The Presidential Election Process
Apr 01, 2015
The Presidential Election Process
Total available votes = 538 435 + 100 + 3 = 538 Electors are determined by the
number of Representatives, plus the number of Senators
Minimum number a state
can have is 3 Representation is based on
population, therefore, electors are based on population.
Logistics of the Electoral College
Where are these 3 electoral
votes from?
Remember – 270
More on the Electoral College
It’s a WINNER-TAKE-ALL– If you get the majority of the
popular vote then you get all of the ELECTORAL VOTES for that state.
Remember it takes 270 electoral votes to win
Choosing Electors
Electors are chosen on the same day in every state: the Tuesday after the first Monday in November…what’s significant about this date?
When voters go to the poles in November, they are voting for an elector NOT the President. (November 4, 2008)
Ideally, this elector will vote for their choice in January…NOT a requirement
Electoral College Breakdown
If you were running
which states would you focus on?
Why?
Counting the Electoral Votes
These electors are chosen by votersThese electors then report to the state
capital to cast their 2 votesWhen? – Monday after the second
Wednesday in December
Who are the 2 ballots for?
> This is basically a formality – we actually know the night of the election who
won the election
Counting the Electoral Votes
The electoral ballots are sent to the President of the Senate
On January 6th they are tallied with a Joint Session of Congress
And the winner is “formally” announced
CHECKPOINTHow many electoral college votes
does Georgia have?How do they determine the number
of electoral votes that a state has?How many electoral votes do you
need to win the Presidential Election?
The “What Ifs” of the Electoral College
What if no one get 270?– Election goes to the House of Representatives (1800 & 1824)– Each State gets one vote – 26 to win it
What if the House vote has not been decided by Jan 20th?– Vice President will preside until the President is determined
What if the no one received 270 for Vice Presidency?– Senate will determine the VP and then they will preside until
the President is determined
Popular-Vote vs. Electoral College Vote
This happened in 2000
Red or Blue…Who should be elected?
Flaws in the Electoral College System
1) Winner of the popular vote may not win the electoral college vote
> This has happened 4 times
2) Electors are not required to vote for “their” candidate
> “Faithless electors” on 9 occasions
3) Election might be decided by the House
> This has happened twice
> Look out for a 3rd party candidate to take a chunk
Proposed ChangesDistrict Plan –
> Each district within a state would cast their “own” electoral vote
Proportional Plan – > Percentage of electoral votes for the state based on percentage of popular vote from that state
Direct Plan –
> Popular vote winner, wins the office
National Bonus Plan –
> 102 electoral votes would be awarded automatically to the winner of the popular vote. These votes would be combined with the other electoral votes that the candidate won.
Strengths of the Electoral College
It’s a “known” systemIn most cases it identifies a
winner quickly and certainlyMost of the reforms would
have “loop-holes” too
2004 Presidential Election by State
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/
Republican
Democrat
2004 - Election Results by County
Election of 2000 (Florida)
One last thing…A timeline to sum it up
Electoral votes are counted
Decision to run – meets 3
qualifications
Electors cast votes, mail
to D.C.
Primaries, Caucus, State Conventions Election
Debate & Campaign
National Conventions
Inauguration
The Executive Branch IIPresidential Succession &
The Vice President
Presidential Succession
Original Wording– “power and duties” of the office (not the
actual office were to go to the Vice Pres.)25th Amendment
– In case of removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become president.
Presidential Succession
Before the 25th Amendment (in 1967) the Vice President took over anyway.– John Tyler set this precedent when
W.H. Harrison died after being in office only one month.
So what if something happens to the Vice President too????
25th
18 positions are outlined• Vice President• Speaker of the House• Pro Tempore of the
Senate• Sec. of State• Sec. of Treasury• Sec. of Defense• Attorney General• Sec. of Interior• Sec. of Agriculture
• Sec. of Commerce• Sec. of Labor• Sec. of Health and
Human Services• Sec. of HUD• Sec. of Transportation• Sec. of Energy• Sec. of Education• Sec. of Veterans Affairs• Sec. of Homeland
Security
Presidential Succession Act of 1947
We’ve got it covered…
(Know these for the Quiz)
The Vice President Dick Cheney Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi President pro tempore of the Senate
Robert Byrd Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Presidential Disability
What if the President is only disabled – like if he has a heart attack or something…
25th Amendment also details this predicament The VP is to become President if…
– The President informs Congress in writing that he is unable to serve
– The VP and the Cabinet inform congress that the President is unable to serve
The President can resume duties when / if able
Used twice – Reagan & Bush
Th
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Checkpoint
List the next 4 persons to assume the Presidency, if the President is unable to serve…
The Vice President
John Adams: I am the Vice President. In this I am nothing, but I may be everything.”
9 VPs have taken over in the middle of a Term– 8 for deaths– 1 for resignation
Did you know…The President can’t remove the VP from office.
Introduction: The Electoral College
One of the least understood parts of our government, yet it is one of the most important…
2004 Election By state, with changes made for population
Electoral Votes Recap
538
435
3100
2004 Election (Wave = visit) ($ = money)
Focus on Swing States – by-products of the winner-take-all format
Exceptions to the winner-take-all…
Maine and Nebraska– 2 electors (at-large) go with the popular vote
winner– All of the other votes are divided among the
Congressional Districts– That is…If Cherokee’s 6th District (Tom Price,
Roswell) voted for Candidate A, Candidate A would get “our” electoral vote, regardless of what the rest of the state voted.