. National conventions are held
4. In November each state holds a
general election
5. Parties’ pool of electors are
chosen
6. The electoral college votes in
December.
7. The President is inaugurated
Who are the Electors?

Depending on State policy, electors are nominated by their
political party, voted for in the primaries or chosen by a campaign
committee

Currently, all states choose electors by popular election on the date
specified by federal law

Electors can be anyone from a housewife to a lawyer to a baseball
player

No person holding a federal office, either elected or appointed,
may become an elector
Phases in the Presidential Election
Process
1)
Pre-nomination
2)
National Conventions
3)
General Election
4)
Electoral College Election
2000 election highlighted
Why 2000?

US Census year

Pivotal election

Highly contentious

Sparked interest in the electoral college

Nader issue

Florida
2000 Population Density
100% Republican
100% Democrat
.
.
.
.
•
•
Green Party candidate Ralph Nader received 2,882,728 votes, but no Electoral
Votes
One of only 4 elections, and first in over 100 years (1824, 1876, 1888, 2000)
where the popular vote winner was defeated
Population Density & Party Dominance
Apportionment of Electoral Votes
50
40
20
10
0
Washington
30
Major issues in apportionment:

Overseas citizens
-Military
-Missionaries
-Other

Illegal immigrants in the census

Census updates population totals once every decade

Cap on the number of seats in the House of Representatives
Voter turnout:
Election
Voting Age Population
Turnout
% Turnout of VAP
2004
215,694,000
122,295,345
56.69%
2000
205,815,000
105,586,274
51.31%
1996
196,511,000
96,456,345
49.08%
1992
189,529,000
104,405,155
55.09%
1988
182,778,000
91,594,693
50.11%
1984
174,466,000
92,652,680
53.11%
1980
164,597,000
86,515,221
52.56%
1976
152,309,190
81,555,789
53.55%
1972
140,776,000
77,718,554
55.21%
1968
120,328,186
73,199,998
60.83%
1964
114,090,000
70,644,592
60.92%
1960
109,159,000
68,838,204
63.06%
Poor voters
(0-16th percentile)
Lower-mid income voters
(17-33rd percentile)
Middle income voters
(34-66th percentile)
Upper-mid income voters
(67-95th percentile)
High income voters
(95-100th percentile)
States “won” by the
Republican and
Democratic party,
based on estimated
vote preferences and
economic status.
In favor of the Electoral College:

92% record of non-controversial results

Promotes an ideologically and geographically broad
two-party system

Contributes to the cohesiveness of the country by
requiring a distribution of popular support to be elected
president

Enhances the status of minority interests

Maintains a federal system of government and
representation
Against the Electoral College:

The possibility of electing a minority president (one that did not
receive the popular vote)

The risk of so-called “faithless electors”

The possible role of the electoral college in depressing voter turnout

Its failure to accurately reflect the national popular will

Census only occurs once every 10 years
Proposals made to change the system:

Over the past 200 years, over 700 proposals have been introduced in Congress
to reform or eliminate the Electoral College

Several joint resolutions were introduced in the current Congress and were
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. The proposals include the
following:

Voting rights for residents of the United States territories and commonwealths
[H.J.RES.2.IH]

Direct election of the President and Vice President by the popular vote
[H.J.RES.36.IH]

Right to vote amendment [H.J.RES.28.IH]

Every Vote Counts amendment [H.J.RES.4.IH]
Alternative Systems:

Direct Election with
Instant Runoff Voting



Congressional District
Method
Proportional Allocation
of Electoral Votes

National Bonus Plan
Direct Vote with
Plurality Rule

Binding Proposal
Does my vote count?
YES!!!
Since the party-affiliate electors are chosen to vote for the popular
vote decided by the state, YOUR vote counts to increase the popular
vote for your party! If there are enough people in your party that vote
and win the popular vote, all the party-affiliated electoral votes will
go to your candidate!