Electoral College Flashcards
(29 cards)
where does the EC derive from?
article II of constitution
how many electors does each state have?
number of reps + two (for number of senators)
give two positives about the EC?
- guarantees certainty to outcome of election
- ensures all areas of country are involved in electing president
give two negatives about EC?
- often ignores will of people
- gives too much power to swing states
how many people are there in USA and how many electors?
325 million people, 538 electors
in 2016, how many more votes did Hilary Clinton get than trump?
nearly 3 million
how EC votes did Trump and Clinton get in 2016?
304 v 227
how does the 2016 election shows EC to be bad?
- shows it as an undemocratic system as it ignores the popular vote
- outdated system
in how many states can electors vote how they want?
21
how many rogue delegates were there in 2016?
7, with Clinton losing 5 delegates
why are rogue delegates bad?
- shows EC to be undemocratic as one person can overrule will of majority, if result doesn’t with their political beliefs
- tyranny of minority
what could happen if election was based on popular vote?
it would be possible for a candidate to receive the highest number of popular votes without actually obtaining a majority
why would it be bad for a president to be elected without a majority?
president would have weak legitimacy - limiting their power
give an example of EC making sure pres is elected w/ a majority
- 1992, Bill Clinton
- 43% of popular vote
- 370 electoral college votes
how did 1992 show EC to be good?
EC precluded calls or demands for recounts and has allowed the system to run more smoothly
give an example of EC allowing presidents to have a large mandate?
2012, Obama won 51.3% of popular vote, but gained 61.7% of electoral college votes
how is EC giving presidents a larger mandates a good thing?
EC benefits political system as it gives president more legitimacy, allowing for govt to function better
why is it a bad thing US has undemocratic electoral system?
for most powerful person in world to be elected in a system where they don’t need to win the popular vote suggests something is wrong
how does EC ensure all parts of country play a part in selecting president?
- to win election, candidates need electoral votes from multiple regions
- therefore, need to build campaign platforms with a national focus, meaning that the winner will be serving the needs of an entire country
what might happen to campaigning if the election was based on popular vote?
candidates could and possibly would limit campaigning to heavily-populated areas of specific states
give an example of groups of people who would be neglected?
groups such as factory workers in Ohio or farmers in Iowa would be ignored in favour of focusing on metropolitan areas with higher population demographics
why would parties focus their efforts on big states?
- if they can win majority of vote there, they would gain substantial number of votes
- would lead to rural areas and small towns being marginalised as their interest would be ignored in favour of urban areas
- shows EC is good as it ensures everyone’s vote counts
which areas does EC give too much power to?
swing states - allows election to be decided by a handful of states
which states can the main parties always count on winning?
Democrats - California
Republicans - Indiana
