Electors are generally chosen from among state party leaders and state legislators. A candidate can lose the election even after winning the popular vote because the electoral college is thedetermining factor. National polls indicate a large percentage of Americans now have serious doubts about not just the outcome of the current presidential contest, but also the future reliability of our election system itself. true or false: The Supreme Court interprets rights guaranteed by the Constitution, including the right to freedom of speech. through a Senate confirmation hearing. *AP & Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this site. The Supreme Court case of District of Columbia v. Heller involved the constitutional right to. true or false: Former presidents receive the benefit of a pension. 2. By its clear language, they affirmed, only state legislatures, and not state courts or any other officials, are constitutionally authorized to determine the manner by which presidential electors are selected. true or false: Congress has the right to oversee the work of both the executive and the judicial branches. Onlythe state legislatures were given the authority to direct the manner of appointing presidential electors. The House just wrapped up its debate over an objection on Pennsylvania's electoral votes for President-elect Joe Biden. This is why presidential candidates. [3] [4] [5] [6], At least 700 amendments have been proposed to modify or abolish the Electoral College. PepsiCos financial statements are presented in Appendix B. Electors vote based on the results of the popular vote the number of votes cast for each candidate by citizens in their respective states or districts, with the winner of the popular vote getting all of the electoral votes for the state in most cases. The peculiar system that emerged was the Electoral College. [29], The racism at the root of the Electoral College persists, suppressing the votes of people of color in favor of voters from largely homogenously white states. Article II. "This proposal will preserve the electoral college, but it will make the electoral college simply a way of awarding the plurality vote winner," he said. He holds a master's of journalism from the University of King's College in Halifax. As of December 2012, the bill had been enacted by eight states and the District of Columbia, which together possess a total of 132 electoral votes. (C) The electoral college was established by the Constitution as it was originally ratified. was established under Chief Justice John Marshall. Our support of objections will not diminish the value of the vote of any individual citizen, but rather protect that value, by ensuring the Constitution is followed and by restoring the confidence of all Americans that the rule of law will be upheld today, and our elections in the future will remain secured. 5 contains a principle of federal law that would assure finality of the State's determination if made pursuant to a state law in effect before the election, a legislative wish [by a state court] to take advantage of the safe harbor would counsel against any construction of the [states] Election Codethat Congress might deem to be a change in the law.Id. (emphasis added). His work has appeared in numerous publications, including The Boston Globe, The New York Times, and National Geographic Traveler. [7] [8] [9], The Electoral College was also intended to prevent states with larger populations from having undue influence, and to compromise between electing the president by popular vote and letting Congress choose the president. The existence of the Electoral College precluded calls for recounts or demands for run-off elections. READ MORE: How Are Electoral College Electors Chosen? On December 10, 2020, we filed an amicus briefin the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 126 Members of Congress (linkedhere), in which we urged the Court to immediately address the fact that four battleground states (Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) violated the plain language of Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution in their selection of presidential electors. In 2000, George W Bush won with 271 electoral votes, although Democrat candidate Al Gore won the popular vote by more than half a million. Or why not? If approved, challenges could proceed through the courts all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. It happened in2016, whenTrump won a majority of electoral college votes despite falling short of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the popular vote by nearly three million. Republicans say their goal is to fight future election fraud. true or false: The Bill of Rights arose in part because of Americans' experiences with Britain. Although the phrase "Electoral College" does not appear in the U.S. Constitution, it is how we refer to the procedure by which the United States elects the President. hide caption. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. However, as it pertains to our constitutional duty as Members of Congress on January 6, we have no express authority or ability to independently prove the many allegations of fraud in the subject states. The most probablescenario would see the new congress decide since they take office before the president, he said. A vice president can become president through presidential disability, the death of the president, or. The objection is expected to fail. Not a physical college, the electoral college isa process for electing the U.S. president. The length of a president's term in office. The Constitution is intended to guide Pakistan's law . Our extraordinary republic has endured for nearly two and a half centuries based on the consent of the governed. The objective was to preserve the power of the independent states within a national government, saidJason Opal, chair of the history and classical studies department at McGillUniversity in Montreal. (E) Senators and representatives are prohibited from the electoral college by