{"id":2364415,"date":"2024-11-05T13:18:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-05T18:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-the-electoral-college-is-and-how-it-affects-elections-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-11-05T13:19:49","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T18:19:49","slug":"what-the-electoral-college-is-and-how-it-affects-elections-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-the-electoral-college-is-and-how-it-affects-elections-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Electoral College is and how it affects elections &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhat-the-electoral-college-is-and-how-it-affects-elections-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2364415&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The **Electoral College** is\u2062 a crucial component of the United States\u200d presidential election\u200c system, established \u200din the Constitution to serve as a compromise between direct popular voting and congressional \u2062selection of the president. The College consists of 538 electors, with each state allocated a number of \u2063votes based on its congressional representation\u200d (senators and representatives). Each \u200cstate has at least \u2064three electoral votes, and the larger states, such as California, have\u2063 more.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, the Electoral College was designed to empower states and ensure that candidates appeal \u2064to a diverse \u200celectorate\u2063 across various regions, rather than focusing\u2064 solely\u200c on <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">populous urban\u2063 areas<\/a>. \u200bVoters in each state cast \u200btheir \u200dballots for a slate of electors\u2062 pledged to \u200da presidential candidate,\u2063 who\u2064 then officially votes for the president.<\/p>\n<p>This system \u200dhas \u2064come under scrutiny,\u2064 particularly in cases \u200cwhere candidates have won the presidency without winning the\u2064 popular vote, as seen in the elections of 2000 (Bush \u2062vs. Gore) \u200dand 2016 \u2062(Trump vs. Clinton). Such outcomes have led to discussions about \u200babolishing \u2062the Electoral College in \u2062favor of a\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/6-steps-the-democrats-will-take-to-fundamentally-alter-america-and-ensure-their-permanent-power\/\" title=\"6 Steps The Democrats Will Take To Fundamentally Alter America And Ensure Their Permanent Power\">national popular vote<\/a>, which \u200bwould award the \u200cpresidency \u200cto the candidate receiving the\u200d most\u2063 votes nationwide. Despite calls for reform, the Electoral College remains a\u200d foundational aspect of American elections, with\u2064 its\u200d impact shaped by demographic changes and the shifting political landscape.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">What the Electoral College is, why we have it, and how it affects elections<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1873135\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/electoral-college\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Electoral College\">Electoral College<\/a> has received a lot of attention of late, leading many to question why it exists&nbsp;&mdash; and what it would take to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3182093\/tim-walz-calls-abolish-electoral-college\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"remove it\">remove it<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>In two of the six presidential elections conducted this century, the Republican candidate has triumphed over the Democrat despite losing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nebraska-republicans-push-for-big-2024-electoral-change-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Nebraska Republicans push for big 2024 electoral change - Washington Examiner\">popular vote contest<\/a>. In 2000, George W. Bush defeated Al Gore despite receiving about 500,000 fewer votes nationally. In 2016, Donald Trump took out Hillary Clinton while taking in almost 3 million fewer votes.<\/p>\n<p>That has led scores of Democrats and Democratic-led states to embrace a national popular vote, which would simply award the presidency to the candidate who got the most votes overall. Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) made such a call for a national vote during this election, though Vice President Kamala Harris&rsquo;s campaign quickly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3182093\/tim-walz-calls-abolish-electoral-college\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"distanced itself\">distanced itself<\/a> from the remarks.<\/p>\n<p>The Electoral College system is embedded in the U.S. Constitution, with Article II, Section 1 reading that &ldquo;each state shall appoint&rdquo; electors to select the president, who then meet in their home states. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/or-voting-portal-may-let-anyone-cast-an-overseas-voters-ballot\/\" title=\"OR Voting Portal May Let Anyone Cast An Overseas Voter&#039;s Ballot\">system doesn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t quite work the way it was originally designed, with electors now mostly bound to casting votes based on their state&rsquo;s outcome rather than deciding on their own, but the basics of the design remain. <\/p>\n<p>The Electoral College was designed as part of the wider system of checks and balances, vesting power in individual states to conduct their own elections and send their votes to Washington rather than having elections held at the federal level. <\/p>\n<p>States are awarded Electoral College votes based on the size of their congressional delegations, with one vote given for each senator and U.S. representative. Each state thus has at least three votes, while the largest state, California, has 54.<\/p>\n<p>The number of Electoral College votes each state holds changes after each census, which can have its own impact on presidential outcomes. For example, Bush beat Gore 271-266 in the 2000 election&rsquo;s Electoral College but would win by a much wider margin today with the same states thanks to population shifts to the South.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Somewhat under the radar, but the share of electoral votes by state has changed quite a bit since 2000.<\/p>\n<p>Bush narrowly edged it back then (left), but with the same states in 2024, Trump would win comfortably (right)<\/p>\n<p>Largely because Florida and Texas have grown massively <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8WS3Kujq9r\">pic.twitter.com\/8WS3Kujq9r<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fran&ccedil;ois Valentin (@Valen10Francois) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Valen10Francois\/status\/1853816636429541746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 5, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Bush would win with 289 Electoral College votes to Gore&rsquo;s 249 with today&rsquo;s map.<\/p>\n<p>The system is designed to ensure that candidates must appeal to a wide variety of voters across different regions rather than simply trying to run up the score with base voters or those living in big cities.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, that geographic dispersion has tended to favor Republicans, who perform better with rural voters, which is another reason Democrats have become weary of the Electoral College system.<\/p>\n<p>In most elections, the &ldquo;popular vote&rdquo; winner has also won the Electoral College. In Ronald Reagan&rsquo;s 1984 landslide, for example, he took 58.8% of the national vote and 525 votes in the Electoral College.<\/p>\n<p>But that isn&rsquo;t always the case. Trump easily carried the Electoral College in 2016 despite getting fewer votes overall, taking it 304-227 over Clinton.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/live-blog\/2024-election-campaign-live-updates-harris-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS ON THE TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL RACE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A tantalizing but unlikely scenario exists in the form of an Electoral College tie at 269-269, which would send the election to the House of Representatives, in which each state delegation would cast a single vote. That scenario would likely end in a <a href=\"https:\/\/centerforpolitics.org\/crystalball\/republicans-retain-edge-in-electoral-college-tie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"win\">win<\/a> for the GOP candidate.<\/p>\n<p>For this year&rsquo;s election, the Electoral College will remain in place. If Trump wins the election while Harris brings in a higher vote total, expect calls to replace it to become even louder over the next four years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1873135\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1873135\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Electoral College&#8217;s purpose, existence, and election impact have come under scrutiny recently. In two of the six presidential elections this century, Republicans won despite losing the popular vote<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2635,"featured_media":2364416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/electoral-college-explained.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6571,41166,5894],"class_list":["post-2364415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-elections","tag-electoral-college","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/electoral-college-explained.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2364415"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2364419,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364415\/revisions\/2364419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2364416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2364415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2364415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2364415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}