America S Electoral College

Author : Alexander Keyssar
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 545 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2020-07-31
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780674974142

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Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College? by Alexander Keyssar Pdf

A New Statesman Book of the Year “America’s greatest historian of democracy now offers an extraordinary history of the most bizarre aspect of our representative democracy—the electoral college...A brilliant contribution to a critical current debate.” —Lawrence Lessig, author of They Don’t Represent Us Every four years, millions of Americans wonder why they choose their presidents through an arcane institution that permits the loser of the popular vote to become president and narrows campaigns to swing states. Congress has tried on many occasions to alter or scuttle the Electoral College, and in this master class in American political history, a renowned Harvard professor explains its confounding persistence. After tracing the tangled origins of the Electoral College back to the Constitutional Convention, Alexander Keyssar outlines the constant stream of efforts since then to abolish or reform it. Why have they all failed? The complexity of the design and partisan one-upmanship have a lot to do with it, as do the difficulty of passing constitutional amendments and the South’s long history of restrictive voting laws. By revealing the reasons for past failures and showing how close we’ve come to abolishing the Electoral College, Keyssar offers encouragement to those hoping for change. “Conclusively demonstrates the absurdity of preserving an institution that has been so contentious throughout U.S. history and has not infrequently produced results that defied the popular will.” —Michael Kazin, The Nation “Rigorous and highly readable...shows how the electoral college has endured despite being reviled by statesmen from James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson to Edward Kennedy, Bob Dole, and Gerald Ford.” —Lawrence Douglas, Times Literary Supplement

Author : George C. Edwards III
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2019-08-20
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780300249651

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Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America by George C. Edwards III Pdf

A new edition of the best-known book critiquing the U.S. electoral college In this third edition of the definitive book on the unique system by which Americans choose a president—and why that system should be changed—George Edwards includes a new chapter focusing on the 2016 election. “As the U.S. hurtles toward yet another election in which the popular vote loser may become president, Edwards’s book is essential reading. It clearly and methodically punctures myths about the Electoral College’s benefits.”—Richard L. Hasen, author of The Voting Wars “Supported by both history and data, George Edwards convincingly argues the Electoral College is anti†‘democratic, anti†‘equality, and anti†‘common sense. We should dismantle it, and soon.”—Kent Greenfield, author of Corporations Are People Too (And They Should Act Like It)

Author : Therese M. Shea
Publisher : The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Page : 35 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2006-08-01
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9781404233584

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America's Electoral College by Therese M. Shea Pdf

Examines the process of choosing the president.

Author : Jesse Wegman
Publisher : All Points Books
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2020-03-17
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781250221988

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Let the People Pick the President by Jesse Wegman Pdf

“Wegman combines in-depth historical analysis and insight into contemporary politics to present a cogent argument that the Electoral College violates America’s ‘core democratic principles’ and should be done away with..." —Publishers Weekly The framers of the Constitution battled over it. Lawmakers have tried to amend or abolish it more than 700 times. To this day, millions of voters, and even members of Congress, misunderstand how it works. It deepens our national divide and distorts the core democratic principles of political equality and majority rule. How can we tolerate the Electoral College when every vote does not count the same, and the candidate who gets the most votes can lose? Twice in the last five elections, the Electoral College has overridden the popular vote, calling the integrity of the entire system into question—and creating a false picture of a country divided into bright red and blue blocks when in fact we are purple from coast to coast. Even when the popular-vote winner becomes president, tens of millions of Americans—Republicans and Democrats alike—find that their votes didn't matter. And, with statewide winner-take-all rules, only a handful of battleground states ultimately decide who will become president. Now, as political passions reach a boiling point at the dawn of the 2020 race, the message from the American people is clear: The way we vote for the only official whose job it is to represent all Americans is neither fair nor just. Major reform is needed—now. Isn't it time to let the people pick the president? In this thoroughly researched and engaging call to arms, Supreme Court journalist and New York Times editorial board member Jesse Wegman draws upon the history of the founding era, as well as information gleaned from campaign managers, field directors, and other officials from twenty-first-century Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns, to make a powerful case for abolishing the antiquated and antidemocratic Electoral College. In Let the People Pick the President he shows how we can at long last make every vote in the United States count—and restore belief in our democratic system.

Author : Robert William Bennett
Publisher : Stanford University Press
Page : 292 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0804754101

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Taming the Electoral College by Robert William Bennett Pdf

This book examines the history and weaknesses of the electoral college and proposes reforms that could be made to our electoral process without a constitutional amendment.

