Global News published this video item, entitled “US election: How the electoral college system decides who wins the White House” – below is their description.
Americans have been voting in record numbers in this year’s presidential election, but when they vote they’re not actually casting their vote for the candidate but members of the electoral college.
The electoral college has been used to decide nearly every presidential election in U.S. history and while people may cast their vote for the candidate of their choice, they’re actually voting for electors affiliated with either of the two major parties.
But the system is not without it’s critics, who argue that it unfairly promotes less-populated states over those with a higher population.
Sean Previl took a look at the electoral college system and what you should know about its role in deciding who wins the race to the White House.
For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/7418832/
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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.
In This Story: Vote
Voting is a method for a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, in order to make a collective decision or express an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holders of high office by voting. Residents of a place represented by an elected official are called “constituents”, and those constituents who cast a ballot for their chosen candidate are called “voters”. There are different systems for collecting votes, but while many of the systems used in decision-making can also be used as electoral systems, any which cater for proportional representation can only be used in elections.
In smaller organizations, voting can occur in different ways. Formally via ballot to elect others for example within a workplace, to elect members of political associations or to choose roles for others. Informally voting could occur as a spoken agreement or as a verbal gesture like a raised hand or electronically.
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