Search results
Dec 9, 2021 · Con 1 The Electoral College gives too much power to swing states and allows the presidential election to be decided by a handful of states. The two main political parties can count on winning the electoral votes in certain states, such as California for the Democratic Party and Indiana for the Republican Party, without worrying about the actual popular vote totals.
Jan 5, 2021 · On Dec. 14, as electors gathered across the country to cast their ballots, Joseph R. Biden Jr. had earned 306 electoral votes, 36 more than needed to win. President Trump had earned 232 electoral ...
- Allyson Waller
People also ask
What are the pros and cons of the Electoral College?
Does the Electoral College work?
Are small populations overrepresented in the Electoral College?
Why is the Electoral College so controversial?
Apr 2, 2023 · The electoral college has a number of pros and cons, depending on where you fall on the political spectrum. While it prevents an easy-to-understand election that would draw from a popular vote, it was originally enacted to give every state its fair say in who gets elected to the highest office in the country. Here are the most relevant benefits:
- The Electoral College
- How Electoral Votes Are Awarded
- Disadvantages of The Electoral College
- Advantages of The Electoral Vote Over A Popular Vote
- Different Winners of Electoral and Popular Vote
- Popular Support For The Electoral College
- Implications of A Popular Vote Election
- References
There are 538 total electors in the Electoral College, who are chosen by each state of the United Statesand by the District of Columbia (but not by other territories like Puerto Rico). The number of electors for a state is based upon the voting membership of that state in Congress i.e. the number of representatives in the House plus the number of s...
In all states except Nebraska and Maine, electors are awarded on a winner-take-all basis. This means all electors/delegates in a state are awarded to the winner of the popular vote in that state. So in a closely contested election like 2000 (Bush v. Gore), when George Bushwon Florida with a roughly 50-50% split of the popular vote in that state, he...
Critics of the system that uses the electoral vote to choose a president argue that the system is unfair. They say that the system is undemocratic because the number of electoral votes is not directly proportional to the population of the state. This gives smaller states a disproportionate influence in presidential elections. For example, Hawaii ha...
Supporters of using the electoral vote argue that it protects the rights of smaller states and is a cornerstone of American federalism. States can design their own mechanism -- without federal involvement -- for choosing their electors. Another advantage is that the impact of any state-level problems, such as fraud, is localized. No political party...
The biggest criticism of the electoral vote system is that it is possible for a presidential candidate to win the popular vote and losethe electoral vote. That is, more Americans voted for the candidate but he or she still lost. While this is rare, it has happened 4 times: 1. George Bush (electoral vote winner) vs. Al Gore in 2000: Al Gore won the ...
A Gallup poll in January 2013 foundthat a vast majority of Americans would prefer to do away with the electoral college for presidential elections.
It would be wrong to assume that Hillary Clinton or Al Gore would have been president had the electoral college been abolished and elections were to be decided by popular vote. Indeed, Donald Trump has said he supports a popular vote election for president, and has reiterated this vieweven after winning the electoral college vote and losing the pop...
The Electoral College - WikipediaWould people in the USA prefer to elect their President via direct elections? - QuoraHow powerful is your vote? - SlateOct 2, 2020 · Disadvantages of the Electoral College Can override the popular vote: In five presidential elections so far—1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016—a candidate lost the nationwide popular vote but was elected president by winning the Electoral College vote. This potential to override the “will of the majority” is often cited as the main reason ...
- Robert Longley
Jan 21, 2021 · The Electoral College gives too much power to "swing states" and allows the presidential election to be decided by a handful of states. The Electoral College ignores the will of the people. This article was published on Jan. 21, 2021, at Britannica’s ProCon.org, a nonpartisan issue-information source. Some argue that the Electoral College ...
The first problem with the Electoral College is that it gives more weight to voters in small states than those in more populous ones, says DeRosa. Every state gets a minimum of three electoral votes. However, each state’s total allotment is based on its representation in the Senate (always two people) and the House (varies by population).
