How Does The Electoral College Work?

An Overview of The Process

The United States presidential election is an indirect election in which voters cast ballots for members of the Electoral College, who then in turn elect the President and Vice President. Each state is allocated a certain number of electors, based on its population. The candidate who wins the most electoral votes wins the election. This system was created by the framers of the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by Congress and popular vote.

Understanding The Electoral College

The Electoral College is a group of 538 electors who are chosen every four years to elect the President and Vice President of the United States. Each state is allocated a certain number of electors, based on its population. The number of electors for each state is determined by adding the number of Senators and Representatives that state has in Congress. The District of Columbia is also allocated three electors.

The electors are chosen by each state's political parties. In most states, the party that wins the popular vote in the state gets to choose all of the electors for that state. However, there are a few states that use a proportional representation system, in which the electors are divided among the parties based on the percentage of the popular vote that each party received.

On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, the electors meet in their respective states and cast their votes for President and Vice President. The candidate who receives the majority of the electoral votes (at least 270) is elected President. If no candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, the House of Representatives chooses the President from among the top three candidates who received the most electoral votes. The Senate chooses the Vice President from among the top two candidates who received the most electoral votes.

Criticisms of The Electoral College

The Electoral College has been criticized for a number of reasons. One criticism is that it is not democratic, because it is possible for a candidate to win the popular vote but lose the electoral vote. This has happened five times in American history, most recently in 2016 when Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but Donald Trump won the electoral vote and the presidency.

Another criticism of the Electoral College is that it gives too much power to small states. This is because each state gets at least three electors, regardless of its population. This means that the votes of voters in small states are worth more than the votes of voters in large states.

Finally, the Electoral College can lead to gerrymandering, which is the practice of drawing electoral districts in a way that gives one party an unfair advantage over the other party. This can lead to a situation where one party wins the popular vote but loses the electoral vote, because the other party has gerrymandered the districts to give itself an advantage in the electoral college.

Alternatives to The Electoral College

There are a number of alternatives to the Electoral College that have been proposed. One proposal is to abolish the Electoral College and elect the President by popular vote. This would ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes wins the election. Another proposal is to use a proportional representation system, in which the electors are divided among the parties based on the percentage of the popular vote that each party received. This would ensure that the President is elected by a majority of the voters.

There is no easy answer to the question of whether or not the Electoral College should be abolished. There are strong arguments to be made on both sides of the issue. Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to abolish the Electoral College is up to the American people.