How The Us Electoral College Works - Foreign Affairs

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How The Us Electoral College Works - Foreign Affairs - Nairaland

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How The Us Electoral College Works by desgiezd(m): 9:53am On Nov 04, 2008

How The US Electoral College Works
By Agency reporter
Published: Tuesday, 4 Nov 2008

Every fourth November, after almost two years of campaign hype and money, over 90 million Americans vote for the presidential candidates. Then, in the middle of December, the president and vice-president of the United States are really elected by the votes of only 538 citizens -- the ”electors” of the Electoral College.

When you vote for a presidential candidate you are really voting to instruct the electors from your state to cast their votes for the same candidate.

For example, if you vote for the Republican candidate, you are really voting for an elector who will be ”pledged” to vote for the Republican candidate.

The candidate who wins the popular vote in a state wins all the pledged votes of the state‘s electors.

The Electoral College system was established in Article II of the Constitution and amended by the 12th Amendment in 1804.

Each state gets a number of electors equal to its number of members in the US House of Representatives plus one for each of its two US Senators. The District of Columbia gets three electors. While state laws determine how electors are chosen, they are generally selected by the political party committees within the states.

Each elector gets one vote. Thus, a state with eight electors would cast eight votes. There are currently 538 electors and the votes of a majority of them, 270 votes, are required to be elected. Since Electoral College representation is based on congressional representation, states with larger populations get more Electoral College votes.

Should none of the candidates win 270 electoral votes, the 12th Amendment kicks in and the election is decided by the House of Representatives.

The combined representatives of each state get one vote and a simple majority of states is required to win. This has only happened twice. Presidents Thomas Jefferson in 1801 and John Quincy Adams in 1825 were elected by the House of Representatives.

While the state electors are ”pledged” to vote for the candidate of the party that chose them, nothing in the Constitution requires them to do so.

In rare instances, an elector will defect and not vote for his or her party‘s candidate.

Such ”faithless” votes rarely change the outcome of the election and laws of some states prohibit electors from casting them.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200811042213025

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by landis(m): 6:29pm On Nov 04, 2008

who cares?
grin

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by bawomolo(m): 7:21pm On Nov 04, 2008

enough is enough with the obamania. abeg make we sleep

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by Mustay(m): 7:43pm On Nov 04, 2008

Why didn't punch do this for the Zambian elections too?

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by Kobojunkie: 8:08pm On Nov 04, 2008

bawomolo:

enough is enough with the obamania. abeg make we sleep

OH MY !!! et tu ?!!! shocked

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by Nigeria4: 8:48pm On Nov 04, 2008

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by SeanT21(f): 9:19pm On Nov 04, 2008

Nigeria 1 is That You again with Your nonsense!!!

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by PepERSprAY: 9:25pm On Nov 04, 2008

The electoral college is winner takes all and that is one problem with US democracy. If NY has 30 electoral votes and Obama wins majority of the votes in NY, it means that he'll take the whole electoral votes in NY making a McCain supporters vote in the state of NY worthless. The aggregation of these electoral votes is what determines the winner. The candidates fight in swing states because a red state will traditionally vote elephant while a blue state will always vote donkey but it's the swing states that make the difference. Why should Obama waste his time campaigning in Arizona when he knows that Mccain will win his home state and take all the electoral votes?

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by Nigeria4: 9:27pm On Nov 04, 2008

I really do not like the US electoral college. I prefer the canadian riding system. It is close to what democratic govt form election should be, that why canada is more developed than the USA. i can see my USA friend shout BS.

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by PepERSprAY: 9:37pm On Nov 04, 2008

Nigeria1//:

I really do not like the US electoral college. I prefer the canadian riding system. It is close to what democratic govt form election should be, that why canada is more developed than the USA. i can see my USA friend shout BS.

Canada is a socialist state that survives from US crumbs and I don't see the development you are talking about unless gay marriage is a big development.

