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.
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.
Why did they start the Electoral College?
The Founding Fathers established the Electoral College in the Constitution, in part, as a compromise between the election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.
When did the Electoral College start?
In 1804, 12th Amendment to the Constitution made sure that electors designate their votes for president and vice president, but the 12th Amendment leaves in place a tie breaking system established by the Constitution by which the House of Representatives breaks a tie on presidential electoral votes and the Senate ...
What is the Electoral College 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 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.
Who makes up the Electoral College and how are they selected?
Who selects the electors? Choosing each State’s electors is a two-part process. First, the political parties in each State choose slates of potential electors sometime before the general election. Second, during the general election, the voters in each State select their State’s electors by casting their ballots.
What are the three major flaws of the Electoral College system?
- 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.
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.”
Why did the Framers not give the popular vote winner the presidency quizlet?
Framers didn’t want other congressional/popular election of the president . They expected electors to be respectable, well-informed citizens.
What happens if you don’t get 270 electoral votes?
A candidate must receive an absolute majority of electoral votes (currently 270) to win the presidency or the vice presidency. If no candidate receives a majority in the election for president or vice president, that election is determined via a contingency procedure established by the 12th Amendment.
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.
How many votes do states get in the Electoral College?
For California, this means we get 55 votes (2 senators and 53 members of the House of Representatives) — the most of any state.
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.
How does the Electoral College work in USA?
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. A total of 538 electors form the Electoral College. ... The candidate who gets 270 votes or more wins.
Who is the youngest president to take office?
Age of presidents
The youngest person to assume the presidency was Theodore Roosevelt, who, at the age of 42, succeeded to the office after the assassination of William McKinley. The youngest to become president by election was John F. Kennedy, who was inaugurated at age 43.
