1. Electing a President:
Process and History

3. How did this process get
started?

The Constitution – what does it say about the
presidential election?

Who elects the president?
 Indirect election – Electoral College

Why do we have an Electoral College?

How does it work?

What are some criticisms?

Why hasn’t it been changed?

4. Rationale for such a
system at the
Constitutional Convention

Poor communication – common people would
lack essential information

Desire to have the “best” people select the
President

A compromise by those who wanted direct
election and those who wanted the Congress to
elect the President

5. Allotment of electoral
votes to states

Each state has as many electoral votes as it has
members in Congress

Minimum # = 3

Washington, D.C. has 3 votes (23rd Amendment)

Total = 538

California has the highest number – 55

Washington will have 12 (up from 11 in the previous
election)

6. Selection of Electors

Candidate with most popular votes (only a
plurality is needed) wins all of that state’s
electoral votes (winner-take-all) – concentration
of campaigning in large, competitive states

Emphasis on “swing” states – FL, OH, PA

Electors meet in respective state capitals in
December to cast ballots

7. Winning the election
•
Majority of electoral votes (270) needed to win
•
If no candidate has a majority (this is what the
Founders thought would happen most of the time.
They did not anticipate the development of the two-
party system):
− House selects President from among top 3 candidates
− Each state has 1 vote
− Done in 1800 and 1824
− Senate selects V.P. from among top two candidates

9. Criticisms

President can be elected with only a plurality rather than a
majority (of popular votes) especially with presence of strong
3rd party

Faithless Elector – no federal law requires electors to vote the
way they are “supposed” to vote (most states do have a law)

Small states proportionately overrepresented (Wyoming – 3
electoral votes – 1 vote per 166,666 people, California – 55
electoral votes – 1 vote per 600,000 people)

Small states overrepresented (if election goes to the House,
Wyoming has same voting power as California)

Inhibits development of third parties (Perot won 19% popular
vote but no electoral votes)

11. Alternatives

Direct election: each person’s vote would count as
much as every other person’s vote

District system (candidate who wins a congressional
district wins that district’s electoral vote). Overall
winner in a state would get the two “bonus” electoral
votes by virtue of its Senate seats

Proportional system (candidate gets same % of
electoral votes as popular votes)

12. Why has the Electoral
College system not been
abolished?

Tradition/reluctance to tamper with the
Constitution

Difficulties in amending the Constitution

Opposition from the overrepresented small
states

13. How does the process of selecting a
president work today?
The Path to the Presidency today
• Invisible primary: unofficial campaigning done by
unofficial candidates
• Declaration of candidacy
• Nomination phase
• Fall campaign
• Election day
• Meeting of electors
• Formal election
• Inauguration day

14. Nomination Phase
• Some states use a caucus to
determine the party candidate for
president
– Local caucuses – district
convention – state convention –
national convention. Each level
selects delegates to attend
higher level
– Importance of Iowa: 1st state to
hold caucuses each presidential
election year – chance for
candidate to build momentum
for future caucuses and
primaries
– The State of Washington uses a
caucus system

16. • Other states use presidential primaries as method of
selecting a nominee. Increased use of primaries in last 30
years.
– Voters vote for candidates and state parties select delegates to
attend convention either on proportional basis (Democratic Party)
or winner-take-all (Republican Party).
– Importance of New Hampshire: the first state to hold primary
each presidential election year – chance for candidate to build
momentum for future caucuses and primaries.
– Front-loading trend: primaries are held earlier and earlier. The
idea of Super Tuesday where many southern states held their
primaries early in the election season, has morphed into a
situation where more and more non-southern states are moving
up the dates of their primaries (Super Tuesday not as significant).

18. • National Convention
– Selection of presidential nominee: a mere formality since the
winner is known well ahead of time – emphasis on “image”
instead of “scrimmage” – ratification rather than nomination
– Selection of v.p. nominee
• Chosen by presidential nominee and rubber stamped by
convention
• Balancing the ticket
– Use of superdelegates by Democrats
– Party platform
– Reconciliation and unification of party by end of the convention
• Inspiring speeches by prominent politicians and videos
promoting the candidates and their families, speeches by v-p
nominee and presidential nominee

19. • Analysis of presidential nominating system
– Pro
• Highly participatory: caucuses, primaries, conventions
• Potential to be more representative
• A testing ground for candidates. Weeds out weaker candidates.
– Con
• Low rates of turnout
• Too lengthy
• Does not test candidates for qualities they need as president. Too much
emphasis on media game.
• Front-loading has adversely affected states with later primaries. In
essence, these states have no say in who is nominated
• Voters in primaries tend to be better educated and more affluent than
those in general elections
• Delegates at caucuses and conventions tend to be unrepresentative: more
ideological, more activist, more educated, less moderate, much more
wealthy. (“Selectorate” replaces the “electorate.”)

20. Key Dates in this year’s
presidential election
• Republican convention week of August 27
(Tampa)
• Democratic convention week of September
3 (Charlotte)
• November 6 – election day!
• Meeting of Electors – Monday, December
17
• Inauguration day – January 20, 2013