Author : William C. Kimberling
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 20 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 1992
Category : Electoral college
ISBN : PURD:32754076105075

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The Electoral College by William C. Kimberling Pdf

Author : Phil Corso
Publisher : The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2019-12-15
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9781725310773

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The Electoral College by Phil Corso Pdf

The Electoral College is the body of people who elect the president and vice president of the United States. Many U.S. citizens are confused by this system, which dates back to the creation of the U.S. Constitution. When citizens vote for a presidential candidate, they're actually voting for an elector who will cast a vote for their state for that candidate in the Electoral College. This system is a controversial subject in American politics. Primary sources and informative sidebars lend historical context to help young readers understand this essential aspect of U.S. presidential elections.

Author : Grace Houser
Publisher : The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2017-12-15
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9781508164814

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Understanding U.S. Elections and the Electoral College by Grace Houser Pdf

It may be surprising to learn that U.S. citizens don't directly vote for their president. The president is actually elected by the Electoral College, a system that has been the subject of great debate in recent years. This informational book explains what the Electoral College is, how it works, and why it was established. Full-color photographs and primary sources help readers make valuable connections with the text. Students will be encouraged to think critically and ask important questions about our nation's election system.

Author : Josiah Peterson
Publisher : King's College Press
Page : 49 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2017-08-30
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0692896953

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The Electoral College by Josiah Peterson Pdf

The 2016 election triggered criticism of America's Electoral College. Opponents argue that it is time to do away with the Electoral College system, whose creation, they contend, was an accident of history in the first place. This small volume sets the record straight. In fact, the Electoral College was an ingenious creation of our Founders.The Founders designed the College to fit in with the rest of the federal system and preserve the division of powers, the moderating influence of states, and a republican government that respects the consent of the governed. The Electoral College represents a kind of insurance limiting the influence of demagoguery. As this quick, easy-to-read handbook shows, without the Electoral College, America would see more partisan and national grandstanding, not less.

Author : Wallace Stanley Sayre,Judith H. Parris
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 1970
Category : Political Science
ISBN : UOM:39015003508960

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Voting for President by Wallace Stanley Sayre,Judith H. Parris Pdf

Evaluates the effectiveness of the present system for electing the President, and studies the merits and defects of the four interesting alternatives.

Author : Robert M. Alexander
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2019-04-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780190939458

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Representation and the Electoral College by Robert M. Alexander Pdf

Nearly 800 proposals have been made to amend or abolish the Electoral College, and its divisiveness raises many questions. What role do electors play in American democracy? How should they vote? Should the Electoral College exist at all? Much confusion surrounds this institution, in large part because of how the original Electoral College varies from its contemporary counterpart, the evolved Electoral College. This book helps readers to understand the distinction and how we got where we are today. Focusing on the controversial 2016 election, in which Trump received nearly three million fewer popular votes than Clinton, Representation and the Electoral College shows how the Electoral College acts on behalf of the American public and alters election outcomes. In exploring the origin, development, and practice of the Electoral College, this study also presents the most extensive analysis of presidential electors to date.

Author : Thomas Neale
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2012-11-21
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1481063707

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The Electoral College by Thomas Neale Pdf

When Americans vote for President and Vice President, they are actually choosing presidential electors, known collectively as the electoral college. It is these officials who choose the President and Vice President of the United States. The complex elements comprising the electoral college system are responsible for one of the most important processes of the American political and constitutional system: election of the President and Vice President. A failure to elect, or worse, the choice of a chief executive whose legitimacy might be open to question, could precipitate a profound constitutional crisis that would require prompt, judicious, and well-informed action by Congress. Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution, as amended in 1804 by the 12th Amendment, sets forth the requirements for election of the President and Vice President. It authorizes each state to appoint, by whatever means the legislature chooses, a number of electors equal to the combined total of its Senate and House of Representatives delegations, for a contemporary total of 538, including three electors for the District of Columbia. Since the Civil War, the states have universally provided for popular election of the presidential electors. Anyone may serve as an elector, except Members of Congress and persons holding offices of "Trust or Profit" under the Constitution. In each presidential election year, the political parties and other groups that have secured a place on the ballot in each state nominate a "slate" or "ticket" of candidates for elector. When voters cast a single vote for their favored candidates on general election day, Tuesday after the first Monday in November (November 6 in 2012), they are actually voting for the slate of electors pledged to those candidates. The entire slate of electors winning the most popular votes in the state is elected, a practice known as winner-take-all, or the general ticket system. Maine and Nebraska use an alternative method, the district plan, which awards two electors to the popular vote winners statewide, and one to the popular vote winners in each congressional district. Electors assemble in their respective states on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December (December 17 in 2012). They are expected to vote for the candidates they represent. Separate ballots are cast for President and Vice President, after which the electoral college ceases to exist until the next presidential election. State electoral vote results are reported to Congress and are counted and declared at a joint session of Congress, usually held on January 6 of the year succeeding the election, a date that may be altered by legislation. Since January 6 falls on a Sunday in 2013, Congress will likely set another date for the joint session in 2013, possibly January 8. A majority of electoral votes (currently 270 of 538) is required to win, but the results submitted by any state are open to challenge at the joint session, as provided by law. Past proposals for change by constitutional amendment have included various reform options and direct popular election, which would eliminate the electoral college system, but no substantive action on this issue has been taken in Congress for more than 20 years. At present, however, a non-governmental organization, the National Popular Vote (NPV) campaign, proposes to reform the electoral college by action taken at the state level; eight states and the District of Columbia have approved the NPV compact to date.

