ITV News published this video item, entitled “US Election: Moment ITV News tells Val Biden that her brother is the President-elect | ITV News” – below is their description.
Soon after the presidential race was called for Joe Biden, ITV News spoke to his sister Val in Mr Biden’s hometown of Wilmington in Delaware to ask her reaction to the news – only to discover that she didn’t know that he had just passed the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the White House.
ITV News Correspondent Emma Murphy told Val her brother is now officially president-elect – and this is how she responded to the news.
ITV News YouTube Channel
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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.
