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Voting and the Electoral College

Voting and the Electoral College. Right to Vote is actually NOT defined in the Constitution When the country was founded, in most states, only non-Negro men with real property-usually of at least 50 acres- (land) or sufficient wealth for taxation were permitted to vote

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Voting and the Electoral College

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  1. Voting and the Electoral College

  2. Right to Vote is actually NOT defined in the Constitution • When the country was founded, in most states, only non-Negro men with real property-usually of at least 50 acres- (land) or sufficient wealth for taxation were permitted to vote • Today, anyone over 18 can vote

  3. The Electorate (voting population) has increased several times: • 1850: 14th Amendment = Gave Black men the right to vote. • 1920: 19th Amendment = Gave women the right to vote • 1924: Native Americans got right to vote • 1964: 24th Amendment made Poll taxes illegal • 1965: Voting Rights Act of ’65 made literacy tests illegal • 1971: 26th Amendment reduced voting age to 18

  4. States can set own Voting policies • Registration • Residency • Mental Competency (patients) can not vote • Criminal Convictions (felons) can not vote

  5. Who Votes? • Education: More education = more likely to vote. (Most important Factor) • Age: Older = more likely to vote • Race: Caucasian = more likely to vote. • Gender: Females = more likely to vote

  6. Who Votes? • Marital Status: Married = more likely to vote. • Union Membership: Union member = more likely to vote. • Traits are cumulative - possessing several adds up.

  7. Party Identification • People generally vote for a party they agree with. • Rise of candidate-centered politics has changed this view. • Now many voters are individualistic. • Characteristics of each candidate have become more important than party. How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizen's Decisions

  8. Franklin Roosevelt (Pres. 1933-1945) hid the fact that he had Polio. Why? Candidate-Centered Politics = Candidate is the focus, not so much his politics/views on issues

  9. Election of 1960: John Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon • 1st true example: • JFK had more appeal • Younger • Better looking • Beautiful wife • Much better Speaker (didn’t sweat while speaking)

  10. Little known Senator from Illinois vs. Conservative, former Prisoner of war Vietnam Vet. • Largest Black Voter turnout in history. Why? • Why did McCain select Palin as VP running mate? • Some felt she brought in younger votes • She brought in female votes Election of 2008

  11. Traditionally Whites voted in larger percentages. • Which group has surpassed Whites in Voter turnout? • Does this mean there are more of them voting than Whites? Voting Trends

  12. Religion: • Protestants = Republican • Catholics = Democrat • Jews = Democrat • Other (Muslim) = Democrat Voting Trends

  13. Ethnicity: • How do Blacks Vote? • How do Hispanics Vote? • How do Whites vote? • Which group is hurting the White vote for both parties? Voting Trends

  14. Regionally: • East and West Coasts tend to vote Democrat. Why? • South strongly Republican. Why? • Urban vs. Rural • Big cities tend to vote Democrat. Why? • Rural areas (farmland, small towns) tend to vote Republican. Why? • Suburbs tend to vote republican. Why? Voting Trends

  15. A. Andrew Jackson • B. Samuel Tilden • C. Grover Cleveland • D. Al Gore What do the following four men all have in common?

  16. They all won the popular vote in a Presidential election but did not become President. The Answer

  17. Popular Vote Andrew Jackson 43% John Q. Adams 30.5% Electoral Vote Jackson 99 votes Adams 84 * Adams elected by House of Representatives when Jackson did not receive a majority of the Electoral votes 1824

  18. Popular Vote Samuel Tilden 51% R. B. Hayes 48% Electoral College Tilden 184 Hayes 185 Winner: Hayes 1876

  19. Popular Vote Grover Cleveland 48.5 % Benjamin Harrison 47.8 % Electoral College Cleveland 168 Harrison 233 Winner: Harrison 1888

  20. Popular Vote Albert Gore 48.7% George W. Bush 48.5% Electoral College Gore 266 Bush 271 Winner: Bush 2000

  21. Because we do not pick our President by direct ballot. Technically, we only select electors. These electors form what is called the Electoral College and are the people who officially elect the President. Why?

  22. Why was it Created? • People (then) were not knowledgeable enough to select a President.(poor communications) • This was a check that gave the states a voice in choosing the President • To maintain regional balance (fairness in the areas)

  23. Encourages low voter turnout • Diminishes third party influence • Person with most popular votes may not win • Leads to tactical, insincere voting • If there is no majority winner in the Electoral College, the election goes to the H.o. R and there is a loss of separation of powers What are the drawbacks to the Electoral College?

  24. The Electoral College is a winner take all system of deciding who receives a states electoral votes. Consequently, if a person gets 50.1% of the popular vote (in a two man race), he get 100% of the electoral votes. Therefore, many people feel that their vote does not matter and choose to not vote. Why low voter turnout?

  25. The Electoral College discourages 3rd parties because a candidate must have a broad based, national platform to have a chance to gain the highest office. Rarely are 3rd parties financially and politically able to do this. Third Parties

  26. Voters often resort to tactical voting in Presidential elections because the person they truly support cannot win the all of the electoral votes. For instance, many people would have preferred Ralph Nader in the 2000 Presidential election but knew that he was not going to win. Instead, they often voted for Al Gore because he was the major candidate with the platform closest to Nader. Tactical Voting

  27. Electoral College actually elects the President - founders wanted him chosen by the elite of the country • States choose the electors • Winner-Take-All system gives bigger emphasis to more populated states Electoral College

  28. How it works today: • Each state has as many votes as it does Representatives and Senators.

  29. Winner of popular vote typically gets ALL the Electoral College votes. • Candidates need 270 Electoral college votes to win • Electors meet in December, votes are reported by the vice president in January. • If no candidate gets 270 votes (a majority), the House of Representatives votes for president, with each state getting ONE vote.

  30. Election of 2012: 332 Obama 206 Romney -How did the Southern states vote? -How did the East Coast states vote? - How did the West Coast states vote?

  31. Electoral College Facts: • Could win only 11 states and become President! • CA has most Electoral Votes • NM has picked the winner of every election except 1 since 1912 • No Republican has won election w/o winning Ohio

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