Author : Thomas H. Neale
Publisher : DIANE Publishing
Page : 34 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2010-11
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781437925692

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Electoral College Reform by Thomas H. Neale Pdf

Contents: (1) Intro.; (2) Competing Approaches: Direct Popular Election v. Electoral College Reform; (3) Direct Popular Election: Pro and Con; (4) Electoral College Reform: Pro and Con; (5) Electoral College Amendments Proposed in the 111th Congress; (6) Contemporary Activity in the States; (7) 2004: Colorado Amendment 36; (8) 2007-2008: The Presidential Reform Act (California Counts); (9) 2006-Present: National Popular Vote -- Direct Popular Election Through an Interstate Compact; Origins; The Plan; National Popular Vote, Inc.; Action in the State Legislatures; States That Have Approved NPV; National Popular Vote; (10) Prospects for Change -- An Analysis; (11) State Action -- A Viable Reform Alternative?; (12) Concluding Observations.

Author : Alexander S. Belenky
Publisher : AuthorHouse
Page : 204 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2007-04-11
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781463453718

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How America Chooses Its Presidents by Alexander S. Belenky Pdf

How America Chooses Its Presidents addresses in a simple manner the whole spectrum of issues relating To The Electoral College from the perspective of its logical foundations. This is the first book to question the applicability of the Presidential Succession Act, a Federal Statute, In certain extreme but possible situations. The book argues that the act may not protect the country from election stalemates. Today, 50 states and DC rather than a college of electors award electoral votes in presidential elections. This appears to violate the "one state, one vote" principle, The constitutional norm governing the electing of a President by states, since a state's electoral vote quota is based on the size of its population. Despite the counting of the nationwide popular vote since the 1824 election, its tally does not have any constitutional status, since the popular vote in every state is no more than a means for determining the winning slate of presidential electors in the state. The "winner-take-all" principle of awarding electoral votes makes many states "safe" for either major party candidate. This narrows election campaigns to a "battleground minority" of the states and contributes to keeping more than 40% of the electorate uninterested in voting in presidential elections. Abolishing the existing election system in favor of a direct popular presidential election—by means of a constitutional amendment—seems unlikely. Seventeen small states—with five and fewer electoral votes each—have no reason to voluntarily surrender the "one state, one vote" principle in electing a President in the House of Representatives, As well as the chance of having a say in the Electoral College. The book analyzes a controversial proposal to "circumvent" the small states by introducing a direct popular presidential election without a constitutional amendment and argues that this proposal is unlikely to prevail either. The book proposes a modification of the existing election system to allow the country to choose a ticket carrying two mandates that the electorate can give in the election—from the nation as a whole and from the states and DC as equal members of the Union. If any two tickets carry one mandate each, The number of electoral votes won by each ticket helps determine the election outcome. If neither a majority of voting voters nor a majority of 51 members of the Union favor any ticket, The Electoral College mechanism takes over as a backup, and if it fails, The election is thrown into the US Congress. The book, written for a general readership, provides an overview of original election rules, determined by Article 2 of the US Constitution, and contemporary ones, determined by the Twelfth Amendment. Understanding the book does not require any special knowledge, making it accessible to people of all walks of life at any age. At the same time, The readers of How America Chooses Its Presidents will undoubtedly improve their ability to think logically, making them more critical of statements about the Electoral College and about election campaigns.

Author : Edward B. Foley
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2020
Category : HISTORY
ISBN : 9780190060152

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Presidential Elections and Majority Rule by Edward B. Foley Pdf

In his latest book, Presidential Elections and Majority Rule, Edward Foley asks how the American electoral system can better represent the people. What kind of winner truly reflects the nation's votes: the plurality winners of winner-takes-all elections, as currently used, or the majority-preferred winners of a reformed system? How do third-party candidates affect American presidential elections? What, if anything, would change in a two-candidate run-off?And how can electoral reform be implemented without sowing chaos? Ultimately, Foley outlines a solution in which the Electoral College can be restored to its original majoritarian ideals through state law rather than Constitutional amendment.