The Electoral College of the President of the United States

The most democratic country in the world (USA) has created a very strange electoral system. It distinguishes it from the other electoral college. No other state in the world has a leader election system, which is held in two stages. If we recall that the United States is in fact an alliance, then the electoral college is a harmonious and justified phenomenon. Let's try to understand everything in detail.

The historical background of the creation of an electoral college

We often forget the fact that the US is a union of states, each of which is, in fact, a separate state. They have their own laws, sometimes very different from each other. When there was work on the US Constitution, serious disagreement was caused by the procedure for electing the president of the association. Some thought that it should be determined by universal direct voting, with them the supporters of the solution of this issue in the Congress argued. The founders of the Constitution in 1878 found a compromise formula. They proposed the creation of a special body, called it "collegium of electors." Each state had the opportunity to influence the choice of the president. The fact is that the US consists of different "countries" in terms of area and population. In direct voting, a clear advantage is found in those states in which more people live. Sparsely populated areas, in general, in this case do not influence the choice of the head of the country. And it was considered unfair. That is, the electoral college is designed to equalize the chances of the population of each state to be heard. Now the opinion of each citizen is taken into account in the process of determining the US president.

Who are the electors?

The two largest parties nominate candidates for the presidency. In each state, the functionaries of these political organizations form a list of people who will represent the state education on the general plebiscite. Electors are selected by public figures, famous people and businessmen. Often parties include in their list those who are close to the candidate. At the time of the popular vote, there are two lists with electors. They will receive the rights from the state after the list is approved by the governor. This official is required to sign the proposal of the party whose candidate won the popular vote. If an independent presidential contender breaks out, the list is formed in the manner prescribed by state law. By the way, there are no special restrictions on candidates for electors. It is necessary to have a passport of a US citizen, to be loyal to this or that party.

Representation of states in the collegium

The number of electors from each part of the US is equal to representation in the Congress. And this, in turn, is determined proportionally to the number of people living in the state. For example, California is the most densely populated territory. From her to the board include fifty-five people, as much as they elect to Congress. In turn, the parliament in the US is bipartisan. In the Senate each state has two seats, and in the House of Representatives California has fifty-three. The number of delegates from the state in this part of the Congress is determined proportionally to the population. Thus, the electoral college is a special body created to determine the US president for the next term. The people who make up it work only one day. Their labor is not paid officially. The party independently determines how to encourage its representatives.

US Electoral College: Rules

In the course of popular voting, the states determine the candidate for the highest office in the country. But the person who has formally won this stage is not recognized by the president. For example, it was like that when Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump fought. The electoral college could abolish the result of the people's vote, in theory. Supporters of the Democrats have made a lot of efforts for this. The fact is that there is no law obliging electors to do the will of the people. They receive state orders from the state, determined by voting, but they themselves can express any opinion. Such precedents in the history of the country were, however, the results of the elections were not affected. People who vote in a collegium against the people are called "unscrupulous electors." For example, in 2000, a representative of the District of Columbia passed a blank ballot, although he had to inscribe Al Gore. All states, except Maine and Nebraska, vote for all the electors for the winning candidate. These territorial entities distribute them in proportion to the results of the people's will.

US Electoral College: The Voting Process

The very meeting of the body is held on the forty-first day after the first Monday of November, when the popular vote is being held. The electoral college is not going together. Each state organizes the voting of its representatives separately. Results are immediately made public. Voting of the electoral college is secret. Each member of the representative body is obliged to fill two ballots, the names of the candidates for the posts of the president and the vice-president are inscribed in them. A simple majority of votes is enough to win, now they need to score over 270. The whole country follows the vote. For example, the college of electors in the USA (2016) worked in very difficult conditions. The representatives of the states were pressured by ordinary citizens who did not want to accept the victory of Donald Trump. They were called, sent letters with threats. Nevertheless, the "unscrupulous electors" turned out to be more in Hillary Clinton, which surprised the public. Before the board meeting on the facts of pressure on its members from the opposite side (Trump's admirers) was not reported.

Punishment for dishonesty

The electors are appointed by the state, before them and these people are responsible. By the way, control is carried out immediately after the vote. The bulletins are taken out for counting and see how the elected representatives of the people worked. In 28 states, as well as in the District of Columbia, a law has been passed, according to which unscrupulous electors are fined for a ridiculous amount of one thousand dollars. In the rest of the United States, there are no penalties. By the way, the facts of application of these laws are also not fixed. In fact, the electors have the opportunity to vote at their own discretion without risking anything.

Exceptional cases

Legislators envisaged situations when the collegium will not be able to determine the president. This happens if the candidates gain the same number of votes. This happened in 1800. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Barr fought for the leader's seat of power. When the election of the US president passed, the electoral college split exactly in half, none of the candidates scored the majority. In such situations, the matter is transferred to the House of Representatives. This body decides who will be appointed president for the next four years by voting. The House of Representatives took part in the elections of the head of the country and in 1824. Four candidates competed for the chair. None of them succeeded in securing the majority of the electoral college. I had to work in the House of Representatives. The president was John Quincy Adams. It is interesting that according to the results of the people's will, he had the least votes.

Criticism of the system

The United States is constantly discussing the issue of introducing direct presidential elections. The argument for this was previously considered a historical fact demonstrating the injustice of the system. Thus, in 1876 the vote of the electoral college in the United States led to the election of Rutherford Hayes. However, his opponent scored more votes in the course of the people's will. It turns out that the opinion of citizens of the country was not taken into account in the second stage of the elections. The second case occurred already in our time. According to the American media, Hillary Clinton in 2016 supported by several million more than her opponent from the Republicans. But the president for the next cadence was chosen by Donald Trump. A two-stage process of expression of will is rather actively criticized in society. It is important for America that every citizen be heard, and the electoral college does not promote equality of state rights. Thus, sparsely populated areas are more significant than large urban agglomerations, since the representation has the same. In addition, candidates have to adjust their campaign for this system. They are forced to work more in the "wavering" states, because there is a chance to get votes higher than in the territorial formations that traditionally support any one party.

Crisis of the system

The last election of the US president clearly showed that the country's society is split. The main candidates fought the irreconcilable struggle of principles that differed radically. Trump supported the population, adhering to traditional values, for the Clinton voted liberal-minded citizens. A feature of this campaign was also the refusal of the Republican elite to support their candidate. The two-party system demonstrated a crisis. The leadership of Democrats and Republicans rallied around Clinton, but lost to the people. It is interesting that the American society, which usually does not show interest in politics, actively participated in the last campaign. And the heat of passion will not calm down for a while, so the gap between the candidates is great. Political scientists say in such cases about the crisis of the system, but how will it actually be - we will see. Good luck!