When people cast their vote, they are actually voting for a group of people called electors. The number of electors each state gets is equal to its total number of Senators and Representatives in Congress. … Each elector casts one vote following the general election. The candidate who gets 270 votes or more wins.
How are electoral votes determined?
Under the “Electoral College” system, each state is assigned a certain number of “votes”. … The formula for determining the number of votes for each state is simple: each state gets two votes for its two US Senators, and then one more additional vote for each member it has in the House of Representatives.
What is the Electoral College vote in simple terms?
The United States Electoral College is a name used to describe the official 538 Presidential electors who come together every four years during the presidential election to give their official votes for President and Vice President of the United States. … No state can have fewer than three electors.
What is the purpose of the Electoral College and how does it work?
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president.
Do all electoral votes go to the same candidate?
Most states require that all electoral votes go to the candidate who receives the most votes in that state. After state election officials certify the popular vote of each state, the winning slate of electors meet in the state capital and cast two ballots—one for Vice President and one for President.
What are the major flaws in the electoral college system?
Three criticisms of the College are made: It is “undemocratic;” It permits the election of a candidate who does not win the most votes; and. Its winner-takes-all approach cancels the votes of the losing candidates in each state.
What is an example of Electoral College?
The United States Electoral College is an example of a system in which an executive president is indirectly elected, with electors representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The votes of the public determine electors, who formally choose the president through the electoral college.
How do most states allocate their electoral votes?
Electoral votes are allocated among the States based on the Census. Every State is allocated a number of votes equal to the number of senators and representatives in its U.S. Congressional delegation—two votes for its senators in the U.S. Senate plus a number of votes equal to the number of its Congressional districts.
Does the Electoral College decide who becomes president?
Electors then cast the votes that decide who becomes president of the United States. Usually, electoral votes align with the popular vote in an election. But a number of times in our nation’s history, the person who took the White House did not receive the most popular votes.
Who chooses the president if no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes?
If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives elects the President from the three candidates who received the most electoral votes. Each state delegation has one vote. The Senate elects the Vice President from the two vice presidential candidates with the most electoral votes.
What happens if no one gets 270 electoral votes 2020?
What happens if no presidential candidate gets 270 electoral votes? If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the Presidential election leaves the Electoral College process and moves to Congress. … The Senate elects the Vice President from the 2 Vice Presidential candidates with the most electoral votes.
What happens if you don’t get 270 electoral votes?
What happens if no presidential candidate gets 270 electoral votes? If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the Presidential election leaves the Electoral College process and moves to Congress. … The Senate elects the Vice President from the 2 Vice Presidential candidates with the most electoral votes.
How many electoral votes does a presidential candidate need in order to win the election?
A candidate needs the vote of at least 270 electors—more than half of all electors—to win the presidential election. In most cases, a projected winner is announced on election night in November after you vote. But the actual Electoral College vote takes place in mid-December when the electors meet in their states.
What is the most popular plan for reforming the Electoral College?
The three most popular reform proposals include (1) the automatic plan, which would award electoral votes automatically and on the current winner-take-all basis in each state; (2) the district plan, as currently adopted in Maine and Nebraska, which would award one electoral vote to the winning ticket in each …
Why the Electoral College Is Bad quizlet?
is plagued by three major defects: (1)
the winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed the presidency
; (2) electors are not required to vote in accord with the popular vote; and (3) any election might have to be decided in the House of Representatives.
Is the Electoral College a fair method of electing the president quizlet?
Is the electoral college fair?
Yes because it gives the smaller states more say in the election
. Also the president has to go to every state. And the winner of the popular vote might not win the election.
