One reasons for America’s success is the Electoral College, the mostly behind-the-scenes and often misunderstood system for electing the President of the United States.
The Electoral College is, to be exact, the group of representatives (Electors) chosen in each state to cast the official ballots (electoral votes) for President.
Each state gets as many Electors as it has members of the U.S. House and Senate—the same voice in choosing the president as it has in Congress. You can use the drop down States menu above to see how many Electors each state has (the number in parenthesis).
Before the presidential election, each political party nominates Electors who promise that they will cast electoral votes for that party’s presidential candidate. When citizens vote in a presidential election, we are really voting for our candidate’s Electors—if our candidate wins in our state, those Electors will represent us in the Electoral College and vote for our candidate. Read the posts below to learn more about the Electoral College and why it turns out to work so well.
The silent battle over presidential election procedures wages on, and Massachusetts has officially fallen. Last week Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation entering the state into National Popular Vote’s interstate compact, bringing NPV’s total electoral votes to 72 (of the needed 270). Yet Save Our States is seeing to it that the “silent” aspect of...
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Late last week, the Massachusetts state senate voted to approve the National Popular Vote bill. The house had already approved the measure in June. These votes mean that Massachusetts is almost certain to become the sixth state to approve NPV. But, as they say, it ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings. There is...
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According to National Popular Vote, it don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that swing. Voters outside of “swing states,” NPV’s materials claim, are “spectators to the presidential election” and are “effectively disenfranchised.” A closer look reveals that NPV’s claims come from a superficial understanding of political campaigns that does not survive under...
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The Electoral College was one of the least controversial provisions of the original Constitution. The state-by-state way we elect the President of the United States gives each state a number of Electoral Votes equal to the sum of their U.S. Representatives and Senators (and Washington, D.C., gets three). Nearly all states award all of...
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Next week, the Cato Institute will host two leading legal scholars in a debate about the merits of the Electoral College. Tara Ross, author of Enlightened Democracy: The Case for the Electoral College (it’s in our bookstore), will face off against Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin, who is also a professor of constitutional law...
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The Delaware Senate spent portions of this week considering HB 198, which would commit the state to NPV’s anti-Electoral College scheme. The House already approved the legislation last year, so senate approval would send the bill to the Governor’s desk. The Senate has three legislative days left in which it could still approve the...
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Tonight Save Our States is hosting a Citizens’ Briefing to explain the importance of the Electoral College and the threat of the National Popular Vote plan. A lot of people don’t like the Electoral College. Even more people don’t understand it. There are plenty of arguments for the institution’s irreplaceable contribution to American liberty...
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As we’ve pointed out before, Michigan has made it onto the NPV radar. Legislators are being lobbied to ignore the will of Michigan voters and cast all 17 of Michigan’s electoral votes for the national popular vote winner—regardless of who wins in Michigan. Next week, Save Our States is presenting a citizens’ briefing in...
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This year has been quite a flop for NPV, but it looks like they’re taking a gasp for air in Michigan where recent lobbying efforts appear to have paid off. A few weeks ago former chairman of the Michigan GOP Saul Anuzis announced (on his blog) his endorsement of NPV. Last week, the Detroit...
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Opponents of the Electoral College often imply that America’s presidential election process is undemocratic and out of step with the world. But is it? The 2010 Winter Olympic Games featured athletes from 82 countries. I decided to investigate, using that list, which goes from Albania to Uzbekistan and includes all of the largest nations....
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A big thanks to host Jim Schneider and the crew at Crosstalk radio for today’s discussion of the Electoral College versus National Popular Vote. It was my pleasure to be on the program and to talk with so many listeners from around the country. You can visit the Crosstalk website for a description of...
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On Friday, Alaska’s Senate Judiciary Committee heard the state’s National Popular Vote bill (SB 92). The measure actually already passed the State Affairs Committee with the support of Senators Linda Menard, Hollis French (who chairs the Judiciary Committee), and Albert Kookesh. (Watch the Judiciary hearing.) Alaska, the largest state by landmass but with one...
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