Where is the clearest (plain english) explanation of how the electoral college works?

Question

I'm pretty educated (Bachelor's degree) and I'm pretty active in Politics as well...

But I have a heck of a time trying to explain the EC to my friends and family...

Even the Wikipedia page is kind of cryptic on the matter.

Help please?

Answer 1

There is no "clear" answer. Tradionally, when you vote for president, you are actually voting for electors who "promise" to vote for your canidate, but they are not obligated to, and a few have not. Normally, whoever wins the state, even by a single vote, gets all the electorial votes of the state. This number is the amount of senators and congressmen the state has. However, a few small states require the electorial votes to be split the way the voters voted. California is considering the same thing. The problem with the electorial college is that the person winning the popular vote might not win the electorial college vote. To become president, you need a majority of the electorial votes, currently 271, but that would change in a three way race.

Answer 2

The number of electoral votes a state has is equal to the total number of representatives and senators the respective state has. For example, Texas has 32 representatives in the house and like every other state has 2 senators. Add 32 and 2 and you get 34, the number of electoral votes Texas has. People vote on election day and the candidate who gets the most votes in the state gets all the electoral votes (there are two states that proportionally grant electoral votes). The candidate with the majority of the electoral votes wins. If no candidate gets a majority then the election is decided by the house of reps. hope this helps!

Answer 3

Back in the day, they didn't have computers, telephones, or even reliable mail for something as important as picking a president. So instead, they came up with the Electoral College system.

Basically, instead of counting votes across the nation, each state would have a certain number of electoral representatives, equal to the number of Senators (2 per state) plus the number of Representatives (depends on population of state). For example, Iowa has 2 Senators, and 5 Representatives, so Idaho has 7 Electoral Votes.

So instead of voting for president, people are actually voting for a person who will go to Washington, DC and cast the electoral vote for president of their party. The majority winner of each state gets the electoral votes for that state*. After elections, back in the day, those electoral college reps would ride a carriage to the capital, and then cast their ballot for the candidate their state elected**. A candidate must have 270 electoral votes to win.

Many people say this system is outdated, a relic of a time when they didn't have the technology to conduct elections in a faster, fairer way.

*Note: Each state's constitution says how they handle the process. Maine and Nebraska are exceptions to the "majority" rule, they can split electoral votes between parties depending on votes for each. Republicans are pushing for California to also split votes (so instead of losing 55 electoral votes to Democrats, they can split a few).

**People vote for the electoral rep, not the president. The electoral reps then cast their ballot for the candidate of their party. HOWEVER, an elector can cast a ballot for any individual, whether or not the individual was that party's candidate for the office. This has happened several times.

Wikipedia does a decent job, look up "United States Electoral College", instead of "Electoral College".

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Electoral_College

Also, here's a great site that follows the elctoral votes and relevant polls for presidential, senate, and house elections:
http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Answer 4

OK, the first thing you have to realise, is nothing in the Constitution, gives you as a citizen, the right to vote for President.

The Constitution, says, the states shall choose electors to vote for President.

The number of electors, was based on thats states representation in Congress.

IE: you have two senators and 7 representatives, then your state received 9 Electors.

Electors were generally required to vote they way the State legislature wanted them to, the first electoral ballot.

If no one won on the first ballot, then the Electors could vote for any of the run off candiates they wanted to on 2nd or 3rd ballots.

In the first elections, citizens didn't vote for President.

Later, states starting having state elections, to determine who the states Electors cast thier votes for.

The reason for Electors, is to give the smaller states a larger voice in who is President, the same reason the senate has two senators from each state, no matter what the population.

Right now, 49 states allocate thier electoral votes, on a winner take all system, whoever wins the popular vote in that state, receives all of that states electoral votes.

One state, allocates electoral votes based on the percentage of popular vote each candiate receives.

States are free to determine how thier electoral votes are cast, as they see fit.

While the constitution still does not have anything that directly says a state must let citizens vote for president.

It does say, that states will lose electoral votes, based on the percentage of a states citizens, who were denied the right to vote. Which generally forces states to keep holding elections.

Answer 5

It's a simplified version of the popular vote. Each electoral vote represents a number of people. The groups are divided by region. In each region, the votes of each person are counted. The majority gets the electoral vote. Whichever candidate gets the most electoral votes (270 minimum) is elected.

Answer 6

1) Every individual state is comprised of certain # of House Reps proportional to the population of the state and 2 members of Senate
2) All states hold an election to choose their electoral college
3) President is elected when he recieves majority of nation's electoral college votes (winner take all system)

-What happens if there is a tie? The house determines; each state is granted one vote and they hold an election amongst the 50 states

Advantages of system: a) compels candidates to acknowledge all states, small or large (i.e.: reason why candidates travel all over country prior to elections) b) constiguency that elects president dissolves when he comes into power (i.e.: states that elect pres. have no benefits once he is in office)

Answer 7

I'll give it a shot.........Every state has a certin number of electoral college votes (or electorates) based loosely on it's population. When you vote in the election you are really voting for your states electorates. Usually (in fact just about always) the winner of the popular vote for one state will get all of that states electorates.

Answer 8

Whoever wins the state gets all the electoral votes of that state. Whoever has the most electoral votes overall wins.

Answer 9

Type Electoral college into you search bar and voila.

Answer 10

My 8th grade civics book did a pretty good job, but I haven't seen that sucker in 14 years. Come to think of it, I remember learning about it in 5th grade, too.