Electoral College - Homework Assignment

What is the Electoral College?

The electoral college is a group of people from every state including Washington DC, who elect the next president and vice president. The elector is elected by the people on election day, and all elector's meet on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December.

The college never meets as a whole. Each state will have their own place for the college to vote at, it is usual at the capital. Here the electors will cast their votes, after taking an oath. After voting the electors complete the Certificate to Vote, which state the number of votes received and who casted the votes.

To count the vote, a staff member from the vice president will collect all of the Certificate to Vote, and prepares for a joint session of Congress. The staff member will place all of the certificate in two special mahogany boxes, unopened. Alabama to Missouri, including DC, is in one box, and Montana to Wyoming are place in another box.

The Electoral College has had 538 electors since 1964, these electors are elected or appointed by the state or their political convention. Each elector takes an oath to vote the way their region's popular vote votes. The elector is bound by oath to vote for the winner in their area's popular vote. If they don't they can be persecuted. For example, in 2000, Barbara Lett Simmons, an elector from Washington DC decided not to vote for Al Gore. Simmons' vote was abstained, but her not voting didn't change the outcome of the election.

What is the use of the Electoral College?

The electoral college is a way for the American people to elect the president indirectly. The electoral college was created from the 3/5 Compromise for the Constitution. The electoral college is a group of people that elect the next president and vice president, this group of people are elected by the people and then take an oath to vote the way that their local area voted.