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Electoral College Essay

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Elections for President and Vice President in the United States of America are determined and voted on by an electoral college. With five hundred and thirty-eight electoral votes, a presidential candidate must get a majority win amongst the electoral college, which is at least two hundred and seventy votes, to win the presidency. The electoral college in the United States is made up of a group of electors, whose only role is to elect the president and vice-president. They elect both positions with one vote for a presidential candidate and another for a vice presidential candidate. Electors do not work as electors year-round because the presidential elections are once every four years, and they only vote for presidential and vice presidential …show more content…

Five presidents have lost the popular vote, but they won the electoral vote. These presidents include John Quincy Adams (1842), Rutherford B. Hayes (1876), Benjamin Harrison (1888), George W. Bush (2000), and Donald Trump (2016). With the most recent being Donald Trump, this has stirred up many questions including if the people's vote really count.
One of the most recent controversies has been with Donald Trump. Hilary Clinton won the popular vote, but Donald Trump won the electoral vote. Due to the intensity of this election, people were concerned with how important their vote truly is.
People do not feel as if their votes matter within the electoral college. This leads to a large issue within the voting system in America because people are not voting. If their vote does not matter, then why should they vote? Voting is an important civic responsibility and civic right that all citizens of the United States should practice, if they are able to. Some people do not vote because they do not care about politics, they may be scared to make the wrong decision, or they do not feel as if their vote matters. Voting truly does not matter if the popular vote does not matter …show more content…

To become an elector, one must not be a member of the Senate or House of Representatives, and cannot be a person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, according to Article II, section 1, clause 2 of the Constitution. Most states choose their state electors by party convention, while other states pick their electors by party committees, gubernatorial appointments, appointment by party nominees, state chair appointments, presidential nominee appointments, or hybrid methods. The candidate must also be affiliated within the party to be an elector and must be a registered voter. There is no age requirement or living requirement to be an elector, unlike a presidential

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