The Purpose of the Electoral College
In this book, The Electoral College 4 Dummmies: Would it be better to simply count the popular vote?, you will learn about the purpose of the Electoral College and be able to come to your own conclusions about whether the Founders were all wet in the late 1700’s and we now need to revert back to the popular vote. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the Popular vote yet Donald Trump won the presidency. Therefore, many of the political left are crying foul. In 2000, when George Bush was elected president without winning the popular vote the same cry was heard.
Neither of these were as bad as in 1824, when John Quincy Adams was elected president despite not winning either the popular vote or the electoral vote. How could this be? Andrew Jackson was the clear winner in both categories. Jackson’s popular vote total was 38,000 more than Adams. Moreover, Jackson beat Adams in the electoral vote 99 to 84. Despite being victorious, Jackson did not win the presidency. Why?
Andrew Jackson did not reach the majority 131 votes needed in the Electoral College to be declared president. Neither candidate did. So, what happened? The decision was made by the House of Representatives. It was the House—the People’s Representatives, which voted Adams into the White House.
There were only two other stories like these. In 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes won the election by a margin of just one electoral vote; but he lost the popular vote by more than 250,000 ballots to Samuel J. Tilden. In 1888, Benjamin Harrison received 233 electoral votes to Grover Cleveland’s 168, winning the presidency. Harrison lost the popular vote by more than 90,000 votes.
Why is this? When U.S. citizens go to the polls to “elect” a president, they are in fact voting for a particular slate of electors, though they vote for a properly named presidential candidate. In almost every state, the candidate who wins the most votes (that is, a plurality) in the state receives all the state’s electoral votes. These are electoral votes based on the popular votes.
Why is this? You bought this book to find out. Is it a good or is it a bad idea? Is there any rhyme or reason to it? Were the Founders out on a bender the night before they made this decision or was the Electoral College a stroke of genius?
This is your best book to discover the answer and for understanding the current system and other possible systems to determine the presidency fairly.
Just because powerful people choose to ignore our rights and freedoms does not mean we must endure tyranny. The first step of course is to understand the most basic written precepts in the Constitution. Understanding the role of the Electoral College in our Constitution is of prime importance. Reading this book is a must.
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