[ot-caption title=”The results of the 2016 election. (via Wikimedia Commons)”]

When the American people vote for a President and a Vice President every four years in early November, they are casting their votes for a group of state electors devoted to a party’s Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate. The party that garners the most popular votes in the state wins the state, and, therefore, they take all the electoral votes allocated to the state (these are allocated based on the number of Congressional seats a state has, i.e. one elector for every member of the House of Representatives and two more for the Senate). Because of this “winner take all” system, it is irrelevant whether a candidate wins 50.1% of the state’s popular vote or 90% of the state’s popular vote. Either way, they still receive all the electoral votes, indicating that the system isn’t fully representative of the collective popular vote cast by the nation. These state electors make up a group of 538 presidential electors, more commonly known as the Electoral College. While the electors in the Electoral College have pledged to and are expected to vote for the candidates that they represent, they are not required to. From these 538, Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates must win at least 270 votes from the representative body in order to secure their positions as the leaders of our country.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

The process, devised in 1787 by the framers of the United States Constitution, was not only created to satisfy both the large and the small states, but it was also put into play to provide a buffer between the general population and the direct selection of the President and Vice President. The founding fathers were not the most avid proponents of a direct democracy, fearing that a tyrant could potentially manipulate public opinion in his or her favor in order to gain power. This idea can be seen in Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist 68, “A small number of persons, selected by their fellow-citizens from the general mass, will be most likely to possess the information and discernment requisite to such complicated investigations. It was also peculiarly desirable to afford as little opportunity as possible to tumult and disorder.”  Pine Crest senior Michael Mattone believes that “the best part about the Electoral College is that it prevents mob rule. Without it, there would be more trouble and turmoil.”[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

The most recent Presidential race between president-elect Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has caused the Electoral College to become a point of contention. Though many have chosen to accept the outcome of the election, some have began protesting, calling for the abolition of the Electoral College. While Donald Trump did win the majority in the Electoral College, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by over two million votes. This isn’t the first time throughout history that this has happened. In fact, it has happened four other times, most recently in 2000 with George W. Bush losing the popular vote to Al Gore, but still attaining the presidency.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Pine Crest student Anastasia Golovkine gives her take on the Electoral College, “People have been complaining about it more than ever this past election, but it’s part of American history. It’s what has made the American government the American government, helping us elect some of the best presidents in our history.” On the other hand, Carolina Salazar disagrees saying that the “Electoral College system should not be in place. I believe that every person’s vote, rather than the amount of Electoral College votes a state has and which candidate wins swing states, should be what determines an election.” Pine Crest teacher Mr. Friedman also provided his opinion on the Electoral College, saying, “I don’t particularly object to it as it’s a balance between the states and the federal government. It’s what the framers intended. If the Electoral College was abolished, so many states would be completely ignored and the candidates would no longer pay attention to certain states as they do now.” [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

The electors will meet in their respective states on the December 19 to officially cast their ballots for the President and Vice President.[spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Sources: USA Today, Politico, Archives.gov, History.com, Historycentral.com, Federalist 68

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons