If you examine Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution, you will not find the words “Electoral College” anywhere. Rather, you will find the system by which states appoint representatives, or “Electors,” to choose the President of the United States. Each state’s number of Electors is equal to the number of senators (2) and the number of representatives (based upon the state’s population). There are currently 538 Electors. A presidential candidate needs a majority, or 270 electoral votes, to win the office.
The Electoral College system is important because it helps prevent larger states from overpowering smaller states. Less populated, rural areas are accorded a voice equal to the more highly populated areas of our nation. Population is balanced with state equality. With the exception of Maine and Nebraska, all of the electoral votes of a state go to the winner of the state’s popular vote, regardless of the proximity of the vote. In only Maine and Nebraska, the electoral vote is allocated by congressional district.
The political parties of all 50 states and the District of Columbia choose their own slate of Electors. The process differs from state to state and may be governed by the national party or the state party rules. Whichever method is used, both alternatives result in each party’s candidate for president having his or her own slate of potential Electors.
Some of our founding fathers desired to have the president chosen by congress, while others favored an election process that would represent the will of the people. Nevertheless, all of the founding fathers opposed direct rule of the people. Democracy was viewed as a dictatorship of the majority, wherein 51% of the population could effectively hold the remaining 49% hostage. Instead, the founding fathers preferred a democratic republic, an electoral college.
Without the Electoral College to balance population, the most heavily populated areas of our nation would hold hostage the less populated areas. BusinessInsider.com published an article entitled, “22 Maps That Explain America” by Andy Kiersz on September 13, 2016, which depicts the handful of counties that comprise one-half of the United States population. Conversely, the map also illustrates that one-half of the United States population reside outside that small handful of counties, in the less densely populated areas. It is clear that without the Electoral College system, the less dense areas of our nation would essentially possess no voice in the election of our chief executive. Thus, even though the Electoral College system may not always reflect the popular vote of the people, the level playing field it provides remains the most equitable system for choosing our president.
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Ann LeBlanc loves learning and deep discussions. She received her Juris Doctorate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She has a B.S. degree in finance, and is licensed to practice law in the states of Texas and Louisiana. Ann’s experience includes many facets of the legal field and she has argued and written legal briefs at both the state district and appellate court levels in Texas and Louisiana and has also represented clients in Federal court. Ann is also an author and has distinguished herself in the authoring of legal publications and the presentation of seminars for clients and organizations such as the National Business Institute and various insurance agencies.
Ann fulfills her love of learning, however, by teaching. Ann is currently an adjunct professor with LeTourneau University where she teaches American Government and Criminal Justice to dual credit students of Excelsior Classes. Ann has also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Louisiana – Lafayette, teaching Business Law. Her passion for education extends to the home, where she homeschools her own children employing the Socratic method. A keen lover of logic, Ann is passionate about teaching critical thinking skills and empowering today’s youth with the ability to analyze the problems of tomorrow, to ensure that our God given rights and freedoms remain unalienable.
The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the author and should not be taken to represent the views of Excelsior Classes, LLC or the consortium of teachers.