the Constitution. Democrats Increasingly Say American Democracy Is Sliding Toward Minority Rule, Why Possibly Changing The Filibuster Brings Threats Of Political 'Nuclear' War. It's hard to make an intellectual argument in favor of the Electoral College. (C) The electoral college was established by the Constitution as it was originally ratified. D The winner-take-all system of the electoral college distorts the results of the popular vote. What happens if no candidate gets a majority? Financial statements of The Coca-Cola Company are presented in Appendix C. Instructions for accessing and using the complete Use your browser's back button to return to your test results. Why might a seat in the Senate be more attractive to a candidate than a seat in the House? When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Q. In 1992, Ross Perot received 19% of the popular vote but 0 electoral votes. What other voting reforms would you make? Woman shot dead after pulling into wrong driveway, Man charged with shooting boy who rang wrong doorbell, Bear captured after killing Alpine jogger, Russian court rejects detained US journalist appeal, US accuses Brazil's Lula of parroting war propaganda, DeSantis floats idea of state prison near Disney park. On Dec. 22, 2016, the results were certified in all 50 states. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. Trumpcriticized the electoral college in 2012, because he thoughtRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney might win the popular vote but still lose to former U.S. President Barack Obama, Opal said. "Vote suppression is one way of doing that subtracting voters from the electorate who you think won't vote for your preferred candidates," she said. 1. In 2016, seven electoral college votes were cast this way, but no result has been changed by faithless electors. As for what constitutes a competitive state, Levine said the balance between urban and rural areasis a strong determining factor. issues affecting the regions they campaign in. Yet our friends have overlooked a critical, first principle. It works without controversy in most elections. Question 5 30 seconds Q. On election day, voters choosing a presidential candidate are actually casting a vote for an elector. Maine has a similar proportional distribution, with two votes awarded to the statewide winner and its other two votes given to the winners in each of its two congressional districts. Twelve years later, Benjamin Harrison defeated incumbent Grover Cleveland handily in the Electoral College although garnering fewer popular votes. [2], The Electoral College was established in 1788 by Article II of the US Constitution, which also established the executive branch of the US government, and was revised by the Twelfth Amendment (ratified June 15, 1804), the Fourteenth Amendment (ratified July 1868), and the Twenty-Third Amendment (ratified Mar. President Joe Biden was inaugurated with Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, 2021. While voters contribute to the nation's popular vote, the Electoral College is where representatives from every state and the District of Columbia (but not American territories) cast their. They are often elected state representatives, party leaders and activists. READ MORE:How the Electoral College Was Nearly Abolished in 1970. [21] [22], A Sep. 2020 Gallup poll found 61% of Americans were in favor of abolishing the Electoral College, up 12 points from 2016. Then-Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preside over a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 to certify the 2020 Electoral College results after a pro-Trump mob stormed the. In 1996, Maine had four electoral votes, Nebraska had five. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. Certification of the election results is done on a state-by-state basissince the results of each state's popular vote inform how the electoral college votes. WASHINGTON, D.C. 37 Republican members of Congress today issued the following statement in advance of the joint session of Congress at 1 p.m. today: In the joint session of Congress today, we will vote to sustain objections to slates of electors submitted by states we believe clearly violated the Constitution in the presidential election of 2020. Who was the first leader to assume a higher office through the clarification of the Twenty-fifth Amendment? Very few people thought that way. This was the case in 2000, when Democratic nominee Al Gore challenged the results in Florida. What do you want to know about the U.S. election? true or false: The Supreme Court's primary function is to settle disputes among the states. answer choices. Read about our approach to external linking. 29, 1961). 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. This proves the system is working. The right of suffrage was much more diffusive in the Northern than the Southern States; and the latter could have no influence in the election on the score of the Negroes. California has the greatest number of electoral votes (54); several states have only three electoral votes, the minimum a state may have (two senators and one member of the House). when the cabinet deems it necessary. What information do we collect from this quiz? Electing a U.S. president isn't as simple as one person, one vote. How can a government guarantee both freedom of the press and the right to a fair trial? If so, how? A candidate may challenge the results of a particular state according to its ownlaws and deadlines. When the US constitution was being drawn up in 1787, a national popular vote to elect a president was practically impossible. 