Electoral College

Question 1

where does the EC derive from?

Answer 1

article II of constitution

Question 2

how many electors does each state have?

Answer 2

number of reps + two (for number of senators)

Question 3

give two positives about the EC?

Answer 3

• guarantees certainty to outcome of election

- ensures all areas of country are involved in electing president

Question 4

give two negatives about EC?

Answer 4

• often ignores will of people

- gives too much power to swing states

Question 5

how many people are there in USA and how many electors?

Answer 5

325 million people, 538 electors

Question 6

in 2016, how many more votes did Hilary Clinton get than trump?

Answer 6

nearly 3 million

Question 7

how EC votes did Trump and Clinton get in 2016?

Answer 7

304 v 227

Question 8

how does the 2016 election shows EC to be bad?

Answer 8

• shows it as an undemocratic system as it ignores the popular vote
• outdated system

Question 9

in how many states can electors vote how they want?

Answer 9

21

Question 10

how many rogue delegates were there in 2016?

Answer 10

7, with Clinton losing 5 delegates

Question 11

why are rogue delegates bad?

Answer 11

• shows EC to be undemocratic as one person can overrule will of majority, if result doesn’t with their political beliefs
• tyranny of minority

Question 12

what could happen if election was based on popular vote?

Answer 12

it would be possible for a candidate to receive the highest number of popular votes without actually obtaining a majority

Question 13

why would it be bad for a president to be elected without a majority?

Answer 13

president would have weak legitimacy - limiting their power

Question 14

give an example of EC making sure pres is elected w/ a majority

Answer 14

• 1992, Bill Clinton
• 43% of popular vote
• 370 electoral college votes

Question 15

how did 1992 show EC to be good?

Answer 15

EC precluded calls or demands for recounts and has allowed the system to run more smoothly

Question 16

give an example of EC allowing presidents to have a large mandate?

Answer 16

2012, Obama won 51.3% of popular vote, but gained 61.7% of electoral college votes

Question 17

how is EC giving presidents a larger mandates a good thing?

Answer 17

EC benefits political system as it gives president more legitimacy, allowing for govt to function better

Question 18

why is it a bad thing US has undemocratic electoral system?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

how does EC ensure all parts of country play a part in selecting president?

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

what might happen to campaigning if the election was based on popular vote?

Answer 20

candidates could and possibly would limit campaigning to heavily-populated areas of specific states

Question 21

give an example of groups of people who would be neglected?

Answer 21

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

Question 22

why would parties focus their efforts on big states?

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

which areas does EC give too much power to?

Answer 23

swing states - allows election to be decided by a handful of states

Question 24

which states can the main parties always count on winning?

Answer 24

Democrats - California

Republicans - Indiana

Question 25

what does EC lead to candidates focusing upon?

Answer 25

a select few states which could swing for either party

Question 26

when was the episode of PBS News Hour?

Answer 26

November 6th 2016

Question 27

what was said on the episode of PBS News Hour?

Answer 27

“Donald Trump and Hilary cltino have made more than 90% of their campaign stops in just 11 so-called battleground states. of these visits nearly 2/3 took place in the four battlegrounds with the most electoral votes - Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and north carolina”

Question 28

what does the the episode of PBS News Hour show?

Answer 28

• EC undermines democracy as it gives power to a select few
• leads to presidential candidates concentrating their campaigns on these states
• neglects people in smaller states

Question 29

does the EC really make sure all parts of country are involved in selecting president?

Answer 29

• De jure - EC makes sure all parts of USA involved
• De Facto - big ‘swing states’ with large number of EC votes decide election, leaving other states to fall by the wayside