Follow The Stream and join Al Jazeera’s social media community:
This episode’s story:
http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201612120025-0025334
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AJStream
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AJStream
GOOGLE+: http://google.com/+TheStream
****************************************************
On The Stream: As electors prepare to cast their ballots, The Stream examines the relevance of the Electoral College in the US.
Thumbnail: Screenshot of the US Election results from November 2016 via Al Jazeera English’s AJ Labs.
In This Story: Electoral College
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president. Each state appoints electors equal in number to its congressional delegation. Federal office holders cannot be electors.
Of the current 538 electors, an absolute majority of 270 or more electoral votes is required to elect the president and vice president. If no candidate achieves an absolute majority there, a contingent election is held by the United States House of Representatives to elect the president, and by the United States Senate to elect the vice president.
The appropriateness of the Electoral College system is a matter of ongoing debate. Supporters argue that it is a fundamental component of American federalism by preserving the Constitutional role of the states in presidential elections. Candidates must appeal to a broad and diverse set of states rather than focusing only on the few U.S. cities with the highest population densities.
Critics argue that the Electoral College system is less democratic than a direct popular vote and that the College violates the democratic principle of “one person, one vote.” Thus, a president may be elected who did not win the national popular vote, as occurred in 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016.
