Electing the President

Unit 5.2 Notes

Possible methods turned down

o Congress appoints the president
Afraid congress would be too powerful- violation of checks and
balances in congress
o Direct popular vote- a direct vote by the people
The people are not intelligent enough
Not enough Media
Most popular candidate may not be the best
Electoral college and voting process today
o President is elected every 4 years
o Political parties choose nominees to run in each state
Nominees campaign from state to state to win their political
parties nomination=political primaries:
Democratic Primary
Republican Primary
o President election
Voters in each state go to booths and vote for a specific
candidate
Voters are actually voting on that candidates electors
Each state number of electors is based upon the number of
congressman that state has
House and senate=electoral votes
Winner takes all on electoral votes
Exception: Nebraska and Maine
Candidate with the majority wins not the candidate with the
most votes
Problems with electoral college
o Candidate could win popular vote but lose electoral vote
o Third-Party candidates