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How the Electoral College Works

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The Electoral College: How it works
Axia College University of Phoenix
How do we elect the President? Many people do not understand the process by which we elect the President. They do not understand how the Electoral College works. Bill Stern (Andrews, 1996) said, “Our elections are free, it's in the results where eventually we pay.” Oftentimes, people vote based on public opinion or information obtained by the media. Voters should inform themselves on how the Electoral College works in order to make good decisions when voting for the president. Electoral College delegates elect the President. Voters elect Electoral College delegates. The Electoral College was created as a compromise between election by Congress or popular vote …show more content…

The graphic shown below shows how states with higher populations like California, Texas, New York, and Florida can have a huge impact on the final election results.
Figure 1
Number of Electoral College Votes by State
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Note. From U.S. Electoral College 2000 Presidential Election. Delegate selection for the Electoral College happens in a variety of ways. Each state decides how it selects its electors. Currently, every state allows its electors to be chosen by popular vote. The political party usually nominates electors at their state conventions or by a vote of the party’s central committee. Political parties select electors to recognize their service and dedication. These electors are state-elected officials, party leaders, or people with a personal or political affiliation with a candidate. Some states show the electors’ names on the ballot others do not. Voters should research the process of selecting electors in their state and for their political party. Voters should inform themselves on what their ballot format is before National Election Day. When we vote for a pair of candidates on a ticket, we are selecting a group of electors to serve in the Electoral College. There are many controversial arguments regarding the Electoral College. After the controversy of the 2000 election, people across the country wanted to do away with the Electoral College. Many people

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