Teaching Resources
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Frequently Asked Questions
* View this Week's Questions of the Week
* How did the terms "Elector" and "Electoral College" come into usage?
* How does the Electoral College elect the president?
* How does the Electoral College process work in my State?
* Can citizens in U.S. Territories vote for President?
* Is my vote for President and Vice President meaningful in the Electoral College system?
* Why do we still have the Electoral College?
* What Federal laws govern the Electoral College system?
* What proposals have been made to change the Electoral College system?
* What happens if no presidential candidate gets 270 electoral votes?
* What impact does a candidate's concession speech have on the Electoral College process?
* How do the 538 electoral votes get divided among the States?
* There are 538 members of the Electoral College. How could that number change without amending the Constitution?
* What is the difference between the Winner-Takes-All Rule and Proportional Voting, and which States follow which rule?
* How is it possible for the electoral vote to produce a different result than the nation-wide popular vote?
* What would happen if two candidates tied in a State's popular vote, or if there was a dispute as to the winner?
* What is the difference between Colorado's proposal to proportionally allocate electoral votes and the current way that Nebraska and Maine proportionally allocate electoral votes?
* Who selects the electors?
* What are the qualifications to be an elector?
* Must electors vote for the candidate who won their State's popular vote?
* Where do I find the names of the 2004 Presidential electors?
* Where do I find the names of the 2008 Presidential electors?
* May I attend the meeting of my State's electors to watch them vote?
* Is there an online source listing the names and voting records of presidential electors for all previous presidential elections back to 1789?
* How many times has the Vice President been chosen by the U.S. Senate?
* References
How did the terms "Elector" and "Electoral College" come into usage?
The term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution. Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment refer to "electors," but not to the "electoral college." In the Federalist Papers (No. 68), Alexander Hamilton refers to the process of selecting the Executive, and refers to "the people of each State (who) shall choose a number of persons as electors," but he does not use the term "electoral college."
The founders appropriated the concept of electors from the Holy Roman Empire (962 - 1806). An elector was one of a number of princes of the various German states within the Holy Roman Empire who had a right to participate in the election of the German king (who generally was crowned as emperor). The term "college" (from the Latin collegium), refers to a body of persons that act as a unit, as in the college of cardinals who advise the Pope and vote in papal elections. In the early 1800's, the term "electoral college" came into general usage as the unofficial designation for the group of citizens selected to cast votes for President and Vice President. It was first written into Federal law in 1845, and today the term appears in 3 U.S.C. section 4, in the section heading and in the text as "college of electors."
How does the Electoral College elect the President?
View a summary of the Electoral College process and key dates for election year 2008.
* For a complete explanation, please review A Procedural Guide to the Electoral College
Key Electoral College Dates and Events
* November 4, 2008 - General Election: The voters in each State choose electors to serve in the Electoral College. As soon as election results are final, the States prepare seven or nine original "Certificates of Ascertainment" of the electors chosen, and send one original along with two certified copies (or three originals, if nine were prepared) to the Archivist of the United States.
* December 15, 2008 - Meeting of Electors: The electors in each State meet to select the President and Vice President of the United States. The electors record their votes on six "Certificates of Vote," which are paired with the six remaining original "Certificates of Ascertainment." The electors sign, seal and certify the packages of electoral votes and immediately send them to the President of the Senate, the Archivist of the United States and other designated Federal and State officials.
* December 24, 2008 - Deadline for Receipt of Electoral Votes: The President of the Senate, the Archivist of the United States, and other designated Federal and State officials must have the electoral votes in hand.
* January 8, 2009 - Counting Electoral Votes in Congress: Public Law 110-430 changed the date of the electoral vote in Congress in 2009 from January 6 to January 8. This date change is effective only for the 2008 presidential election.
The Congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes (unless Congress passes a law to change the date).
How does the Electoral College process work in my State?
For information on the electoral process in your State, you may wish to contact the Secretary of State of your State.
For example, the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a web page devoted to the electoral college: All About the Electoral College in Massachusetts.
To find your Secretary of State, go to the web site for the National Association of Secretaries of State:
http://www.nass.org.
Can citizens in U.S. Territories vote for President?
No, the Electoral College system does not provide for residents of U.S. Territories, such as Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa to vote for President. Unless citizens in U.S. Territories have official residency (domicile) in a U.S. State or the District of Columbia (and vote by absentee ballot or travel to their State to vote), they cannot vote in the Presidential election. Note that prior to the adoption of the 23rd Amendment, DC residents could not vote in the Presidential election.
The political parties may authorize voters in primary elections in Territories to select delegates to represent them at the political party conventions. But that process does not affect the Electoral College system.
Is my vote for President and Vice President meaningful in the Electoral College system?
Yes, within your state, your vote has a great deal of significance.
Under the Electoral College system, we do not elect the President and Vice President through a direct nation-wide vote. We select electors, who pledge their electoral vote to a specific candidate.
In December, the electors of each state meet to vote for President and Vice President. The Presidential election is decided by the combined results of the 51 (the 50 states and the District of Columbia) state elections. It is possible that an elector could ignore the results of the popular vote, but that occurs very rarely.
Your vote helps decide which candidate receives your state's electoral votes.