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by Nigeria4: 9:51pm On Nov 04, 2008

There is gay marriage in the USA too, Canada really is more technology ahead of the USA. Canada is well plan but we have less population. But Canada is better form of democratic govt than the USA. I nearly ran for election before, so my brother I know about the system and I also many years ago, when I was younger an electoral officer during an election. What you people call INEC in Nigeria. We call it election canada. I once worked for them toward an election. trust me. Canada have a better system than the USA.

If a party win a riding, it reflect the wish of the people.

Here is how the canadian system worked. There is what we call riding . A riding is made of certain determine population, which is always modified before every election based on population. Let just use 250,000 people as example. Each riding have about the same population or close to the same.

Each party need to win a riding and The more a party riding you win. The party with the highest number of riding wins the election. You do not have have majority of all the riding. Before it use to be I think 303 or 306 , I can't remember now what it is. bit close to that number.

you can have 120 riding and form a govt. If no other party have more than you. It is closer to what we had in the 1960.

If you look at the katsina state example.

You give Katsina city 61 riding and Duara 1 riding. while fuatua would have about 2 riding. This is true democracy.

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by PepERSprAY: 10:01pm On Nov 04, 2008

Nigeria1//:

There is gay marriage in the USA too, Canada really is more technology ahead of the USA. Canada is well plan but we have less population. But Canada is better form of democratic govt than the USA. I nearly ran for election before, so my brother I know about the system and I also many years ago, when I was younger an electoral officer during an election. What you people call INEC in Nigeria. We call it election canada. I once worked for them toward an election. trust me. Canada have a better system than the USA.

If a party win a riding, it reflect the wish of the people.

Here is how the canadian system worked. There is what we call riding . A riding is made of certain determine population, which is always modified before every election based on population. Let just use 250,000 people as example. Each riding have about the same population or close to the same.

Each party need to win a riding and The more a party riding you win. The party with the highest number of riding wins the election. You do not have have majority of all the riding. Before it use to be I think 303 or 306 , I can't remember now what it is. bit close to that number.

you can have 120 riding and form a govt. If no other party have more than you. It is closer to what we had in the 1960.

If you look at the katsina state example.

You give Katsina city 61 riding and Duara 1 riding. while fuatua would have about 2 riding. This is true democracy.

Which office did you 'nearly' run for?. Working in the electoral board does not mean you understand all the electoral system in the world. How does Nigerias democracy work?

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by Nigeria4: 10:12pm On Nov 04, 2008

Why do you want to know which office? Many Nigerian run for office before abroad, don't you know that. You can run if you want. Some even won. I think i would have won, but my wife no like politics.

It is not difficult to run for office over here. you do not need political gang or Godfather, You run and try to get vote and you are in. The former winner got 27,000 vote and i would have got about 40,000 from my calculation.

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by landis(m): 10:57pm On Nov 04, 2008

If NY has 30 electoral votes and Obama wins majority of the votes in NY, it means that he'll take the whole electoral votes in NY making a McCain supporters vote in the state of NY worthless

and you called that DEMOCRACY!!!

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by JosBoy4Lif(m): 11:08pm On Nov 04, 2008

Remember Florida during the first Bush election or was it second? Populace vote is the most democratic means of election.
guess what it says? 1 vote counts for 1 vote!!!!
And then we get the problem of disenfranchisement, I hope they don't try that rubbish this year!!!!
Disenfranchised minority votes, this world is a wicked place!!!

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by redsun(m): 11:27pm On Nov 04, 2008

If Obama does win,it is really a change,it means the bridging of fundamental divide,the people with one voice,good over evil.Nobody can save africa but africans,free yourselves.

Re: How The Us Electoral College Works by Nigeria4: 12:28am On Nov 05, 2008

do you know that 3 state with the highest percentage of black people. Mccain is leading in the poll and may win them. One of the state have 39% black and mccain is said would win that state, another state with 37% black. while some state with less than 10% black obama is leading. so stop talking about race. I notice state with high % of black Mccain is leading in poll. what does that tell you.

In batimore maryland. about 7 or more years ago. With over 50% black. a black man ran against a white man. The white man beat him nearly 80% of the vote, no rigging,

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