Close Election Highlights

Role Of The Electoral College

By Steve Bigham

The Presidential election always seems to draw attention to the nation’s unique process for choosing its chief elected official via the Electoral College. This year’s election, however, brought added attention thanks to what is being called the closest race in American history.

With George W. Bush poised as the apparent winner, observers in Newtown and around the country were bemused by the possibility that he might win despite receiving fewer votes than Al Gore. It is all due to the Electoral College, which was created by the founding fathers because of a lack of trust in the average American’s ability to make an educated choice.

Under the US Constitution, the President and Vice President are not elected directly by the popular vote in presidential elections. Rather, they are chosen by majority vote of the “Electoral College.” This tear, that vote will occur on December 18, according to the Office of the Secretary of State of Connecticut.

Each of the 50 states is entitled to as many presidential electors as it has US senators plus US representatives in Congress. In Connecticut, for example, eight electors will each cast a vote and since Al Gore took Connecticut, they are bound to elect him. However, some states do not require their electors to vote for the candidate with the most votes from that state. In those cases, the electors are entitled to vote their conscience. However, since each candidate selects his own electors, the possibility of one of them voting for the opponent is unlikely. There have been exceptions, though. Seven times this century an elector from a state has voted differently than “pledged,” but without affecting the outcome of the election.

Will this year find the eighth so-called maverick among the electorates? Some, mostly Democrats, say the mood may be just right, particularly because the race is so close.

“Most people don’t understand the power of the Electoral College. Legally, they can do that in certain states. The way the electoral college is set up, a person can simply say ‘to heck with it, I’m going to do it my way,’” noted Newtown’s Democratic Town Committee Chairman Earl J. Smith. “Normally, they’ll go along with the popular vote of the state that they represent, but it’s possible they may not go along with it because it’s so close. There could always could be a few mavericks in there who may say ‘I’m going to do it my way.’”

In 1888, Benjamin Harrison defeated Grover Cleveland despite coming in second in the popular vote. Grover Cleveland came back to win four years later.