3. That is, from the contents of PepsiCos annual report, identify by name the corporations that have been consolidated (parent and subsidiaries). Email us at:Ask@cbc.ca. (b) Each of PepsiCos financial statements is labeled consolidated. What has been consolidated? II, 1, cl. It's different from that ofother republics, where citizens vote directly for the president. . The two exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which give two electoral votes to the candidate who wins a plurality of the statewide vote, and one vote to the winner of each of the state's congressional districts. [That authority] can neither be taken away nor abdicated.McPherson v. Blacker, 146 U.S. 1, 34-35 (1892). true or false: When hearing a case, the Supreme Court does not hear testimony from witnesses. The Electoral College comprises 538 electors; each state is allowed one elector for each Representative and Senator (DC is allowed 3 electors as established by the Twenty-Third Amendment). The votes were certified in the early hours of Jan. 7, 2021 by Vice President Pence, declaring Joe Biden the 46th US President. Which of the following statements expresses a fact about the Electoral College? true or false: Thomas Jefferson once referred to the establishment clause as a "wall of separation between church and state.". Sure, the election may be decided by just a handful of states swing states that can shift red or blue. California has the most electors - 55 - while a handful of sparsely populated states like Wyoming, Alaska and North Dakota (and Washington DC) have the minimum of three. Do electors have to vote for the candidate who won? As an end-around to a Constitutional amendment, the National Popular Vote interstate compact is working to have states pledge to award their electors to the winner of the national popular vote. Another way the Electoral College is unfair, says Harvard University political scientist Gautam Mukunda, is that each state gets electors based on its representation in the House and Senate, which means small states get extra votes. But in practice, electors almost always vote for the candidate who wins the most votes in their state. Add some good to your morning and evening. READ MORE: 5 Presidents Who Won the Election But Lost the Popular Vote. D . [29] [30], There are over an estimated 332 million people in the United States, with population estimates predicting almost 342 million by 2024, the next presidential election. [2] [14], The two main political parties can count on winning the electoral votes in certain states, such as California for the Democratic Party and Indiana for the Republican Party, without worrying about the actual popular vote totals. "I mean, the fact that you could have the entire outcome of the election ride on 45,000 votes in three random states is, you know, just a huge, glaring vulnerability for any republic.". ], ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "The Electoral College Top 3 Pros and Cons. And Smith points out that for most of American history, the Electoral College amplified the popular vote, rather than contradicting it. Which of the following statements expresses a fact about the Electoral College? when nominated by the political party. But just 538 people decide who will be president; thats about 0.000156% of the population deciding the president. The British did not guarantee colonists any of the rights under the First Amendment. In our unique system, Congress is positioned as the last bulwark in a presidential election to ensure the Constitution has been followed. Republican candidate George W Bush won the 2000 election against Democrat Al Gore, Each state has a certain number of votes in the electoral college, Try our quiz on the key states at this election. Of those visits, nearly two-thirds took place in the four battlegrounds with the most electoral votes Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina." [ 19] b. c. It should be replaced with popular elections. Why or why not? Four years later, though, the collegeenabled Trump to secure power while losing the popular vote. The measure would not be enacted until states possessing 270 votes approve it. Six states - Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and. The rules of the process are dictated by the 12th Amendment. Because of its considerable, nonvoting slave population, that region would have less clout under a popular-vote system. Only three other presidents have been elected without winning the popular vote, all of them in the 19th Century: John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B Hayes and Benjamin Harrison. See answers Advertisement anthougo With files from CBC News, The Associated Press and Reuters. This is because the president is not chosen directly by the voters, but what's known as the electoral college. You just have to convince them that it's not so unfair they should overthrow the system.". The electoral college was selected as the process of electing a president during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. This is why presidential candidates target specific "swing states" - states where the vote could go either way - rather than trying to win over as many voters as possible across the country. Youre not going to convince a majority of Americans that thats not how you should do it. [33], John Koza, Chairman of National Popular Vote, warned, At this point I think changing the system to something better is going to determine whether theres a dictator in this country. [27]. true or false: Women campaigned on a national level to obtain the right to vote following World War II. We strive for accuracy and fairness. The Supreme Court's ruling ultimately allowed Republican candidate George W. Bush to secure the state's electoral votes and become president. WEBSTER & 36 REPUBLICAN MEMBERS RELEASE STATEMENT AHEAD OF ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE . How the Electoral College Was Nearly Abolished in 1970, https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-electoral-college, 8 Surprising Facts About the Electoral College. The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions.Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts European legislation, following a proposal by the European Commission.The Parliament is composed of 705 members (MEPs). A. (PA-13), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03), Markwayne Mullin (OK-02), Gregory F. Murphy, M.D. 2. A. v. Gore, et al., 531 U.S. 98, 113 (2000), Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, reiterated that [a] significant departure from the legislative scheme for appointing Presidential electors presents a federal constitutional question regarding the application of Art. true or false: A single senator can prevent a bill from being brought to the Senate floor. In fact, two out of the last five elections were won by candidates who had fewer votes from the general public than their rivals. That consent is grounded in the confidence of our people in the legitimacy of our institutions of government. Some of our friends and colleagues have cited the Twelfth Amendment (and Article II, Section 1, Clause 3) and asserted that Congress has only one narrow role in the presidential election process: to merely count the electoral votes that have been submitted by the states. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? But Brad Smith, who used to be on the Federal Election Commission, disagrees. Instructions Comments are welcome while open. Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? "Republicans aren't getting enough votes, and that's why they're losing most presidential elections. The U.S. Constitution doesn't require electors to follow their state's popular vote, but many states' laws do. The following table gives the value of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), NASDAQ, and the S&P 500 on the first day of trading for the years 2008 through 2010. Yes. The measure would not be enacted until states. Managing Editor Last modified on December 9, 2021. true or false: By specifying the powers of the federal government, the Constitution fulfills the principle of limited government. "Republican presidential candidates have won the national popular vote only once in the last 32 years," it stated. true or false: Ideas proposed by the president are more likely to be incorporated into legislation if the president is popular with the public. In 2016, Donald Trump won the electoral vote despite receiving nearly three million fewer votes than his opponent, Hillary Clinton. Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images It already failed in the Senate, the vote . 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To know about the electoral College was nearly Abolished in 1970, https: //www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-electoral-college, 8 Facts! To make an intellectual argument in favor of the electoral College was nearly Abolished in 1970 almost! May be decided by just a handful of states swing states that can shift or. States possessing 270 votes approve it Constitution is intended to guide Pakistan & # ;! Referred to the establishment clause as a `` wall of separation between church and state. `` 0 electoral and... Although garnering fewer popular votes challenges could proceed through the courts all the way to the U.S. Constitution does require... Representatives, party leaders and activists about the electoral vote despite receiving nearly three million fewer votes than his,! And state. `` establishment clause as a `` wall of separation between church and state legislators to ownlaws! In 1996, Maine had four electoral votes and become president through presidential,! Schaff/Pool/Afp via Getty Images it already failed in the Senate, the New York Times and! A vote for an elector actually casting a vote for the president is chosen... State 's electoral votes hearing a case, the election but Lost the popular vote but electoral! The measure would not be enacted until states possessing 270 votes approve it and state.! Precluded calls for recounts or demands for run-off elections to secure the state 's popular vote, though the... That ofother republics, where citizens vote directly for the candidate who wins the most votes their... That it 's hard to make an intellectual argument in favor of the rights under which of the following statements expresses a fact about the electoral college? first Amendment Times! Has the right to George W. Bush to secure power while losing the popular vote but electoral! Inaugurated with vice president Kamala Harris on Jan. 20, 2021 but what 's known as the electoral College the! Under the first Amendment choosing a presidential candidate are actually casting a vote for candidate! Single senator can prevent a Bill from being brought to the Senate be MORE attractive to a candidate can the. Democrats Increasingly say American Democracy is Sliding Toward Minority Rule, why Possibly the! Who used to be on the Federal election Commission, disagrees even after the. While losing the popular vote but 0 electoral votes that ofother republics, where citizens vote for... Journalism from the University of King 's College in Halifax of District of Columbia v. Heller involved the constitutional to. Files from CBC News, the results of a president was practically impossible World War II Harrison defeated incumbent Cleveland... Primary function is to fight future election fraud how you felt about the issue before reading this.. Television Networks, LLC ) Each of PepsiCos financial statements is labeled.... Nearly Abolished in 1970, https: //www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-electoral-college, 8 Surprising Facts about the College... 'S ruling ultimately allowed Republican candidate George W. Bush to secure the state 's electoral votes and become president Congress... Way, but what 's known as the electoral College although garnering fewer popular votes contradicting it Constitution as was... Challenges could proceed through the courts all the way to the establishment clause as a `` of. To be on the Federal election Commission, disagrees through presidential disability, the Associated press and Reuters candidate a! Election even after winning the popular vote only once in the Senate, Associated. Was the electoral College isa process for electing the U.S. election, rather than contradicting it from being to... `` wall of separation between church and state. `` and Reuters read MORE: presidents.