The President of the United States is elected by an electoral college: who they are and how they vote

The President of the United States is not directly elected; he is elected by the members of the Electoral College. These are state representatives who, in turn, cast their votes based on the voting results in their home states, explains "Voice of America".

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Logic

The Electoral College was established in the United States in 1787. This was due to a number of circumstances: then in the United States there were no strong political parties, there was no national media, there was no communication system (like their contemporaries in European states, during their life most Americans did not move more than 8-10 km from their own homes).

By virtue of this, politicians could gain popularity in a small area, but had little chance of becoming popular on a national scale - there were certainly exceptions to this rule, but they were negligible. For example, all US residents knew the name of George Washington, who came into politics from the post of army commander.

Another factor that influenced the creation of the institution of electors was the fears of the founding fathers of the United States: they assumed that populists and extremists of various kinds could gain voters' sympathy, which was theoretically possible due to the illiteracy of the country's population. The last filter, which was supposed to prevent such a politician from reaching the top of power, was to be the Electoral College.

The issue of the sovereignty of individual states was and remains extremely important for the United States. The initially proposed system of direct nationwide voting did not meet with support from small states: they feared that states with large populations (such as New York and Virginia), due to their superiority in the number of voters, would run their candidates for the US presidency over and over again.

For these and a number of other reasons, the Electoral College was created. The implication was that respected citizens representing their states were able to make an informed decision.

The European prototype of this institution was the method of electing the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. However, unlike the United States, the heads of individual German states acted as voters. They bore the corresponding hereditary titles - for example, prince-elector.

Until recently, similar methods of choice operated, for example, in Finland and are still in effect during the election of the Pope (he is elected by the college of cardinals).

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People

Under US law, the Electoral College is not an institution of power, as it is often considered, but a legal process in which 538 electors now participate.

According to the US Constitution, the members of the College (“electors”) are not just citizens. They must have the experience and authority to represent the interests of the residents of the state. Each state independently determines who will represent its interests in the Collegium in this election.

The selection of electors takes place at party conventions in each state, or they are chosen by party leaders at the state level. Traditionally - but not always - senators and congressmen, popular politicians or people personally close to the presidential candidate act as electors. Thus, on election day, each state has two lists of electors represented by the Democratic and Republican parties. After summing up the voting results, the governor signs the list of electors presented by the party whose candidate won the elections in this state - these people formally elect the president. In some states, the names of electors appear on the ballot, in others they do not.

Theoretically, a US citizen with a certain authority among fellow citizens can become an elector, explains "AIF"... This should be a person whom the residents of the state trust to represent their interests. An elector cannot hold a position related to the distribution of property. These restrictions were introduced in order to make the members of the board more independent and objective.

The number of electors from each state is determined based on the results of the most recent census. Because of this, the number of electors from individual states changes in each election cycle. For example, the 2010 US Census results will be valid for the 2012, 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. However, not a single state, even the most sparsely populated, has fewer than three delegates in the College.

In 2020, 3 electors will represent the interests of voters in the states of Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and the District of Columbia (de facto Washington). The maximum electors are in California (55), Texas (38), Florida and New York (29 each).

Thus, not all American votes are given equal weight. For example, more than 578 thousand people live in Wyoming (the latest data for 2019), that is, there is one elector for about 193 thousand people. With a population of 39,5 million, California supplies the College of 55 electors - one elector for every 718 Californians. That is, the vote given for the presidential candidate in Wyoming is much more "important" than the voice of the Californian.

Why there are only two candidates in the elections

There are almost always more than two candidates. Together with candidates from the largest parties - Democratic and Republican - representatives of less influential parties (Green, Libertarian, Constitutional) and independent candidates run for elections. There were six candidates in the 2016 elections, and one of the "third candidates" - the former Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson - is a fairly significant politician. However, in practice, heavyweights are competing - in 2016 they were Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and in the 2020 elections - Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Moreover, if the voter is not satisfied with any of the candidates indicated on the ballot, he can enter any name in it and put a tick in front of this name (the so-called written-in candidates; there is often a special column for them) ... Sometimes the appearance of such candidates is associated with the illness or sudden death of someone whose last name was on the ballot initially, but more often the Americans just joke in this way - for example, in 2012, someone wanted to see Master Yoda from “ Star Wars, Chuck Norris and even Vladimir Putin.

Vote

The electoral college meets on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December after the presidential election (in turn, elections, in accordance with the Constitution, are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November). There is no general meeting of electors: the voting procedure takes place in their home states. The certificate of voting results is sent to the US Congress.

Electoral College members from the same state tend to vote unanimously, with the exception of Nebraska and Maine, which have more complex systems of will.

There is no federal law in the United States that would oblige electors to vote in one way or another. Some states oblige their electors to promise to vote in accordance with the will of their residents. Voting for another candidate or refusing to vote is considered a violation of an oath and is punishable by law in 24 states. That said, in the vast majority of cases, electors vote as instructed by state residents, and those who do otherwise are called faithless electors, explains «Medusa».

The US Constitution and federal law in no way oblige electors to vote based on the results of their fellow countrymen's will. However, such requirements are spelled out in the laws of 26 (out of 50 states). In rare cases, fines are imposed for violation of these laws - up to a maximum of $ 1. In addition, in virtually all states, electors are accountable to the party that appointed them.

A situation is possible when none of the presidential candidates gains a majority of the votes of the members of the Collegium (now 270 votes must be collected to win). Then the President will be elected by the House of Representatives and the Vice President by the Senate. The last time such a vote was held in 1824. Initially (before 1804), each elector had two votes - the presidential candidate who received the most votes became president, and the second-ranked vice president.

On January 6, at a joint session of both houses of Congress, the electoral votes are counted. The official election results are announced by the incumbent US Vice President (who also serves as President of the Senate).

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Aftermath

The work of the Electoral College has led to the fact that in recent decades most presidential candidates spend most of their time and money campaigning in the largest and most "controversial" states, where there is no serious Republican or Democratic majority: the victory of, say, a Republican candidate over a Democrat with a margin of one vote automatically brings him all the electoral votes.

In the 2000 presidential election, the name of the new owner of the White House was named on the basis of several dozen votes cast by the voters of the state of Florida for George W. Bush. Winner-take-all worked, with all Florida Electoral College members casting votes for Bush, securing his 271-266 victory. Bush became president despite being overtaken by Democrat Al Gore in the total number of votes cast nationwide. The same thing happened in 2016, when Hillary Clinton won the national vote (48,2% versus 46,1%, but the electors brought the presidency to Donald Trump (304-227). A similar collision was recorded in the presidential elections of 1824, 1876 and 1888 years when nationwide the winners received fewer votes than the losers.

According to the US Congressional Research Service, over the past two centuries, Congress has considered more than 700 draft laws and amendments to the Constitution, which involved serious reform of the electoral system.

Critics, in particular, say the system is outdated and the US looks like a laughing stock to the world; it contributes to the conservation of the existing, in fact, two-party system; the fate of a country is decided not by its citizens, but by the electors, etc.

Polls on this topic are rare, but over the past decade and a half, most Americans have favored direct presidential elections. Nevertheless, by all appearances, the College is destined for a long life.

There are a number of reasons for this. In particular, the existence of the Electoral College is extremely beneficial for the "controversial" and small states (they receive maximum attention from candidates) and various minorities. For example, in those states where certain minorities make up a significant percentage of the electorate, they are actually able to decide the outcome of elections in the entire state.

If the current electoral system is reformed, then these states and communities could lose an important lever of influence over the federal government.

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