electoral system

(noun)

The detailed constitutional arrangements and voting laws that convert the vote into a political decision.

Related Terms

Examples of electoral system in the following topics:

  • Electing Candidates

    • Electoral systems are the detailed constitutional arrangements and voting laws that convert the vote into a political decision.
    • Electoral systems then determine the result of the election on the basis of the tally.
    • Most electoral systems can be categorized as either proportional or majoritarian.
    • In a proportional electoral system, a political party receives a percentage of seats in a governmental body in proportion to the number of votes it receives.
    • Many electoral systems require voters to cast ballots at official, regulated polling places.

  • The Electoral College

    • These presidential electors in turn cast electoral votes for those two offices.
    • Faithless electors are pledged electors and thus different from unpledged electors.
    • They argue that the two party system has provided stability through its ability to change during times of rapid political and cultural change.
    • In the presidential general election, the winner is determined based on who receives the greatest number of votes in the Electoral College system.
    • Assess the compatibility of the Electoral College system with the nation's federalist and democratic commitments

  • The 23rd Amendment

    • The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution permits citizens in the District of Columbia to vote for Electors for President and Vice President.
    • The 23rd Amendment would have been repealed by the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment, which proposed to give the District full representation in the United States Congress, full representation in the Electoral College system, and full participation in the process by which the U.S.
    • A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a State; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by the twelfth article of amendment.

  • Democracy in the U.S.

    • All states and the District of Columbia contribute to the electoral vote for president.
    • People vote for electors who pledge, in turn, to cast their electoral votes for a particular candidate.
    • In modern times, the electors virtually always vote with the popular vote of their state.
    • The modern political party system in the United States is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
    • Diagram the basic form of the United States government, focusing on its branches and electoral system

  • The Election of 1796

    • In 1796, voters only could cast ballots for electors in the Electoral College, not for the presidential candidates themselves, and not all electors publicly declared their political preferences.
    • This system of balloting was not changed until the Twelfth Amendment (1804), which allowed for the notion of a running mate by stipulating separate balloting for president and vice president.
    • Jefferson received the second-highest number of electoral votes and was elected vice president according to the prevailing rules of electoral college voting.
    • This election marked the formation of the first party system and established a permanent rivalry between Federalist New England and the Republican South, with the middle states holding the balance of power.
    • Although this amendment was not adopted until after the 1800 election, the events of 1796 signaled to Congress that some minor adjustments to the Constitution were necessary in order to make the electoral system more efficient and to prevent opposing political factions from holding executive positions at the same time.

  • The General Election Campaign

    • Instead, votes are allocated indirectly through members of the Electoral College.
    • Under this system, statewide elections take place in which voters cast ballots for candidates.
    • Because a candidate only needs to win a majority of votes in the state to receive all of its Electoral College votes, this system has lead to election strategies in which states with a solid Republican or Democratic majority are not contested by candidates.
    • The most notorious swing states in recent years have been Florida and Ohio, since each is generally unpredictable, and each has a significant number of Electoral College electors.
    • In the presidential general election, the winner is determined based on who receives the greatest number of votes in the Electoral College system.

  • Electoral Districts

    • The exact name used varies from country to country, including such terms as "electoral commission", "central election commission", "electoral branch" or "electoral court".
    • Proportional representation voting systems inherently require multi-member districts, and the larger the district magnitude the more proportional a system tends to be.
    • District magnitude can vary within the same system during an election.
    • Gerrymandering is typically done under voting systems with single-member districts .
    • Sometimes, particularly under non-proportional winner-take-all voting systems, electoral districts can be prone to landslide victories.

  • The Election of 1824

    • With tens of thousands of new voters, the older system of having members of Congress form congressional caucuses to determine who would run no longer worked.
    • Electors were chosen by popular vote in eighteen states, while the six remaining states used the older system in which state legislatures chose electors.
    • The Electoral College, however, was another matter.
    • Of the 261 electoral votes, Jackson needed 131 or better to win but secured only 99.
    • This map of the Electoral College votes of 1824 illustrates the number of electoral votes allotted to each candidate in each state.

  • Voter Turnout

    • A high turnout is generally seen as evidence of the legitimacy of the current system.
    • The Electoral College is an example of an indirect election, consisting of 538 electors who officially elect the President and Vice President of the United States.
    • A high turnout is generally seen as evidence of the legitimacy of the current system.
    • However, some political scientists question the view that high turnout is an implicit endorsement of the system.
    • Nebraska split its electoral vote when Senator Obama won the electoral vote from Nebraska's 2nd congressional district; the state's other four electoral votes went to Senator McCain.

  • The Republican Victory

    • In the end, Jefferson won a narrow victory over Adams (73 to 65 electoral votes) with New York casting the decisive vote.
    • With the two parties tied 65-65 in the Electoral College, the last state to vote, South Carolina, chose eight Republicans, giving the election to Jefferson and Burr.
    • However the Republicans neglected to have one of their electors abstain from voting for Burr, which created a tie.
    • Furthermore, this system of balloting was changed by the Twelfth Amendment (1804), which called for a "party ticket" (one president and one vice-presidential candidate) that the Electoral College had to cast votes for, rather than selecting individuals.
    • Figures indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.