Electoral College
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 Electoral College Versus the World?
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. How... »
Talking Electoral College versus NPV on Crosstalk
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 the... »
Alaska considers popular vote
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 of... »
National Popular Vote versus Wisconsin
Mid-morning on Tuesday, two emails alerted me that Wisconsin’s NPV bill (AB 751) had suddenly been introduced and scheduled for a hearing before the Assembly Elections Committee—on Wednesday afternoon, the very next day. Could I come to Madison, one legislator asked, and help educate citizens and other lawmakers and perhaps testify at the hearing? Barely... »
Two great legislators in Harrisburg
Today I had the pleasure of talking with two great legislators in Pennsylvania’s state capitol. The Commonwealth Foundation had suggested I speak with Senator Mike Folmer because of his understanding of and dedication to America’s founding principles. It turns out that Senator Folmer is one of the founders of COOL: the Constitutional Organization Of... »
National Popular Vote and the Constitution
“Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress….” (Article II, Section 1) … How did this constitutional provision become the NPV loophole? Hundreds of attempts to amend the Electoral... »
Videos that explain the Electoral College
There are some great videos out there that help explain the workings of the Electoral College. Here is the School House Rock version from YouTube. This next one, which I think is even better, is apparently made by Disney and is also available on YouTube. And the last one, just for fun, is from a company... »
Will Vermont make itself irrelevant with NPV?
Few states stand to lose more under National Popular Vote than Vermont. As both a low population and low population density state, Vermont is the classic “small” state. The Electoral College gives Vermont a political boost. The National Popular Vote plan, on the other hand, would pull the political rug out from under Vermont. Consider this:... »
One morning in Maine
It was my pleasure to spend my morning in Augusta at Maine’s State Capitol complex. I not only met a great bi-partisan group of state legislators, but also bumped into NPV’s own Chris Pearson. A member of National Popular Vote’s board of directors, Pearson is a former one-term Vermont state representative. A Progressive Party member,... »
Saving Maine from NPV
Even my short stay in the Newark Airport was a reminder how different parts of America can be … well, different. New Jersey is distinct from Washington State and Massachusetts, the states on either end of my flights this morning. Think about just how vast and diverse is our nation, our United States. Smaller and more... »
Hitting the road
Last year, in addition to our educational activities in Washington State, Save Our States visited Nevada and was assisted allies in Oregon and Colorado as well. While NPV was signed into law in Washington, it stalled in the other three states as legislators began asking questions and constituents made their voices heard. So tomorrow I... »
“Wisconsin would lose big time!” under National Popular Vote
Wisconsin has made it onto NPV’s list of targeted states. Dave Zweifel’s Madison.com article, “Using popular vote to elect president is the way to go,” parrots one of the National Popular Vote organization’s most often-used (and faulty) arguments: that because the Electoral College motivates candidates to campaign in some... »