- Small-population states are over-represented.
- Winner-takes-all system can distort the result (such as in 2008, when Obama won 52% of the popular vote but 68% of the Electoral College votes).
- Possible for a candidate to win the popular vote but lose in the Electoral College (as Al Gore (Democrat) did in 2000).
What are the weaknesses of the electoral college quizlet?
what are the three main weaknesses of the electoral college?
-winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed presidency. -electors are not required to vote in accord with the popular vote.
-any election might have to be decided in the house of representatives.
What are the 3 main weaknesses of 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 a major criticism of the electoral college quizlet?
A major criticism of the electoral college system has been that. 1.
party loyalty is weakened after a presidential election
. 2.electors frequently fail to vote for a candidate. 3.members of the electoral college are appointed for life terms. 4.a president may be elected without receiving the majority of the popular vote.
Why was the Electoral College created quizlet?
The Electoral College was created for two reasons.
The first purpose was to create a buffer between population and the selection of a President
. The second as part of the structure of the government that gave extra power to the smaller states.
What states do not use the electoral College?
Maine and Nebraska are the only states not using this method. In those states, the winner of the popular vote in each of its congressional districts is awarded one elector, and the winner of the statewide vote is then awarded the state’s remaining two electors.
What major change did the 12th Amendment make in the electoral college system?
The new electoral process was first used for the 1804 election. Each presidential election since has been conducted under the terms of the Twelfth Amendment. The Twelfth Amendment stipulates that each elector must cast distinct votes for president and vice president, instead of two votes for president.
Why were most of the framers opposed to choosing the president by popular vote quizlet?
Why were most of the framers opposed to choosing a president by popular vote? By Congress?
They believed that voters in such a large country couldn’t learn enough about the candidates to make an informed decision
. They believed that if it was chosen by Congress it would be, “too much under the legislative thumb.”
What are the major proposed reforms of the electoral college system?
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 …
How are the electors selected for the Electoral College?
Generally, the parties either nominate slates of potential electors at their State party conventions or they chose them by a vote of the party’s central committee. … When the voters in each State cast votes for the Presidential candidate of their choice they are voting to select their State’s electors.
What is potential downside of the winner take all system of electoral college voting quizlet?
What is a drawback of the winner-take-all system of Electoral College voting?
It makes it possible for candidates to lose the popular vote, yet win the election
.
What has been a criticism of the winner take all system of electoral college voting 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.
What causes a candidate like Al Gore to win the popular vote and lose the vote in the electoral college quizlet?
Bush was able to win a majority in the Electoral College when Al Gore won the national popular vote because
Bush was able to win a majority in enough states to gain the required number of electoral votes to win
, but he won by small margins in those states. … When do electors cast their vote for president?
Why did the Founding Fathers create the Electoral College quizlet?
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”. … A person elected by the voters in to represent them in making the decision of VP and President.
Why was the 12th amendment necessary How did it change the Electoral College system?
Passed by Congress December 9, 1803, and ratified June 15, 1804, the 12th Amendment provided for separate Electoral College votes for President and Vice President, correcting weaknesses in the earlier electoral system which were responsible for the controversial Presidential Election of 1800.
Why did the Founding Fathers create the Electoral College quizlet Chapter 7?
The electoral college was created due to
the fact that the Founding Fathers did not trust the average American citizen to have any political knowledge
. … Members of a major political party in the early years of the United States favouring a strong centralised national government.
