The Electoral College
The Electoral College is the statutory system in the United States for the election of the President and the Vice President. In 1787 at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Constitution of the United States was created. Before the Constitutional Convention, the United States had been governed under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was a weak central government. At the Constitutional Convention, the Founding Fathers were trying to create a rule of law governing the election of a President in a nation that was made up of thirteen large and small states who were jealous of the rights and powers each possessed. They were suspicious of any central government. The framers of the Constitution regarded the Electoral College as part of a method for electing the President indirectly by the people. The Electoral College system was established in Article II, Section I of the United States Constitution. The Electoral College was created for several different reasons. Before the Electoral College was assembled, there was a weak two-party system which could have allowed for a divide in the vote. A candidate that most of the popular vote didn't prefer could become the President if there were
many regional candidates. There was a lack of information about candidates at that time because the nation contained only four million people cast up and down the Atlantic coast and they had a difficult time traveling and communicating. There was a need to have a strong leadership for the head of our government. The Electoral College settled the problem of the distrust between common men in making a good selection for President. The Electoral College works in a straightforward way. It requires a distribution of popular support to be elected president. The American people do not actually vote for the President on election day but, rather, we vote for a slate of Electors who are pledged to the candidate. These Electors are chosen by their respective parties and are certified by the State Director of Elections. The election is decided by a majority of the total electoral college vote. Presidential electors meet in their respective state capitals in December to cast their electoral votes to be officially counted in Washington in January. The electors vote by ballot separately for President and Vice President. A majority of electoral votes is needed for the election as President. The winner is sworn in on Inauguration Day. The Electoral College is currently made up of 538 electors and 270 votes are required to be elected. Since Electoral College representation is based on congressional representation, states with larger populations get more Electoral College votes. Each state is allocated a number of electors equal to the number of its United States Senators, which is always two, in addition to the number of its United States Representatives. United States Representatives are divided among the states based on the size of the states population, which is determined by the census. (Burr) Every state holds a winner-take-all popular vote for electors except Maine and Nebraska. In these two states, electors are chosen by statewide popular vote and the remainder by the popular vote within each Congressional district. This process prevents the breaking of
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Approximate Word count = 1386
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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