Government Chapter 13.5 - The Election and Presidential Selection

Proportional Plan Flaws

The election may not produce a clear winner, and third parties would gain power.

ELECTORATE

All of the people entitled to vote in a given election

Proportional PLan

Candidates would receive the same percentage of a State's electoral vote as he or she receives in the State's popular vote

IN WHICH THREE ELECTIONS HAVE WINNERS OF POPULAR VOTE FAILED TO WIN ELECTORAL VOTES

2000, 1888, 1876

Electoral College

A group selected by the states to elect the president and the vice-president, in which each state's number of electors is equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress

Presidential Electoral

A person elected by the voters in to represent them in making the decision of VP and President.

Electoral College How it Works

Each state gets as many votes as there are representatives and senators

What were three methods of presidential election discussed by the Framers

Election or selection by congress Popular Vote Electoral College

The National bonus plan

Electoral votes would be allotted State by State, as they are now, on a winner-take-all basis, but a national pool of 102 electoral votes would be awarded automatically to the winner of the popular vote. If there were a tie, there would be a run-off election between the two top contenders in the popular vote.

Flaws to Direct Popular Election

It requires a Constitutional amendment, would weaken federalism, small states would oppose it, and it might not produce a clear winner if a majority were required.

Electoral Colllege Flaw 2

Nothing in the constitution requires th eelctors to vote for the candidate favored by popular vote. (They have done this 9 times and are known as a faithless elector.

Direct Popular Election

The electoral college would be scrapped and the President and Vice President would be elected by direct popular vote.

What type of person did they envision as an elector

The most enlightened and respectable citizen

District Plan

Two electors would be selected in each State according the Statewide popular vote and the other electors would be selected separately in each of the State's congressional districts.

District Plan (Flaws???)

The winner of the popular vote may not win the electoral vote

How did the rise of political parties affect the electoral college

There was a Federalist president (John Adams) and a Democratic-Republican vice-president (Jefferson) And there were ties....

Electoral College Flawa

Winner of the popular vote might not win the presidnecy. Winner take all Winner of popular vote did not win presidency 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000 You can the win all the electoral votes but only 51% of the popular vote: Ohio has 20 E.V. Voting population 7.7 mil In 2004, GB won by 51% but recieved ALL EVotes Winner takes all

How did the election of 1800 lead to passage of the 12th amendment

Because of a tie between Jefferson and Burk, the 12th Amendment separates the presidential and vice presidential choice

Why did the framers chose this method of electing the president

The framers created the Electoral College, because they didn't trust the people to make electoral decisions on their own. They wanted the president chosen by what they thought of as "enlightened statesmen".

Flaw 3 of Electoral College

The house may have to decide the contest This has only happened twice

How did Framers arrange for the electors to choose the President and Vice President

cast a vote for two diff candidates and most votes = president and least = vice

The Flaws to the National BOnus Plan

This plan is not well known or understood.