What happened on 11/11/18
at 11:00 a.m.?
Why do we use the Electoral
College to select our President?
The Electoral College
Electors = a state’s Representatives
+ Senators in Congress
The candidate that wins the state,
wins all the electoral votes
(except Nebraska and Maine)
It takes 270 electoral votes to
become President
If no candidate does, the House
chooses.
Electors do not have to vote the
way their state did, but they
always have.
Electoral College: Problems
and Solutions
• One man
One vote
• Winner-take-all – Doesn’t
reward candidates for winning
some votes
• Win 11 states, could equal
victory.
• Popular vote winner could lose
the election as President Bush
did in 2000.
• Electors can vote as they wish.
• If no candidate get 270 votes,
the House decides. Each state
gets one vote. Big States =
Small States
Electoral College Solutions
Most would require a Constitutional amendment
2012 Results
• Abolish it and use popular vote.
• Congressional District Plan – win the congressional district
get the vote, 2 at-large per state to represent Senate seats.
• Maine and Nebraska already use this.
• The Proportional Plan – divide electoral vote according to
popular vote %.
• Law requiring electors to vote with their states – several
states have passed these, may be unconstitutional
• National Bonus Plan – award 102 electoral votes to the
winner of nation wide popular vote, raise the total needed
to 321.
Who would have won in 2012 if
the solutions were used?
•
•
•
•
Popular Vote =
District Plan =
Proportional Plan =
National Bonus Plan =
Proportional Plan in action
Obama wins 67% in Illinois, McCain wins 33%.
Obama wins 57% in California, McCain wins 43%.
Obama wins 25% in Florida, McCain wins 75%
Obama wins 33% in Ohio, McCain wins 67%.
Obama wins 78% in Michigan, McCain wins 22%.
Calculate the resulting Electoral Count under the
Proportional Plan.