In most states, the electors are bound to vote for the candidate who won the majority of votes in their state. In Federalist No. When the Electoral College deems the winner to be the candidate who did not receive the majority of the popular vote, voters feel that their votes were invalidated and view the electoral college as an undesirable way to select the president. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. small states had greater power than their population would suggest, choose electors aligned with the emerging parties, appointed electors themselves until the mid-1800s, first Monday after the second Wednesday in December, the rise of populism has made the old elitism important again. Politicians and voters alike become engaged shortly after the elections occur and subsequently vocalize their opinions to the public eye. Meanwhile, on Sunday, President-elect Trump claims he won the popular vote, by tweeting, if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally. This 2018 report of the States of Change project, the fourth in an annual series,1 examines an array of future presidential election outcome scenarios—from 2020 through 2036—that could arise as the demography of the nation and its 50 states changes over the next 18 years. Tel: 303-364-7700 | Fax: 303-364-7800, 444 North Capitol Street, N.W., Suite 515 Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell. Thirty-six ballots (and a scathing letter from Alexander Hamilton to his fellow Federalists to vote for Jefferson) later, Jefferson won the presidency, and the groundwork for the 12th Amendment was laid. Each elector would cast two votes, one for President and one for Vice President. In even years, they also vote in federal elections. That doesn’t add up to 538 – the total number of electoral votes – because seven electors were unfaithful to their state’s popular decisions. Only trial and error can tell. In 1804, The 12th Amendment altered Article II, Section 1, to allow electors to cast separate ballots for President and Vice President; this change was brought about in the wake of the contentious election of 1800. November 2016 was not the first American election in which the president-elect did not gather the majority of both the electoral and popular votes. The complexity … It’s difficult to get a grasp of, and for many, it is even more difficult for voters to accept that they are not the ones directly voting their candidates in. These two originalist positions divide between a higher regard for the original purpose of electors and the original means of selecting and regulating them. When Donald Trump won enough states in November 2016 to be elected the 45th U.S. president, opponents turned to the Electoral College as a last attempt to alter the election’s result. The millennial generation is a bridge to America’s diverse future The Electoral College was a compromise to alleviate the issue of the states not being able to agree on a candidate because it allowed the American people to have a say. Even before the 2016 election, some states had tried to limit the discretion of electors. Some founders wanted the President and Vice President to be elected through a purely popular vote-based system, while others wanted Congress to vote for the President. On the other hand, the usual liberal position – living constitutionalism – is clear. He argued that this change was important because the current system emphasizes the political power of voters in swing states to the detriment of voters elsewhere. The candidates then focus on states where the result of the election is unknown. Donald Trump has already secured the presidential term for the next four years, yet there has been sudden uproar challenging the system that elected him, as well as other presidential candidates in the past. The necessity of the Electoral College has been called into question after two presidential races in recent memory have been decided by the Electoral College, meaning the winner of the popular vote did not win the presidency. Two states, Maine and Nebraska, use a proportional system where one elector represents each congressional district, and the candidate that wins that district wins that elector. The electoral college process was established by the constitution and says a candidate can only be elected president if he or she wins a majority of the 538 electors- … The states that overlap between the two figures are the ideologically “average” states with the highest populations. Before hitting the polls, electors, or election representatives, are chosen by each party. However, polls remain active until a previously determined time, often 9 pm, meaning that people may continue to vote whether or not the state has already determined which candidate its electors will support. Trent England, of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, advocated for continued use of the current system. The number of electors would equal the number of senators and representatives in Congress, which means that small states had greater power than their population would suggest, but still not as much as big states. The precedent for a popular vote had been set in New York and Massachusetts because these states had democratically-elected governors. Before hitting the polls, electors, or election representatives, are chosen by each party. They whined that the majority of New York’s votes were cast by now, and since the Electoral College limits each state to its predetermined number of electoral votes, it was too late at night for our votes to contribute or reverse the result. 7700 East First Place Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Since the system was  established within a constitutional amendment, another amendment would need to be passed in order to alter or abolish the electoral college. These include Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, and Arizona, in the Sun Belt, as well as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio in the North. In other words, they won more votes overall but did not win a majority of Electoral College votes. However, one election stands out: presidential elections via the Electoral College. Perhaps the reason why the Electoral College continues to reign is because voters and/or politicians have yet to develop an innovative, just, and practical alternative. Redstone Federal Credit Union Camera Network, WHNT News 19 Sales Team – Broadcast and Digital, Homeowner outraged after road crews litter her lawn with asphalt, Who won the Trump-Biden debate? As our state of New York traditionally votes for the Democratic candidate, my peers complained that they predicted our last-minute votes to be minimal. Kid Rock, golfer John Daly asked to mask up in the audience at final presidential debate, Athens City School Board approves $250K separation agreement with superintendent, Parents search for answers after they say toddler’s dental procedure left lasting damage, COVID-19 impact: Huntsville art studio closes doors, US announces sanctions against Iran for attempted election interference, Shaquille O’Neal appointed reserve deputy by Louisiana sheriff’s department. This required future electors to clearly identify the candidates they select as president or vice president. Some of these elections are for at-large offices, such as governors and city council seats. GOLDEN, CO – OCTOBER 29: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump addresses a campaign rally in the Rodeo Arena at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds October 29, 2016 in Golden, Colorado. In all three of those black voter scenarios, Democrats win both the popular vote and Electoral College in future elections. The necessity of the Electoral College has been called into question after two presidential races in recent memory have been decided by the Electoral College, meaning the winner of the popular vote did not win the presidency.