Why do we have the Electoral College?

Until polls close connected Election Day, millions of group crossed nan United States are casting ballots for their preferred candidates to win President Biden successful nan White House. But determining nan victor is not arsenic elemental arsenic totaling up really galore group voted for Vice President Kamala Harris aliases erstwhile President Donald Trump, because of nan Electoral College. 

The Electoral College is simply a arguable measurement successful nan U.S. predetermination process that dates backmost to nan 18th century. While there's a increasing activity to try to get free of it, others take sides nan strategy that gives immoderate states much weight successful statesmanlike elections. 

Why was nan Electoral College created successful nan first place?

Whether nan Electoral College is adjacent aliases basal is taxable to fierce debate that successful immoderate ways dates backmost to its founding. 

The conception emerged during nan Constitutional Convention, which took spot complete a four-month play successful 1787 to reside issues pinch nan early strategy of authorities successful nan United States. State delegates who attended nan normal were divided successful their views connected really nan state should elite its president, pinch immoderate suggesting Congress should take nan executive and others advocating for nonstop democracy, wherever citizens would ballot to elite their leader. At nan time, nan correct to ballot was almost wholly restricted to White men who owned property.

What to do astir nan method for selecting a president became a lingering statement astatine nan convention, said Michael Thorning, head of nan Bipartisan Policy Center's populist project, who told CBS News nan rumor was yet passed disconnected to a group tasked pinch resolving anterior disagreements complete definite areas of nan Constitution. It was called nan Committee connected Unfinished Parts.

Committee members settled connected nan Electoral College arsenic a compromise. 

"There were immoderate attendees of nan Constitutional Convention who did not spot nan celebrated will arsenic much," said Thorning. "They were concerned that you would beryllium asking group pinch very small governmental experience, knowledge of nan candidates, knowing of their platforms, to prime personification that they whitethorn not know. And truthful they whitethorn conscionable ballot only for nan personification whose sanction they recognize, versus nan astir competent candidate. So, this was a bargain."

Population size was a awesome constituent of contention. Delegates who attended nan normal came from ample states, for illustration New York and Pennsylvania, and mini states, for illustration New Jersey and New Hampshire. While immoderate of nan larger states would person favored an predetermination strategy driven by nan celebrated vote, which would springiness them a greater opportunity successful nan predetermination than a authorities pinch less voters, Thorning said delegates from immoderate smaller states had concerns astir being "overrun" by much populous neighbors.

Other ample states that sent delegates to nan Constitutional Convention had institutionalized slavery. At nan time, hundreds of thousands of group were enslaved crossed nan South, amounting to astir 40% of nan Southern population. Under nan notorious "three-fifths compromise" decided during nan aforesaid normal — which allowed Southern states to count three-fifths of their enslaved populations successful their full census — slave-holding states could person sizeable powerfulness successful nan House of Representatives and nan Electoral College, moreover though only a fraction of their residents were allowed to vote.

Why do electoral votes matter for statesmanlike elections?

Elements of nan Electoral College person changed since nan Constitution was drafted, since voting authorities expanded and citizens take their state's electors. But its basal domiciled successful picking nan president has remained.

"We person 50 authorities elections each individually happening," said Thorning. "What's important is who wins each of nan 50 authorities elections."

Electors are allocated to each authorities astir based connected its population, pinch nan number of electors adjacent to nan state's full number of U.S. senators and House members successful Congress. That intends moreover nan least-populated states get three, while galore states person a twelve aliases more; nan authorities pinch nan largest population, California, presently has 54.

In astir states, it's a winner-take-all strategy wherever each of nan electoral votes spell to whichever campaigner won a mostly of nan celebrated ballot successful nan sate. Only Maine and Nebraska person somewhat different systems for dividing up their electors based connected who won astatine nan legislature territory level.

There are 538 electors who will lawsuit votes successful nan Electoral College, and a statesmanlike campaigner needs to unafraid astatine slightest 270 of those votes successful bid to win. 

It's imaginable to triumph nan celebrated ballot nationwide but still suffer nan election, if states pinch capable electoral votes spell nan different way. 

This strategy besides intends candidates extremity up focusing a disproportionate magnitude of their clip and costs connected campaigning successful a mini number of battleground states that could extremity nan equilibrium successful their favor.

Why do we ballot if location is an Electoral College?

When voters formed their statesmanlike ballot, they're really choosing nan group of electors who connected bully religion will correspond nan governmental statement is affiliated pinch their preferred candidate. The group who capable these roles are selected by their statement and are typically section officials aliases committed governmental supporters. 

Thorning called nan celebrated ballot for president "a really unofficial gauge of nan election."

"While voters spell to nan polls and spot a statesmanlike campaigner connected nan ballot, they are really voting for electors who correspond those people," he said. "Whoever nan prevailing electors are successful those elections, they are nan group who yet formed nan Electoral College votes. So, nan post-election period, really, is simply a process of translating these galore celebrated ballot elections into nan Electoral College."

After nan November election, nan electors stitchery successful each authorities successful December to formally formed their votes for their state's winner.

Why do immoderate critics want to get free of nan Electoral College?

Critics of nan Electoral College chiefly return rumor pinch nan truth it leaves unfastened nan anticipation that nan result whitethorn not bespeak nan results of nan celebrated vote. This happened astir precocious successful 2016, erstwhile Trump won nan presidency pinch a mostly of Electoral College votes contempt Hillary Clinton, nan Democratic nominee, winning nan nationwide celebrated ballot by almost 3 million.

Similar conundrums played retired successful a fistful of statesmanlike elections before, including successful 2000, erstwhile George W. Bush won nan Electoral College contempt losing nan celebrated ballot to then-Vice President Al Gore. In that race, nan celebrated ballot divided betwixt Bush and Gore by a very mini separator — overmuch narrower than successful 2016.

"Over time, nan world has evolved, moreover while nan Electoral College has not evolved truthful much," said Thorning. "I deliberation by immoderate standards, nan thought that it is not a nonstop celebrated ballot for president successful modern times does onslaught immoderate group arsenic not being democratic."

Under one projected alternative, called the National Popular Vote Compact, states would work together to springiness their electoral votes to whichever campaigner wins nan nationalist celebrated ballot — moreover if it doesn't lucifer nan result successful their state. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris' vice statesmanlike moving mate, recently spoke retired against nan Electoral College, saying "we request a celebrated vote" during a run arena successful California.

"I deliberation each of america cognize nan Electoral College needs to go," Walz said. "But that's not nan world we unrecorded in. So we request to triumph Beaver County, Pennsylvania. We request to beryllium capable to spell into York, Pennsylvania, and win. We request to beryllium successful occidental Wisconsin and win. We request to beryllium successful Reno, Nevada, and win."

The Harris-Walz run followed up pinch a connection saying his comments did not bespeak their charismatic position connected nan issue.

Thorning pointed retired that while nan Electoral College strategy is partially enshrined successful nan Constitution, it tin beryllium amended.

"I deliberation we should proceed to statement aspects of our populist and what's successful our Constitution," Thorning said. "But astatine nan extremity of nan day, this is nan strategy truthful acold that we've agreed to, and truthful we person to behaviour our authorities done nan strategy that we have, and behaviour alteration to that strategy done nan strategy that we have. There is simply a measurement to make that change, if location is support for it."

In:
• United States Electoral College
• Tim Walz
• Kamala Harris
• Donald Trump
• Election