Every four years, on the first Tuesday in November, millions of American citizens go to the polls and vote indirectly for their President. However, the actual election takes place in December, and only 538 people are involved. This small group of people is called the Electoral College. This paper will explain how the Electoral College works and analyze how it factors into the campaign strategies in Presidential election.
The US Constitution was forged 200 hundred years ago in which time America “founding Father” divided the process of electing the President and Vice President into two-step system. In the first step, the American citizen would cast their votes, and in the second step, The Electoral College would convene after general election, and choose the next president. The Electoral College was meant to be representative of the general population. The members of the Electoral College are called "electors," and these people are typically chosen on a state-by-state basis. For this reason, the electors typically represent the political affiliation of the state. The Electoral Colleges is made of 538 electors, corresponding to the 435 members of the House of Representatives and, 100 senators, plus the three additional electors from the District of Columbia. In addition, a simple majority of 270 electors determine who will be the US President. However, if no candidate is able to come up with that majority, the Constitution provides a provision for the House Representative to select the next President. However, this event has not happened in US history, since the Constitution was drafted. Most presidential elections result in one candidate winning both the majority of the popular vote and the Electoral College. However, an exception occurred in the 2000 Presidential Election when the Democratic candidate Al Gore won the national popular vote with more than half a million …show more content…
For this reason, Presidential candidates typically focuses their energy, time, and money on a few battleground states, or swing states, in which the electoral seats are up for grabs by either the Democratic or Republican nominee. For example, in the 2012 presidential election, both candidates, the incumbent President Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney, focused their television advertising in media markets that reached voters in just 10 competitive swing states (Ginsberg, 2014, p.; 403). Additionally, the race to reach 270 Electoral College votes has drastic effects on campaign strategies, party politics, and on the distribution of campaign resources related to the candidate’s in person appearances, television spots, and radio advertising. Thus, presidential candidates tend to focus primarily on swing states while ignoring states that appear to favor one party or the other. These states—such as California, a solidly Democratic state, and Texas, a solidly Republican state are considered to be a safe win for the candidate’s party and received no attention and little to no advertising. For example, in the 2008 elections, then Senator Obama spends a significant amount of time and money in Florida and in other swing states as compared to California and New York, which were deemed safe wins for the Democrats. While, his challenger, John McCain made zero visits to the state of Texas, which was safely Republican, as compared to the seven visits to the swing state of Florida, (CNN, 2008). Under the method of the Electoral College, campaign strategists must evaluate what needs to be done in terms of time and money in order to ensure the best chance of
The US Constitution was forged 200 hundred years ago in which time America “founding Father” divided the process of electing the President and Vice President into two-step system. In the first step, the American citizen would cast their votes, and in the second step, The Electoral College would convene after general election, and choose the next president. The Electoral College was meant to be representative of the general population. The members of the Electoral College are called "electors," and these people are typically chosen on a state-by-state basis. For this reason, the electors typically represent the political affiliation of the state. The Electoral Colleges is made of 538 electors, corresponding to the 435 members of the House of Representatives and, 100 senators, plus the three additional electors from the District of Columbia. In addition, a simple majority of 270 electors determine who will be the US President. However, if no candidate is able to come up with that majority, the Constitution provides a provision for the House Representative to select the next President. However, this event has not happened in US history, since the Constitution was drafted. Most presidential elections result in one candidate winning both the majority of the popular vote and the Electoral College. However, an exception occurred in the 2000 Presidential Election when the Democratic candidate Al Gore won the national popular vote with more than half a million …show more content…
For this reason, Presidential candidates typically focuses their energy, time, and money on a few battleground states, or swing states, in which the electoral seats are up for grabs by either the Democratic or Republican nominee. For example, in the 2012 presidential election, both candidates, the incumbent President Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney, focused their television advertising in media markets that reached voters in just 10 competitive swing states (Ginsberg, 2014, p.; 403). Additionally, the race to reach 270 Electoral College votes has drastic effects on campaign strategies, party politics, and on the distribution of campaign resources related to the candidate’s in person appearances, television spots, and radio advertising. Thus, presidential candidates tend to focus primarily on swing states while ignoring states that appear to favor one party or the other. These states—such as California, a solidly Democratic state, and Texas, a solidly Republican state are considered to be a safe win for the candidate’s party and received no attention and little to no advertising. For example, in the 2008 elections, then Senator Obama spends a significant amount of time and money in Florida and in other swing states as compared to California and New York, which were deemed safe wins for the Democrats. While, his challenger, John McCain made zero visits to the state of Texas, which was safely Republican, as compared to the seven visits to the swing state of Florida, (CNN, 2008). Under the method of the Electoral College, campaign strategists must evaluate what needs to be done in terms of time and money in order to ensure the best chance of