The Electoral College

Faithless Elector

An elector that does not vote the way their state voted or does not vote at all

At state conventions

Electors are chosen where?

They can't hold Federal Office or be in Congress

Electors cannot hold what jobs?

The winner-takes-all system, which is if the candidate wins the popular vote in the state, their political party gets all of the electoral votes for that state

Explain the system that the electoral college has.

Electoral College

Group of electors chosen by the people to vote for the President based on what the people want

There are 538 electoral votes total and a candidate needs 270 to win

How many electoral votes are there and how many does a candidate need to win?

538

How many electors are there for each party?

4 times, which were in 1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000

How many times has candidate won the popular vote, but not the electoral vote?

Three times, which were in 1801, 1825, and 1837

How many times has the House of Representatives had to vote for president?

The Senate votes, and each Senator gets one vote, so they need 51 votes to win

If there is a tie or no majority for Vice Presidential candidate, what happens?

People don't directly vote for President, but for party electors to vote for president

People are voting actually for who when they vote?

The House of Representatives votes, and each state gets one vote, so the candidate needs 26 votes to win

What happens if no one gets 270 votes in the Electoral College?

During the Constitutional Convention

When was the Electoral College created?

Electors do not legally have to vote for anyone

Who does an elector have to vote for?

Because they morally committed to their party and candidate

Why do electors almost always vote for their party's candidate?

Because the Federalists wanted Congress to choose and the Antifederalists wanted the people to choose so this was a compromise for the two groups

Why was the Electoral College created?